EWU soccer off to great start, but road matches loom
A little resilience is going a long way for the Eastern Washington women’s soccer team.
Playing in overtime for the fourth time in nine outings, the Eagles overcame a late Idaho goal, recomposed themselves and got a match-winning penalty kick to beat the Vandals 2-1.
“I think team just comes into overtime knowing we can’t give up,” said junior forward Chloe Williams, who took the kick that improved Eastern to 8-1-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Sky Conference.
It was quite a weekend for Williams, a Lewis and Clark High School product who opened the homestand with the quickest goal in the Big Sky this season – 49 seconds into Friday’s 3-0 win over Idaho State.
Two days later, the penalty kick against the Vandals pulled Williams even with former teammate Cassie Black atop the school’s career scoring list. Both have 24, but the way Williams is playing, she’ll soon take sole ownership of the record.
“It feels really good to tie the program’s record in career goals, but I couldn’t have done any of it without my teammates and coaches,” Williams said. “It’s an honor for sure, but we’re not done yet.”
Williams’ play this past week also earned her some national recognition, as she was also selected to the TopDrawerSoccer.com’s National Team of the Week.
“Chloe had a great weekend and continues to play well for us,” coach Chad Bodnar said. “She’s getting in good spots and getting quality service from our midfielders.”
Williams’ effort was good enough to earn her second Offensive Player of the Week award from the Big Sky announced Tuesday. Meanwhile, senior goalkeeper Mallory Taylor won the defensive player award after giving up just one goal on the weekend – and that on an Idaho penalty kick.
Next up is a two-match road trip, Friday at Portland State and Sunday at Sacramento State.
Added Bodnar: “Now we’re just trying to focus on the next game and not get too far ahead of ourselves.”
WSU faces tough road trip: After dominating Colorado everywhere but on the scoreboard, the Cougars must regroup for what looks like their toughest road trip of the season.
“Nobody is panicking,” coach Todd Shulenberger said Tuesday following Sunday’s 1-0 home loss to the Buffaloes in their Pac-12 Conference opener.
The Cougars outshot Colorado 23-8, including a commanding 7-1 edge in shots on goal. WSU also posted an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks. However, they lost in the 89th minute to fall to 5-3-1.
Next up is a Thursday night match at top-ranked Stanford (8-0-1), followed by a Sunday match at Cal (9-2).
Gonzaga women to open WCC play: The Bulldogs’ story on Sunday was similar to WSU’s: domination on the stat line that didn’t translated into a win.
Instead, GU closed nonconference play with a 1-0 loss at Seattle despite a 9-6 advantage in shots.
The Bulldogs (4-3-2 overall but 2-0-1 at home) open West Coast Conference action Friday against Loyola Marymount.