FIELD?HOCKEY
Starting Homecoming weekend off with a bang on Friday, Oct. 12, the field hockey team dominated Rosemont in a 7-0 victory.
The Eagles impressed with five goals in the first 18 minutes of the game. Sophomore Olivia Derr began the scoring, followed by a goal from senior Steph Moyer off of a pass from junior Kim Campbell. Soon after, senior Jamie Heck scored off of a feed from Derr.
Steph Moyer and Campbell connected again as Campbell knocked another goal in. Sophomore Lindsay Moyer rounded up the first half scoring.
The second half again saw Eastern dominating play, with the ball only crossing the midline a couple times. Rosemont’s Adrian Demchenko fought hard in the goal with 20 saves, including a diving save off of a hard Lindsay Moyer penalty stroke.
However, the Eagles still put in two more goals, as Campbell and Lindsay Moyer both added their second scores of the game.
With this win, the Eagles improved to 8-1 in the PAC.
VOLLEYBALL
Later Friday evening, the women’s volleyball team kept the Homecoming win streak rolling, defeating visiting Misericordia, 3-0.
Three of Eastern’s former and current players awarded the PAC Player of the Year honors were in attendance to watch the Eagles keep their undefeated PAC record in tact. Misericordia entered the game just one game behind Eastern in the standings with a PAC record of 6-1.
The Eagles jumped out to a fast start and never looked back, winning in three games (30-21, 30-21, 30-18). Senior Emma Klein led the strong performance with a team-high 17 kills.
“Our passing was right there,” Klein said. “Our defense was scrappy.”
With the win, Eastern held onto their place atop the PAC standings, tied with undefeated Neumann for the conference lead. Eastern will play Neumann at home on Tues., Oct. 23.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Beginning the Homecoming action at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 13, the women’s tennis team faced off against the College of Notre Dame.
Despite an exciting doubles match in which senior Mandy Kuiken and sophomore Hannah Tobin won 8-5, the team lost the match 2-7, giving them a 2-8 record in the PAC.
Kuiken had a hand in both victories, winning her singles match 6-2, 6-3. The Eagles saw a strong comeback from sophomore Annalisa Iverson, as she battled from being down 1-5 in the second set to knot up the score 5-5. In the end, Iverson dropped the match 1-6, 5-7, but impressed both fans and her coach with her performance.
Coach Angela Sprock was proud of her team, even though the noise of Homecoming was distracting. “We played well,” Sprock said. “We did not have a lot of unforced errors, so we weren’t giving points away.”
CROSS?COUNTRY
Cross Country had to celebrate Homecoming off-campus at Belmont Plateau, displaying a strong performance at the Cabrini College Invitational.
Both senior Grace Ciak and sophomore Mary Fitch posted personal records, helping the women’s team to finish 10th out of 15 teams. Fitch earned 32nd with a time of 21:57.28, while Ciak’s time of 23:25.38 gave her 60th. In addition, five other Eastern runners finished within the top 100.
Sophomore Mike Wilson again impressed with a 4th place finish, 27:17.26, after falling to 60th in the middle of the race. An error in communication saw the first group of runners in the men’s race take a wrong turn, which was then corrected, but ultimately affected their finishes.
Junior Ben O’Donnell returned to action after missing several races due to injury. O’Donnell posted a time of 29:25.23 and finished in 54th. Combined the men’s team finished the day 13th out of 19.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Kicking off the soccer doubleheader against Alvernia, the women’s team took to the field at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The Eagles kept fans’ attention on Alvernia’s side of the field for almost the entire game, pressuring the Crusaders’ defense, shot after shot. However, it wasn’t until the second half that Eastern was able to record their first goal, off of a pass from junior Corrie Brant to sophomore Jill DiRenzo.
“It was good to open up the scoring,” DiRenzo said. “Ever since [the game against] Messiah, we’ve been having trouble scoring. But as long as it goes in we’re good.”
After scoring their first goal the Eagles did not let up, scoring two more goals, one from junior Nicole Grindle and a second by DiRenzo.
With her second goal of the game, DiRenzo tied Eastern’s single-season scoring record with 17 goals.
The win improved Eastern’s record to 12-3 on the season, with a perfect 8-0 PAC record.
MEN’S?SOCCER
To cap off a beautiful Homecoming in front of a huge crowd, the men’s soccer team pulled out a squeaker, 1-0, against PAC rival Alvernia College. Junior Scott Patrick’s goal in the 70th minute put away a game that could have otherwise slipped through Eastern’s hands.
While the team’s aggressive play and control kept Alvernia on the defensive, the Crusaders continually rejected the Eagle’s attacks.
Near the midway point of the second half, the team’s persistence paid off. Senior Aaron Tritch played the ball nicely up to senior Lance Burris, who slid the ball over to Patrick for the difference-maker.
Seconds later, Alvernia almost found the equalizer, as an Eagles defender headed the ball back to junior Michael Dorsch, forcing the keeper to make a diving save to push the ball out of bounds.
The team left the Homecoming crowd pleased, wrapping up the day’s festivities with an exciting victory.
Information compiled by Managing Editor Alex Long, Sports Editor Stephanie Weaver and Staff Writer Jon Ambrose.