MAC play underway

Field Hockey

Eastern faced tough competition early in the season, facing off with #4 The College of New Jersey in a 2-1 loss.

After the loss, the team did not look back for the remainder of the week. They went to record wins against Widener, Neumann and William Paterson.

The offense came alive against William Paterson as the Eagles were able to put up four goals in the contest, winning 4-2.

Junior Hope Donnelly found the back of the net early, with sophomore Christin Haas scoring later in the first half.

Donnelly scored her second goal of the afternoon late in the second half, while junior Sarah Garber joined the scoring frenzy late in the game.

Junior goalie Laura Ressler recorded 10 saves. The team extended its win streak to four as it defeated Wilkes in its first MAC conference game.

Brittany Moyer started the threat early in the first half off an assist from Herbster.

Herbster scored a goal of her own about two minutes later. Senior Elya Troup put the game away with a goal late in the second half for the 3-1 victory.

Men’s Soccer

After starting the season on a roll in non-league action, the Eagles have taken a stumble, with a current record of three wins and five losses.

The team was shut out during a match against Rutgers-Camden, 2-0, on Sept. 16.

The Eagles had little time to reflect on the shutout with rival Cabrini next on its list of opponents. Junior Ben Faro scored the lone goal for the Eagles in the 2-1 loss. 

On the following Wednesday, the team could not get its offense rolling against Gettysburg College even with a 7-3 edge in penalty corners, falling 0-2.

On Saturday, the team fell to Arcadia, 0-1, as the Eagles were kept scoreless for the second time in a week.

Women’s Soccer

The Lady Eagles started the week with a thrilling victory over Cabrini College. Senior
Jill DiRenzo led the offensive charge, finishing with two goals in the contest.  First- year Alysia Goodman scored her first collegiate goal in the 3-2 victory.

After a week off of the field, the team traveled to Franklin & Marshall College.  The defense did not seem disturbed by the lay off, shutting out F&M two goals to none.  DiRenzo scored her third goal of the week and sophomore Kristine Zeiset added her first goal of the season. 

On Saturday, the team fell to Lebanon Valley College, 1-2. LVC scored a goal with 36 seconds remaining in the game to steal the game. Sophomore Tess Beckwith scored the lone goal in the loss.

Women’s Tennis

The Lady Eagles started their week by blowing past Lancaster Bible College in a non-league matchup, claiming all nine games. 

After weeks of waiting, the team finally started conference play in the MAC against King’s College. The team put up a fight but fell 4-5. 

Sophomore Bekah Roland, junior Allison Verdic and senior Hannah Tobin each finished with victories in singles competition.

Eastern regained its winning form against PSU-Abington later in the week.

Unfortunately, when league play came around again for the team, it was unable to defeat Misericordia. Verdic and Tobin picked up the two wins in the match.

Cross Country

In the Mule/Falcon Invitational at Cedar Crest College, the women’s team finished second place while the men took third.

First-year Martha Mackey led the pack of women, while sophomore Jonathan Holbert clocked in the best time for the men.
 

Volleyball

The Lady Eagles did not lose a contest during the two-week span of play, boasting a current 14-1 record and a 23rd national ranking.

All-American sophomores Courtney Reinhold and Maria Horning played key roles in each of the team’s victories.

In a rematch of last year’s conference final, the team defeated DeSales University on Sept. 16. The 3-0 sweep marked the beginning of the team’s MAC schedule.

Eastern beat every team in the Stevens Tech Invitational three games to one, en route to winning the tournament on Sept. 18-19.

The following week, sophomore Nikki Kummerer had an outstanding game against King’s College, recording five of the team’s nine service aces.

The team swept every opponent it faced at the Elizabethtown Tournament on Sept. 25-26, defeating the hosts in the Blue Jay Classic championship game, 3-0.