By: Will Cunningham
Eastern women’s soccer is officially in the win column, as they secured their first win of the season on Wednesday, Sept. 21. On the road against Immaculata, Eastern cruised to a 4–0 win over the Mighty Macs. For head coach Jess Shanahan, this is her first victory since taking the helm.
Forward Madelyn Mullen is continuing her excellent play, notching a goal and two assists in the win. Goals were also scored by midfielders Leah Mowery, Ashtyn Heisey and Lindsay Kline, the last of whom also contributed an assist. Goalkeeper Brooke Moskey also made four saves in not only her first career collegiate win, but also her first collegiate shutout.
The Eagles took control of the game quickly, jumping to a 2–0 lead just four minutes in. To begin the scoring, Kline delivered a great pass to Mullen, who fired the ball into the bottom left corner. It was Mullen’s third goal of the year, all of which came in a four-game stretch.
Less than 20 seconds later, the Eagles again found the back of the net. On a throw-in, Mullen tossed it to a wide open Leah Mowery. She took advantage of the space, firing a shot that soared above Immaculata goalkeeper Gina Marinelli. It was Mowery’s first collegiate goal, and Mullen recorded her first assist of the season.
The Eagles maintained their lead for around 10 minutes. However, they were able to secure extra insurance for that lead in the 13th minute. After a foul against Immaculata, defender Ashley Hollinger took a free kick that found the right foot of Kline. The team captain finished the restart by securing her first goal of the season and the third in her collegiate career. It was also the first collegiate assist for Hollinger.
Eastern’s final goal came around 15 minutes into the second half when Mullen created yet another play. This time, she found freshman Ashtyn Heisey on her left, and Heisey delivered by notching her first collegiate goal. Mullen also secured her first collegiate multi-assist game with this play.
When reviewing the stats of this game, the offense stands out nicely thanks to the four goals and 16 shots, 11 of which were on goal. However, the defense also came to play, as the Eagles held the Mighty Macs to just five shots, with the four on goal all being secured by freshman goalkeeper Brooke Moskey.
Moskey has been excellent this season for the Eagles, saving 52 shots and posting a .867 save percentage through eight games, both of which lead the MAC Commonwealth.
The Eagles have secured a crucial victory with this win. After starting the season 0-4-2, the Eagles were finally able to put together a winning performance. This victory is good momentum for the Eagles as they steer closer to the beginning of conference play. Their first conference match was on Oct. 1, when the Eagles traveled to Owings, Md. to face off against Stevenson.