The Eagles managed to get a pair of opportunities in the opening four minutes, but the first strike of the game came against the run of play as the visitors played a ball into space in the Eastern defensive half. The DeSales forward attacked the box and earned a penalty kick just under five minutes into the match. Emily LaDuke placed her shot into the lower right corner for the 1-0 lead. DeSales would not get another shot on goal for the match.
Down 1-0, the Eagles worked to force the issue. Jill DiRenzo cracked a header off the inside of the upright from in tight in the thirteenth minute. While the home side held a 6-1 edge in shots in the opening half, their attacking lacked crispness and continuity. Eastern Head Coach Dan Mouw attributed the lull to a variety of factors, but pointed to a transition made necessary by an injury suffered in the game on Wednesday. "We struggled to adjust to not having Lauren[Roe] in there. The players on our team have never played without her in there, and it will take some time to figure out how we are going to adjust to not having her for a bit. I thought we got better as the game progressed, but we missed her stability and leadership through the first half especially."
The Eagles got the goal they were looking for when DiRenzo leveled the score in the 49th minute. Cara Dembrosky attacked up the left side and served a ball on the ground that a pair of Eastern players let slip to the back post where DiRenzo made solid contact for her tenth of the year.
The rest of the half took place in Eastern's attacking half, but chance after chance went unfinished. DeSales goalkeeper Melissa Millili made several good saves, but the Eagles also missed the frame on several chances. Millili stopped an Allison Inch header in the 86th minute and a transition shot from Cara Dembrosky to help send the game to overtime.
The first overtime looked like a continuation of the second half. Millili made a save on a tough deflection of a Kristine Zeiset shot. While the second half was in the DeSales half, the first overtime was primarily in the DeSales box. Nonetheless, the Eagles could not find the game-winner and the game went to the second overtime.
As they had through much of the game, the home side continued to press, but chances went begging and the match ended in a level at one. It is the first tie for the Eastern women since 2006.Â
Mouw said of the day, "Sometimes ties feel like wins. This was not one of those times. We created opportunities and limited their chances, but we have to do a better job in the final phase. DeSales worked very hard, but if you out-shoot a team 27-3, you need to win the game. The game right after the Messiah game is always a struggle, but we left the game on the table."
The draw is Eastern's first non-win in regular season conference play since a 1-1 tie to Arcadia in 2006. The Eagles (5-5-1, 1-0-1) now sit in a tie for second with DeSales in the Freedom standings.
