There would be no miracle this year.

Last year, the Eastern University men's soccer team downed Misericordia in overtime to earn a spot in the Freedom Conference Championship. This year visiting Cougars had very few chances on the day, but they made an early one count and held off the Eagles. The 1-0 result drops Eastern out of the post-season picture and secures a spot for the Cougars.

The Cougars scored the only goal of the match early in the 17th  minute on an indirect kick from 22 yards out. Joey Scanlon shot the ball off the Eastern wall and just under a diving Jon Crowder for his eighth goal of the year.

Neither team had many chances in the first half, but the Eagles, with a 4-3 edge in shots, had the better opportunities. The two best chances of the half came on plays that did not result in shots. Phil Mantua found Braden Gross in a seam with just under 14 minutes to play, and it looked like Gross was in, but a lunging Misericordia defender slammed the ball out for a corner. Minutes later, Ben Faro was behind the Cougar back line on a ball that skipped past the final defender, but the junior midfielder lost his footing on the wet turf, and the chance went unfinished.

The Eagles pushed the action through the second half, but the Cougars banged the ball out of danger time and again. The Eagles held a 10-4 advantage in shots, but had to settle for many chances from distance against the stingy Misericordia defense. The Eagles earned the best chance of the match wi th just over twenty minutes to play on a nice combination in the box. Kyle Hurst slid a pass from a deep position back across the face where Grant Supplee made a sliding lunge toward the ball. The sophomore forward's shot banged off the outside of the post and the Eagles remained down one.

As the game progressed, the visitors continued to manage the clock and slow the pace of the game, and the Eagles were unable to find the equalizer despite a series of late restarts. 

Eastern will conclude their year with a 2:30 home game against FDU-Florham on Saturday.