The Eagles struck for six goals in the final half hour of play to earn a 6-0 win at King's.
Kristine Zeiset scored twice to lead the Eastern rally.
Though the Eagles held possession for much of the first half, they were unable create more than a handful of chances. Jill DiRenzo's 25 yard free kick midway through the half sailed just over the bar. The visitors earned five first half corners, but a gusting wind made quality service nearly impossible and the two teams went to break knotted at zero.
The Eagles increased the tempo out of the break but still struggled to find rhythm on the windblown turf. Zeiset earned the first good chance of the second half, but King's keeper Rachel Donatiello dove to her right to catch the fifteen yard blast.
The Eagles finally connected in the 57th minute on a quality serve from the left side by Carly Inch. The sophomore back gathered a pass in a wide position and curled a bending ball to Jill DiRenzo at the back post. The senior forward calmly headed home her ninth goal of the year.
Zeiset struck for her first just two and a half minutes later. She cleaned up a pass from Allison Inch just outside the box and hammered a right-footed blast just under the bar. Zeiset found the goal again on a scrum in the 66th minute. Katelynne Rittenhouse served a corner into traffic and Karin Wolset headed a ball that Donnatiello pushed into the crossbar but not out of traffic. Zeiset reacted quickly to the bounce off the bar and headed in her third of the year.
The game slowed briefly following the third goal. The Eagles continued to press, but did not strike again until the 85th minute. Liza O'Keefe scored her first career goal on a perfect free kick to the upper corner from forty yards out. Eastern scored on another free kick two minutes later. O'Keefe served the ball from near midfield toward the back post where Aly Goodman touched the ball home for her second of the year.
Tess Beckwith scored the final Eastern goal of the day after a clear of a Monarch corner kick. The sophomore forward collected a loose ball 70 yards from goal and sprinted away from a pair King's defenders before slotting home her third of the year.
Eastern Head Coach Dan Mouw commented on the game, "We really struggled in the first half. We did not commit to getting the ball to the far side of the field, and King's was able to keep us boxed in. Carly played a great ball to open the game. We eventually adjusted, but we will have to be quicker in figuring those things out in the future. When we did score, we put in some really nice goals."
The Eastern team gets back together on Saturday morning to serve at City Teams in Chester, Pa. Click here to learn more about the 100 hours project. The Eagles return to Olson Field next Wednesday for a 4:00 pm game against top-ranked Messiah College in a rematch of last year's NCAA Quarterfinal match.
Box Score
