The Eastern University women's soccer team rebounded from a tough loss Saturday at Lebanon Valley College with a convincing 1-0 home win over Moravian College (5-4-1). Jill DiRenzo scored in the 35th minute for the Eagles.

In 2008, the Eastern women used a tough 4-0 loss at Moravian as a turning point for the season. That loss dropped that team to 2-4. Out of that game, the Eagles regrouped and won 15 of their next 17 matches on the way to an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight. This year, the gut-wrenching loss came at Lebanon Valley College this past Saturday.

The Eagles returned to the familiar confines of Olson Field and immediately demonstrated a commitment to winning balls and getting into the attacking spaces. Despite a steady breeze in their faces, the Eagles seized and held territorial control early. The early possession finally resulted in a chance in the 12th minute when sophomore forward Tess Beckwith earned the edge on the left side and drove toward the near post. A Moravian defender recovered to block the speedy sophomore's low shot to the back post, and the chance went begging.

Minutes later, Beckwith earned another chance, but Moravian goalkeeper Sarah Halpin was up to the challenge. The Eagles, who owned a 9-2 advantage in first half shots, had another great chance go just over the bar as Kristine Zeiset headed a Katie Ruth serve just before making contact with Halpin.

The Eastern depth began to give the hosts an advantage as several new players came in to work on the front half of the field. Kelsey Doutrich, playing in just her second game since coming back from a pre-season injury, made her presence felt just minutes after she entered the game. The sophomore midfielder received a pass thirty yards out and clipped a precise angled ball right into DiRenzo's path. The senior forward made a quality first touch and slotted her team-best eighth of the year into the lower right corner.

The Eagles continued to press through the break as Karin Wolset fired a pair of shots just off target in the closing moments. The Greyhounds best chance of the match came in the waning seconds as JeriAnne Weiss found room in the Eastern box and fired a shot that Whitney McCloud caught cleanly. McCloud would finish the day with four saves to earn her second shutout of the year.

The Eagles stormed out of the gates in the second half. A 17-4 advantage in shots was not enough to produce an insurance goal and despite control of much possession and territory the game remained in doubt until the finish.Beckwith provided several great serves that went unfinished and hit a crossbar on another shot. Halpin made seven of her nine saves in the second half and three times had teammates clear balls off her line for her. 

Eastern head coach Dan Mouw commented on the match saying, "We did a lot of things really well. The back half of the field was really solid today, and I loved our ball-winning and intensity in the midfield. Z [Zeiset] and Lauren [Roe] brought great energy and set the tone for the team. I was really pleased to see Tess find her way into dangerous areas and create so many chances. We will have to do better in the finishing, but I am pleased that we got the one we needed. For us to bounce back after Saturday was really important."

The Eagles (4-4) start their Freedom Conference Schedule on Friday night at King's before returning home to take on top-ranked Messiah College, the only team that beat them in the second half of 2008, in a 4:00 pm game on Wednesday.