Eastern University Women's Soccer used two second half goals to down Richard Stockton College in the first day of the Stockton Classic on Friday. Tess Beckwith and Jill DiRenzo provided the scoring, but the Eagles used a total team effort to control the flow of the game.

The two teams battled to a scoreless draw at the break, but the Eagles went to intermission with positive energy and good control of the game. Head Coach Dan Mouw commented, "We were very pleased with the energy we had in the first half. I felt that we got a very nice lift from our non-starters to get us to the break with good momentum."

Freshman goalkeeper Aly Goodman made two of her four saves in the first half but made her presence felt with solid play off her line in the back. Each team was credited with three shots before the break. 

The Eagles came out with great energy in the second half. Beckwith, who put the Stockton back line under pressure throughout the opening hour of the game, finally saw her hard work rewarded as she found a seam and pushed a ball behind the Stockton backs. Beckwith's right-footed shot slipped just inside the far post to give the Eagles a 1-0 edge with 23 minutes to play. 

The Eagles continued to force the issue in the game, and generated several more offensive opportunities before finally doubling the lead with fourteen minutes to play. DiRenzo picked up her third tally of the year on a free kick from just outside the box. The senior forward, playing in front of a hometown crowd, curled the shot over top of the wall and into the top part of the net.

"The goal for Jill was big," Mouw commented, "she worked on hitting strong restarts all summer, and it was good to see that pay off. I was really pleased with our back line, and I thought our midfield stepped up their level really well today."

The Eagles return to action tomorrow afternoon at Stockton with a 3:00 pm game against Rowan.