ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - When PSU-Abington's field was deemed unplayable, Braden Gross and his fellow seniors received another chance to play a regular season game on Eastern's Olson Field. Gross made the most of that chance as he tallied twice to lift the Eagles to a 2-0 non-league win. The victory gives Eastern (10-5-1) a bit of momentum going into an important regular season finale at Wilkes. The Eagles are in a must-win scenario, but can finish as the third seed with a win and a Manhattanville victory over King's.

The Eagles controlled much of the play early, but they were unable to find the range until the 38th minute. Brandon Reichart earned the assist on the play after he collected a rebound near the right post bumped the ball across the face of the goal to a wide open Gross. As the Eagles' leading scorer on the year, Gross has developed a knack for being in the right palce at the right time. He slammed a five yard shot directly into the center of an empty net.

"I couldn't miss that one," Gross commented, "Brandon put it right there. He did all the work to get it there."

The Eagles held an 8-1 edge in corners and a 6-0 edge in shots through the opening 45 minutes of action.

Gross had a chance to make it 2-0 in the 50th minute when his attempt off a rebound of a Reichart shot drifted only inches wide of the post from close range.

While the Eagles claimed more of the ball in the second half, the visiting Lions actually became more dangerous as they sought to utilize the counter-attack to open up the Eastern defense. Markus Malave had a tremendous chance in transition go just high in the 62nd minute. With PSU-Abington showing their capability in the counter, the result remained in question.

Until Gross knocked home his 9th of the season in 89th minute. Abington's goalkeeper made a tough save on Brandon Beaumont's blast to the lower right corner, but the rebound bounced free and Gross was again in the right spot.

Jon Crowder made three second half saves while fighting off a tough sun to earn the shutout.Eastern finished the afternoon with a 19-5 edge in shots.

The Eagles, who are currently tied with Misericordia and two points behind King's in the Freedom Conference standings, will secure a post-season spot with a win at Wilkes. If Eastern wins and King's beats Manhattanville, who is in a tie for first with DeSales, then King's will be the third seed and Eastern will be the fourth. If Eastern wins and King's loses or ties, then Eastern will be the third seed and the Misericordia Cougars will be the fourth seed as long as they beat Delaware Valley in Dallas. A loss at Wilkes would eliminate the Eagles unless Delaware Valley pulls off an upset at Misericordia.

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