ST. DAVIDS, Pa.- Eastern Unviersity Women's Soccer controlled most of the match, but the visiting King's College Monarchs defended well and scored a second-half goal to make things interesting a in 2-1 Eastern victory. Emily Roquemore and Alysia Goodman scored goals for the Eagles.

Prior to today's match, Eastern had never had a game with King's decided by fewer than four goals, but the Monarchs featured a roster with twenty first-year players and a new outlook. First year goalkeeper Jessica Natale fought off a tough sun in the first half to make three saves, and her defense kept the Eastern players from putting a lot of shots on goal.

Roquemore, a sophomore center back for Eastern, gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead with a sharply-hit volley to the upper left corner of the goal on an Ashley Graybill corner kick. Eastern had nine corners in the match. It is the first goal of the year for Roquemore.

"We feel that when we can do things to get Rock [Roquemore] and Ritt [senior center back Katelyn Rittenhouse] into the box,' Head Coach Dan Mouw remarked, "that we can be dangerous. Ashley and Amy [Thomas] hit good service and it is a question of can we push the ball over the line. Emily got a clean swing today."

Eastern had an 11-1 edge in shots at half but only the slim one-goal lead. With the lead, the Eastern staff elected to play Alysia Goodman in the field in the second half. The two-time All-Region goalkeeper, entered the field in the 56th minute and immediately made a mark on the game. She had a shot saved by Natale and missed left on another chance. In the 64th minute, Goodman took a pass from Kelsey Doutrich and drove in her third tally of the year. 

The Eagles had a great chance immediately following the goal on another corner kick, but an heroic effort by a King's defender blocked Stephanie Le's shot from close range and the lead remained at 2-0.

The lift of the second goal was, however, short-lived as an Eastern turnover found its way to Elizabeth Paese the only senior on the Monarch roster took a chance and lift a shot toward goal that found its way right into the late afternoon sun and into the net. The 70th minute goal is the first for King's in five matches against Eastern. 

Eastern (8-5-2, 3-1-1) had a couple more golden opportunities late, but the Monarchs kept the game within reach in front of Natale.

The Eagles have two days to recover before traveling to FDU-Florham. A win in Madison would secure a top-three position in the Freedom Conference final standings.

"They are much improved," Mouw concluded, "they don't back down and they competed throughout the match. That being said, we had some errors in execution that made the game way more complicated than it had to be today. We will continue to work and get better."

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