DALLAS, Pa.– In a tight conference race, road victories are like gold. Eastern University Men's Soccer came into tonight's MAC Freedom Conference test at Misericordia University needing a win to keep pace. The Eagles (10-2-1, 2-1 MAC Freedom) scored on a 48th-minute penalty kick and held off a furious charge from the host Cougars (7-5-1, 2-1 MAC Freedom) to claim a win and what could become a critical tie-breaker.

For the opening half hour, the match was a back-and-forth affair. Both teams had chances at goal, and both goalkeepers rose to the challenge. The final fifteen minutes of the first half, however, belonged to the Cougars. Misericordia flung a full-fledged aerial assault into the Eastern box. The hosts served free kicks, long throws, and corners into the box with unrelenting determination.

The Eagles withstood the barrage. Led by junior goalkeeper Quentin Keibler and junior center back Jadon Ramsing, the Eagles cleared ball after ball from danger and made sure that no Misericordia player had a clean look at goal. Even so, Misericordia built an 8-4 edge in shots before the half.

"The center of our defense stepped up big without Jacob Myers," Head Coach Mark Wagner said after the game.  "Jadon led us well, and freshmen Kaleb O'Neil and Hagen Meyer performed extremely well as center backs. Q [Keibler] was massive for us in goal. [He was] outstanding in the air and on his line - he was tested heavily."

The Eagles found the game's only goal on their only shot of the second half. In the opening minutes, Jake Cahill drove into the Misericordia box from the right side. The sophomore wide back beat a man and was pulled down for a penalty kick. Ramsing stepped up and put away the shot for his fifth goal of the fall.

From there, the assault resumed. The Cougars served balls from anywhere and everywhere, and the Eastern back wall held. Keibler was given credit for one second-half save, but the junior standout commanded his box and prevented crosses from becoming shots. Keibler made five saves in the game as the Eagles recorded their third consecutive shutout.

The win moves the Eagles back to the top of the league table. Wagner characterized the road win as a critical one for his team but cautions that there is still a lot of soccer to be played. The Eagles play again at FDU-Florham on Saturday.