ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Field Hockey jumped out to a quick start and never looked back in an 8-3 home win on Senior Day. The Eagles (5-11, 2-4 MAC Freedom) put 35 shots on goal and had 20 penalty corners in the match.

Eastern converted on the first corner of the match. After the initial shot was saved, a subsequent attempt was stopped on the goal line for a penalty stroke call less than two minutes into the match. Gina Miller, the team's lone senior position player, stepped up to the spot and converted for her 21st career goal. 

The Eagles doubled the edge in the 14th minute on Ali Balmer's first of four goals on the afternoon. Maya Wales set up the goal with a strong run up the right side. Balmer slapped home her first of the day from inside five yards.

"I've never scored four in a game," Balmer said after the match. "It was a lot of good passes, and I was in the right place."

Wales scored the next two goals. Both came off shots from Alison Hoag. Hoag, a junior midfielder, had ten shots in the match. She put nine of those strikes on goal. Her shot from the right side in the 21st minute forced a good save. Wales was on the spot to clean up the rebound.

Five minutes later, Hoag blasted another shot. Balmer jabbed at the rebound and popped it in the air and Wales batted it home for her ninth of the year.

Nicole Berger, Eastern's other senior, made six stops in the first half, and the Eagles carried a 4-0 lead to the intermission.

The Valiants got on the board in the 37th minute on a beautiful redirection of a chip pass, but Balmer answered with a penalty stroke goal four minutes later.

Manhattanville forced an Eastern time out with two goal in quick succession to close the gap to 5-3 with a little over twenty minutes to play. Out of the time out, the Eagles picked up offensive momentum with more pressure on the Valiant goal.

Balmer completed her hat trick on a beautiful redirection of another Hoag blast in the 56th minute. 

"[This was a] Great show of team work today," Head Coach Camrin Azzarano said after the match. The girls honored Gina and Bergs by working hard to put together the type of game we strive for and believed we were capable of playing."

The Eagles added a seventh goal in the 66th minute on Balmer's fourth of the afternoon. Wales again provided service from the right side, and Balmer tapped it home from in close. Shannon Jugler closed out the scoring with a solid finish of a hard cross from Ali Dickinson in the 69th minute.

Berger made eight saves to pick up the win in goal.

"I am proud of this team's fight today," Azzarano said after the match. "After the disappointment of missing our goal of making the playoffs, this was a hard game. This team fought for its integrity today."

Eastern wraps up the season with a pair of games next week. The Eagles will host Delaware Valley on Wednesday and will travel to TCNJ next Saturday.