ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Alondra Cervantes scored early in the first overtime to lift Eastern University Women's Soccer to a 2-1 home win over the Haverford College Fords. The game-winner was the first goal for the junior since she ended the 2016 campaign with a similar goal in overtime at DeSales. Ashley Zemeski created the play with a run up the left side and a serve into the box.

The Eagles absorbed pressure for much of the early going but got on the board first when Zemeski headed a short clearance back into the box and into Melanie Witter. The first-year forward flicked a perfect volley over the onrushing goalkeeper for her second goal of the year.

"I saw her coming," Witter said after the game. "I had a chance like that on Saturday that went over, and I just wanted to get it in." Witter's shot came on her only shot of the game and the team's only shot on goal in the half. While the Eagles spent considerable time defending in the half, the next good chance of the match also came for the home side.

After a foul at the top of the box, Courtney Davis blasted free kick over the wall that sailed just over the bar.

Haverford held a 13-4 edge in first-half shots and a 3-1 edge in corners, but Adrianna Rowlands was in position to stop all four Haverford shots on goal and to cut away several dangerous crosses.

The Haverford pressure finally resulted in a goal in the 51st minute. Hannah Krapes put a left-footed shot into the upper corner to knot the game with nearly forty minutes of regulation remaining.

"I thought we were very disciplined on the defensive side of the ball." Head Coach Brandon West said after earning his first win as a head coach. "We did well limiting quality scoring chances." West pointed to the play of Davis and Zemeski as well as senior Alex Imperatore and sophomore Carli Sitkowski. Sitkowski started the year as a forard but moved to right back after injuries left the team short-handed in the back. Zemeski was in her first game back after missing a pair of games with injury.

Haverford had seven shots and six corner kicks in the second half. While the Eagles defended the corners well in front of Rowlands, the junior backstop made several good plays to control her box on the restarts.

Both teams had played to ties in overtime this year, but the Eagles found extra energy in their home opener. Zemeski again created the chance. The senior left back stepped into the midfield to win a tackle and carried a ball into the attacking end. She cut the ball back to her right foot and served a ball into the box. After a deflection by a Haverford defender, Cervantes controlled the ball with her body and blasted home her ninth career goal.

The Eagles will host Penn State Harrisburg on Saturday at 1:00 PM.