READING, Pa.– Eastern University Men's Soccer entered today's game at Alvernia having scored just once in the team's last four hours of play. Despite some good chances and some positive play, that trend continued through a scoreless first half against the Golden Wolves. The second half, however, was a completely different story. The Eagles generated nine corner kicks and scored four times on the way to a 4-1 win.

How It Happened:
The Eagles showed signs of life late in the first half when Evan Needs earned the edge on teh left side and slotted a ball to the front of the goal. Billy Walenda reached the cross, but was unable to square up a shot, and his effort from eight yards out rolled wide. The Golden Wolves then responded with their best chance of the half. Anthony Hitchcock was equal to the task with touch over the top bar on a shot from close range. Alvernia had a 6-3 edge in first half shots, but Hitchcock's save in the waning moments was the only one of the first half for either team.

Walenda had a shot at redemption early in the second half, and the senior forward made it count. After an extended sequence up the right side, Sam Sutherland played the ball across to Walenda who ripped a right-footed shot back to the upper-right corner for a 1-0 lead.

The Golden Wolves leveled the match in the 63rd minute after the Eagles were unable to clear a rebound from danger. With the game tied at 1-1, the Eagles had the potential for a fourth-straight overtime match. That potential quickly dissipated with a pair of goals in 89 seconds. 

Jake Sankey put the Eagles up. The junior midfielder had moved into the back row after an injury early in the match, but he still came forward on corner kicks. Colin Furlong took a corner kick from the left side that the Wolves cleared for another corner. Furlong's kick from the right was flawless. Sankey met the serve at the near post and snapped a neat header into the top of the net for his first tally of the year. Less than a minute and a half later, Cade Harmon made it 3-1. The senior forward picked up a pass on the left flank, beat a defender, and ran toward goal. He saw the Alvernia keeper cheat to the far post and ripped a low shot to the near post for his team-high fourth goal.

Jacob Myers converted another Furlong corner kick for Eastern's final goal in the 87th minute. Myers, who played next to Sankey in the back row, beat his mark to the near post and hit a glancing header just under the bar for his 15th career goal.

Hitchcock picked up the win in his first career start.

Coach Payne says:
"[It was a] good result for the team tonight. It took us 20-25 minutes to settle into the match. I still think we can be more organized and better with our defensive shape and we need to be better in transition defensively, but it was great to convert on some set piece tonight. Colin serves a great ball, and we feel very corner we get is a chance for us to score. We scored on two tonight, so we hope that is the start of some better efficiency on those.

"Cade helped our attack by staying up the field and giving our midfield some space. Sammy looked comfortable playing underneath him. I thought we also some some good performances off our bench this afternoon. With moving Sankey into the back row, we had to do some different things, but we were able to go with some guys in different spots and for some longer minutes and they did well. That is encouraging."

Up Next:
The Eagles (4-2) do not have a midweek game, but will play at Cabrini in an Eagle Road Rivalry match on Saturday evening.

Myers and Sankey look to be a strong CB pairing that know how to control the game.