ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– The 2019 season could not have started better for Eastern University Field Hockey. The Eagles scored on their first two shots of the season and held a 2-0 lead over the visiting Albright College Lions before three minutes had elapsed. The Eagles (1-0) held on for a 4-1 win.

How it Happened:
Eastern was on the front foot from the beginning and earned two quick corners. On the second one, Joelle Wash hammered home a strike from the top of the circle to put the Eagles up. Less than a minute later, Ali Balmer earned the circle on the dribble and flicked a ball past the charging Albright goalie.

The visiting Lions (0-1) found their bearings after the initial push and gathered some momentum in the middle of the period. The Lions earned the first two penalty corners of the frame and halved the Eastern lead on a nice passing sequence on the second one. Bailey Lehman fired home the final shot.

The score stayed 2-1 through the end of the half and well into the third quarter. Balmer converted a lift shot on Eastern's second corner of the second half. Harper Sellers played the initial insert to Wash, and the defense looked to close ground to stop another blast. Wash pushed the ball to her right. Balmer had the goalie to beat, but no individual defenders. Her high shot was headed toward the goalkeepers pads, but Abigail Geisler tipped it into the top part of the net for a 3-1 lead.

The same dupo combined for hte the final goal of the match. Balmer set up the goal on a an aggressive run into the circle to start the fourth period. Her pass found Geisler alone in the middle of the goal for a one-time finish.

Kylie Troyer made three saves to pick up the win in her first college match.

Coach Azzarano Says:
"We came out of the gate just as we hoped to today. [The] girls were ready to work hard and we found strong scoring opportunities early which is good. Albright was very resilient and stayed the course. That forced us to focus heavily on our team defense."

"I am proud of the energy and work ethic this groups of girls is showing on a day to day basis. Today they had to dig deep in to that and found the team work necessary to shut down a very hungry Albright-- especially after they scored."

"We are grateful for what we can learn from this game as we know there are important aspects that can improve. A little restorative yoga tomorrow morning will help us prepare for our next game on Monday."

Up Next:
The Eagles have a short turnaround before game number two. They will play at Immaculata on Monday afternoon. They return home to host No. 3 Rowan on Wednesday.