MARIETTA, Ohio-- Eastern University Men's Soccer scored a pair of goals in the late stages of the first half and held on for a 2-0 win on the blue turf at Marietta College. Anthony HItchcock made six saves to pick up the win in goal.

How it Happened:
After the teams traded possession for much of the opening twenty minutes of the match, the Eagles found their opening on a play that Head Coach Jeremy Payne said came from training. Emmanuel Hewitt earned the edge on the flank and served a ball into the scoring area where fellow first-year Aidan Link met the ball and put it on goal for a lead in the 28th minute.

Twelve minutes later, Kasper Zaba-Paplowski jumped on a defensive error deep in Marietta territory and converted his first career goal. 

The two goals would be more than enough as Hitchcock and his back row kept the Pioneers (0-1) off the board. The Eagles had to defend six Marietta corners in the second half. 

Coach Payne Says:
"I thought Marietta was a good team. They were a very good first test for us. I think they will win a lot of games this fall."

"I would like us not to give away so many corners. We have to clean up limiting our opponents set piece opportunities and we must be sharper with dealing with them."

"We made mistakes tonight but that happens with a lot of new guys and lot of freshmen. I think as we continue our season we will make less mistakes and get better. On the balance, I thought we executed our game plan tonight well. We addressed things from preseason and training that we wanted to better and differently tonight."

"I was very happy with the work rate from everyone that got to see the field. We showed a lot of energy and enthusiasm tonight on the bench. Our shutout tonight was a complete team effort. It's exciting to be 1-0."

"It was so great to see two guys come into the game and  score and it is great for both of them to score their first collegiate goals. Aidan didn't hit his as clean as he could of but it was enough. Shots on goal matter for us and he proved that with his goal. It wasn't a great shot, but it was on goal."

"Kasper scored a very opportunistic goal. Their back line and keeper made a mistake and Kasper was ready to finish. We know Kasper has a nose for scoring goals. He scored a lot of goals in club and high school."

Up Next:
The Eagles are home for the weekend and will head west again for a Monday match at Mount Aloyisius. They play at home for the first time next Friday.