FREDERICK, Md. - In a high-scoring MAC Commonwealth opener, Eastern Women's Soccer came out on the losing end, falling to Hood College 4-3 in overtime. The Eagles battled back from an early two-goal deficit, grabbing a 3-2 advantage in the second half, but two straight goals from the hosts, including the overtime winner, sealed their fate. 

"It was a very disappointing result today," Eastern Head Coach AJ Stueck said. "We have to figure out how to come out of the gates ready to go. We have consistently started slow and it's costing us games."

With the loss, Eastern's four-match win streak came to a halt. Additionally, the Eagles dropped to 1-4 on the road in 2021. 

Hood's Alli House scored the first two goals of the match in the opening five minutes, including a tally just 57 seconds in. Her first goal came off a strong shot just outside the penalty area, while her second came off a well-placed corner kick from Priya Nair. 

Despite the sluggish start, the Eagles were able to shift momentum. In the 14th minute, Jenna Linstra headed in her first career goal off a Cassie Avenick corner kick to cut the Eagles' deficit in half. Eastern continued to press its attack throughout the rest of the first half, leading to the equalizer in the 40th minute. Lauryn Laning uncorked a perfect, left-footed pass to a streaking Sydney Koncsol, who one-touched the ball into the lower left corner of the net to tie the contest at two goals apiece heading into halftime. For Laning, it was her first career assist. 

The Eagles took their first and only lead 12 minutes into the second half on a free kick from Avenick. After being fouled just outside of the penalty area, the sophomore netted her first goal of the season, finding twine in the upper left corner. 

However, Hood tied the match up just four minutes after Avenick's tally, and the score remained 3-3 at the end of regulation. Eastern recorded three shots in the overtime period, but the Blazers recorded the game winner on their first attempt in the extra session, handing the Eagles their first conference loss. 

"I'm proud of the effort to fight back, but you can't expect to win conference games allowing four goals," Stueck said. "We will have to focus more on denying shots and services. Jenna and Cassie, in particular, had huge games for us, but it takes an entire team to win."

Eastern outshot Hood by an 18-11 margin, including an 8-6 advantage in shots on goals. Koncsol led the way with six shots off the bench, while Gabi Hollinger recorded five.

The Eagles will be back at Olson Field on Wednesday for a matchup with MAC Commonwealth rival Alvernia. Kickoff is set for 4:00 pm.

"We look forward to recharging," Stueck concluded. "And we are aiming for a better result next Wednesday."