DOYLESTOWN, Pa.– After nearly 500 days without a game, Eastern University Men's Soccer returned to the field for a spring game against the Delaware Valley University Aggies. The Eagles put their former MAC Freedom foes under pressure early and found the back of the net five times in a decisive win. Derek Buhrman led the way with two goals.

The host Aggies were well-organized behind the ball and found some dangerous moments on restarts, but the Eagles had the best of possession and chances from the start. Twenty minutes in, an Aggie defender pushed a Drew Johnson shot off the goal line to keep the match tied. The Eagles finally found the net just after the half hour mark when newcomer Jake Morales capped a nice build-up with his first goal as an Eagle. 

The Aggies cleared another shot off the line early in the second half as Buhrman beat the goalkeeper with a hearder. Regardless, the Eagles doubled the edge moments later. Buhrman put away cut-back pass off the left side from Emmanuel Hewitt. Hewitt found the space on the flanks after Jake Meyer drew defensive attention near midfield and slotted a ball into space. The lead grew moments later when Johnson made it 3-0 on a volley finish of a low corner kick from Meyer. 

With a little less than 20 minutes to play, Marino Iandolo smashed in the finish of the day on a right-footed blast from the top of the box. Johnson set up the play with a run down the right flank. Buhrman completed his brace off a strong run and serve from rookie Sam Provido. Provido played much of the early portion of the match in the back row before moving into the attacking midfield spot for the final fifteen minutes. His contribution to the attack was immediate. On the Buhrman goal he picked up a pass from fellow rookie Nick Kelting, played a quick combination to get out of the midfield and drove a hard left footed cross to Buhrman for an insta-finish at the near-post.

The Eastern back row kept the Aggies to the perimeter, but Delaware Valley attackers did test sophomore goalkeeper Riley Porter on several long serves and a couple shots on restarts. Dylan Daigneault and Matthew Foxworth played much of the match in the middle of the back.

"I was so excited for the players," Head Coach Kevin Brenner said of the game. "It has been 498 days since this team last took the field together! It has been seven months of work, preparation, and COVID protocols leading up to today's game. There was a lot of nervous energy early, but to the players credit, they settled in nicely and implemented the game plan. It was incredible to see some young guys flourish in the moment today and gain some valuable college soccer game experience."

"We did some things well, but we also have a lot to learn and improve," Brenner continued. "We need to now turn our attention to Arcadia on Saturday."

The Eagles will host the Knights on April 3rd. At this point, MAC regulations still preclude fans from attending games in person.