ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Women's Soccer finished the Spring with a competitive game against future MAC Commonwealth rival Widener University. The visiting Pride scored a goal in the third minute and held on for a 3-1 win. 

Since Eastern's first three games of the spring came against teams in the MAC Freedom, the transition to the MAC Commonwealth has been delayed for the Eagles. The two sides met every year from 2014 to 2017, but will meet again this fall and every fall for the foreseeable future. If this afternoon's spring match is any indication, the two teams are likely to establish a great local rivalry.

The Pride scored the first goal of the match and had a presence in the Eastern defensive third early, but the Eagles flipped the script and had the advantage in possession and field position and put significant pressure on the Widener goal for the final 25 minutes of the half. That pressure, however, did not lead to a goal.

The Pride grabbed a pair of goals in the second half of the second half. The first came on a rebound of a shot in transition, and the second came as the Eagles got caught moving forward in a transition moment. Lindsay Kline put away a free kick in the final ten minutes to cut into the deficit, but the Eagles could not draw closer. 

"Credit to Widener for coming out of the gates ready to go, Head Coach AJ Stueck said after the game. "They have some talented forwards that certainly took advantage of the chances we gave them. We had some good moments at times in possession, yet ultimately we're not sharp or quick enough moving the ball around. We need to make faster decisions to find success. That was an awesome direct kick by our captain Lindsay Kline. She deserves her name in the box score, as you can depend on her consistency from the start until the final whistle."

The Eagles look forward to adding another deep and talented recruiting class and will announce the fall schedule in the coming weeks. 

"We have a very talented group," Stueck concluded. "I'm extremely proud of the way this group has dealt with a challenging year. I believe these last two games will serve as motivation for them to return in August hungrier, fitter, and eager to achieve more."