ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - On a beautiful afternoon at Olson Field, Eastern Women's Soccer inched closer to a MAC Commonwealth Tournament berth with a 0-0 draw against the Widener University Pride (5-6-5, 3-2-1). With the tie, Eastern sits in fourth place in the league table with one match to play.

First-year keeper Faith Leake played another brilliant game in goal with five saves. The Philadelphia native stopped several excellent scoring chances from the Pride, and was strong in the box for the entire 90 minutes. Since becoming the No. 1 goalkeeper when the conference season began, Leake has made 50 saves and conceded just seven goals for a 1.17 GAA. It was the second straight shutout for Leake.

Furthermore, Eastern's back line of Nicole Eveland, Ashlynn Keys, Ella Sedor, and Olivia Nicholson did a brilliant job of limiting the Widener attack, particularly in the second half. Keys, in particular, held the speedy Kelly Barr in check, and the group, as a whole, held 2021 Rookie of the Year and 2022 First-Team All-Conference forward Alyssa Carman to just one shot. In the midfield, sophomore Emma Bennett, who played the entire 90 minutes, orchestrated the offense with her quick movement and stout passing.

After firing off just two shots in the first half, the Eastern offense came alive in the final 45 minutes with 11 total shots, eight of which were on goal. However, Widener goalkeeper Samantha Coon was equally brilliant, stopping all eight shots she faced.

Two of her best stops came in the 73rd minute, when she stopped back-to-back shots from Sedor and Leah Mowery in tight to keep the game scoreless. Brynn Rathsam had another strong chance in the final 90 seconds, but Coon made the stop to secure the draw. Bennett and senior forward Madelyn Mullen each finished with three shots for the Eagles, while Rathsam and Mowery each finished the contest with two shots.

Eastern will now wait on the result of the Messiah-Stevenson matchup, which begins at 7:00 pm. With a Messiah win, the Eagles would clinch a berth in the 2023 MAC Commonwealth Tournament. The Eagles (3-6-6, 2-2-2) head to Reading on Saturday to close out their regular season against Albright. The match is set to begin at 4:30 pm.