READING, Pa. – Eastern University Men's Soccer picked up a huge three points int he MAC Commonwealth standings with a 3-1 win at Alvernia. Joåo Tarabel had a goal and two assists, and the Eastern defense held off a late push by the hosts to level Eastern's record at 2-2-1 in the league with two matches to play.

The Eagles (6-7-5, 2-2-1) have been on form since the return of Zach Sievert and Evan Cope to the line-up last week. Sievert scored the first goal in Eastern's 4-1 win over Hood.

Today, it was Cope's chance to open the scoring. HIs fifth goal of the year came off a brilliant long feed from Tarabel. While his finish on a the ball over top was inch-perfect, it was his run that made the difference. Seconds before Tarabel released the pass, Cope was deep in the midfield helping to win the ball. He started his angled run within six yards of the midfield stripe and at least twenty yards off the last defender. He hit the line at full speed after the ball was struck and popped a volley over the goalkeeper for his 26th career goal.

The host Golden Wolves had a 5-3 edge in first-half shots, and a pair of chances thwarted by the offside flag. Though the Eagles led 1-0 at half, the match was clearly not over.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Cope tried to return the favor with a pass across the face of the goal. A good save by the Alvernia goalie kept Tarabel from scoring off the pass, but the sophomore from Brazil stayed with the rebound and scooped in a shot from a tight angle to double the Eastern lead.

The Eastern lead grew larger when Ethan Pfau headed home his seventh goal of the season off a long restart from Tarabel. With five goals in the last three games, Pfau has thrived  since the return of Cope and Sievert. He timed his run onto the driven serve and redirected the ball into the top corner from 20 yards out.

Down three, the Golden Wolves threw caution to the wind and numbers toward the goal. The hosts earned a corner kick in the 64th minute and caught a bit of a break after the serve missed everyone. A collision away from the ball led the official to give a penalty, and Alvernia's Ryan Cogill converted from the spot. It is the third straight year, the Alvernia forward has converted a penalty against Eastern. Four of his 37 career goals have come in games against the Eagles.

With the deficit reduced, Alvernia continued to press and created golden opportunities in the 75th, 78th, and 80th minutes. On Cogill's attempt in the 75th minute, Jacob Shalev headed the ball off the line. The other two close-range efforts slipped just wide.

Gabe Copley recorded five saves and a win in his first career start. The Eagles had not won against Alvernia since 2018. 

The win puts the Eagles in command of their own destiny with two matches left. They host Albright on Tuesday and then will finish the season in a match at Widener. Widener hosts Messiah on Tuesday. If Widener and Eastern are tied after action on Tuesday, then Eastern will likely need to beat the Pride to finish ahead of them in the standings. Alvernia and Stevenson will play on the final day of the season.