GALLOWAY, N.J. - Trailing 1-0 late in the second half, Eastern Women's Soccer notched the tying goal in the 80th minute on their third shot of the game. The Ospreys, however, scored the game-winning goal just three minutes later on a penalty kick to win the match 2-1 and hand the Eagles just their second loss of the season.
Stockton controlled the pace of play for most of the match, dominating both possession and field position for the first 78 minutes of play. The Ospreys recorded 13 shots before the Eagles recorded their first, which came on a
Nicole Eveland free kick with 15 minutes to go in the match.
Faith Leake was the difference in the first half. With the Ospreys pressuring from the opening kickoff, the junior from Philadelphia made five saves on Stockton's first seven shots to keep the game scoreless. The Eagles' defense tightened up as the first half progressed, limiting the Ospreys to just two shots in the final 21 minutes of the opening period. The Eagles, however, were unable to create many chances in the Stockton zone as the Ospreys locked Eastern down in the midfield.
Stockton's relentless attack finally paid off early in the second half. The Ospreys' Makayla Jaffe finally beat Leake on a 30-yard blast to the upper corner of the net. But in the latter stages of the match, the Eagles began to apply pressure to the Stockton defense.
A foul gave the Eagles a free kick just past midfield. On the restart, Sedor lifted the ball towards goal, and the ensuing deflection found
Jasmine Eccles just outside the 18. The sophomore made a crafty move to create space, before ringing the ball off the crossbar. The ball found first-year midfielder
Meiley Shuck, who pushed a shot past by Stockton keeper Tori Vliet for her third goal of the campaign. Eccles also picked her first career assist on the play.
The tie was short lived, as the Ospreys once again moved the ball into the Eastern zone. A foul inside the box gave the Ospreys a penalty kick, and Logan Shaw converted, lifting Stockton to its sixth win in a row.
Eastern (7-2-3) returns home on Friday to kick off Eastern's Homecoming Weekend against No. 1 Messiah. The match is set to begin at 2:00 pm.
