ST. DAVIDS, Pa.— Eastern University Men's Soccer (3-3-1) dominated from start to finish in a 6-1 non-league win over the visiting Penn State University Berks Lions. Zach Sievert and Evan Cope each scored twice as the Eagles built a 6-0 lead and held on for a third win in four games.

Though the Lions (1-8) came into today's match on Olson Field on the heels of their first win of the year, but their home victory over Pratt was an outlier in an uphill slog for the side from Reading. Berks had been outscored 31-6 on the year.

The Eagles established control over the affair early and went up 1-0 in the 14th minute off an early mistake from the PSU back row. A pressured defender lifted a bouncing pass back toward his own goal. The Lion goalkeeper miss-kicked the clear. Trabal won the ball and dropped it off to Sievert by the penalty spot. Sievert doubled the Eastern advantage with a second goal in the 16th minute. The junior midfielder won a ball near the midfield and ran into the box before carving a shot into the bottom corner for his seventh of the year.

Sievert had a chance at a third denied by the crossbar in the 22nd minute.

The third goal, however, eventually arrived after a well-worked corner in the 29th minute. Tarabal served a ball to the back post where Matt Capuano won a clean header. Cope redirected the shot into the goal for his first of the day. After another pair of narrow misses from Sievert, Cope made it four on a play out of nothing in the 37th minute. The Lions looked to build out of a goal kick with a casual pass back to their goalkeeper. Cope arrived quickly, put the goalkeeper under immediate pressure, and deflected a clearing attempt into the back of the net for his 32nd career tally. His two goals today pushed him into the fifth spot in Eastern's modern era scoring list.

Eastern had a 16-5 edge in first-half shots.

The Eagles made it five early on in the second half. Joshua Rivera gathered a ball in the midfield and carved a well-weighted ball through the Berks back line for Cope. Cope hammered a shot from a tight angle. The Berks' goalkeeper parried the attempt, but Rivera had followed the play and ran in the goal from close range for his first career tally.

Osmond Chan finished the scoring with a tally from close range in the 66th minute off a cross. Mauro Lence, playing on the left wing, had been dangerous cutting in on his right all day. The first-year from Spain crossed up his defender and created the chance with a strong effort to his left. He drew the goalkeeper and the defense to the nearpost before sliding the ball into the scoring area with his left. 

The Lions ended Eastern's clean-sheet streak with a finish off a long ball in the 67th minute. The Eagles had gone three-and-a-half matches without allowing a goal against.

Will Schade made three stops and picked up the win in goal.

The Eagles are at Neumann on Saturday. The Knights, a former PAC rival from the 90's and oughts, will be MAC Commonwealth foes next year. Eastern had won 14-straight matches against Neumann before a draw in St. Davids in 2023 and a loss in Aston last year.