HAVERFORD, Pa. - Eastern Women's Soccer put together a strong 90 minute effort on Saturday, but an early second-half goal by the host Haverford Fords proved to be the difference in a 1-0 loss at Walton Field. First-year forward Reese Meyers scored the game's lone goal, the first one of her collegiate career, in the 50th minutes off an assist from Clare Hawley.
The Eagles were explosive out of the gate, forcing a pair of corner kicks in the match's opening two minutes.
Corrine Myers and
Tia Argento each had chances blocked in front of the net off the first corner, but could not produce any shots off of the second. Haverford came right back with a chance of its own, as Emma Murray found open space in the fifth minute, but her ensuing shot was snared by Eastern goalkeeper
Faith Leake.
The game settled after that, with both teams trying to control possession in the midfield. Eastern's best chance came in the 36th minute when
Dolciana Escobar, fresh off the bench, fired a high shot off a great pass from
Billinda Leisner. The shot was bumped over the top of the net by Haverford goalkeeper Allie Billups, setting up Eastern's fourth corner kick of the first half.
Molly Schellpeper had a chance off the restart, but her shot was also saved by Billups. Haverford's Molly Morris had her shot blocked in the 41st minute, and the game went into halftime with a 0-0 tie.
The tie was quickly broken in the first five minutes in the second half. Off some crafty passing in the midfield, Hawley found a cutting Meyers, who had found her way behind the Eastern defense. The first year forward put the ball past a diving Leake into the bottom left corner of the net, giving the Fords a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.
Eastern had two more quality chances in the 69th and 75th minutes, but could not put the ball past Billups.
Mia Zucker's shot in the 69th minute was saved by Billups, and a shot from
Kate Malcolm, off strong passes from Escobar and Leisner, was stopped in the bottom left corner of the net.
Emily Monforto had the last shot for Eastern off a free kick, but Billups made her fifth and final save of the match to keep the shutout intact.
Eastern (4-5-1) will return to Olson Field on Tuesday to begin its conference schedule with a 3:30 pm matchup against York College.
