ST. DAVIDS, Pa.— Eastern University Field Hockey (10-8, 3-5) closed out its 2026 season with a wild 11-4 loss to the No. 5 Stevenson University Mustangs.
Karlee Howard scored twice and
CJ Summa and
Ryhanna Ridgeway also tallied goals.
The Mustangs (16-1, 6-1) came into today's match with 14 shutout wins and having allowed only three goals all year while scoring 51. The 2026 Eagles have made huge steps forward, but a loss to Alvernia on Wednesday had eliminated them from post-season contention, and the Mustangs had, despite playing several nationally-ranked opponents, just a single one-goal loss to Messiah as a blemish on their record.
Having faced two other top-25 teams in the league, the Eagles were braced for pressure, but the Mustangs brought waves of pressure and jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. After Stevenson scored on a penalty corner at the start of the second quarter to go up 4-0. The Eagles found some space and were able to clear their zone and grab some time around the offensive circle.
That time gave the Eagles their first good chance with a penalty corner in the 22nd minute. Howard took the insert. Summa received it. Her shot lacked power, but Ridgeway won a battle in front and slipped a pass to Howard at the left post. Howard spun to her reverse stick and scored on Eastern's lone shot of the first half.
The Mustangs scored once more before half for a 5-1 lead and added a second only seconds into the third quarter.
After Stevenson scored in the 36th minute, the game got interesting.
Summa ripped a clean shot through traffic for a penalty-corner goal in the 43rd minute.
Angelina Ellis provided the service. A minute later, Howard beat a Stevenson defender around the edge on the left side and knocked home a rebound of her own shot for her 12th goal of the season. She finishes her Eastern career with 27 goals and 17 assists.
The Eagles closed the gap to three with a goal from Ridgeway only one minute later. Howard set up that play that finished with 7.2 seconds on the clock. It is the first time the Mustangs have given up four goals in a game since Messiah scored five times in October of 2024.
The guests used the quarter break to regroup. They scored twice on penalty corners in the opening three minutes nad added two more down the stretch.
Eastern's ten wins and three league wins are the most since 2015. Today's match was the final game for Howard and her fellow seniors, Chirstina Unger,
Alyssa Caldini, and Brynn Miller.
