ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - First-year midfielder
Saige Korpics scored on a corner kick in the 30th minute in her first collegiate match and Eastern Women's Soccer held off a strong second half effort from the visiting Shorewomen for a 1-0 win in its home opener at Olson Field on Thursday. Senior
Faith Leake made five saves, three in the second half, to notch her 13th clean sheet of her career. It is the second straight season that the Eagles began the campaign with a home-opening shutout victory.
In the first 30 minutes, the Eagles controlled both possession and field position. They had six corner kicks in the opening frame, and recorded four of their five shots in that same time frame. On the Eagles' fifth corner kick of the day, they struck pay dirt. Korpics headed in a perfect pass from sophomore
Heather Abzug into the top-right corner of the net to put the Eagles ahead 1-0. It was the first career assist for Abzug.
Later in the contest, Washington College subbed in many players who started in its 3-2 win over Salisbury earlier this week, and that group turned the pressure around on Eastern for the reminder of the match. In the second half, the Shorewomen outshot the Eagles 7-1 and had five corner kicks to Eastern's 1.
Leake and the Eagles' back line, however, were up to the task. Eastern's senior center backs
Tia Argento and
Ella Sedor consistently cleared the ball out of danger, and Leake was sharp on all of the Shorewomen's scoring chances. Her best save came in the 66th minute as she tipped a long shot from Washington College's Ruby Lane over the top of the net to keep Eastern's lead intact.
The Eagles (1-0) will hit the road for the first time on Saturday for a 1:00 pm matchup with Penn State Abington.
