The Eastern women’s soccer team earned a victory in their lone match this weekend, beating Southern Illinois Edwardsville 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.

The win improved Eastern’s conference record to 3-2-2 and they remained in fourth place in the OVC standings with 11 conference points.

Southern came into the match tied with Murray State for the OVC lead, but now sit in third place just one point ahead of Eastern. 

The match was scoreless deep into the second half.  In the 71st minute, Eastern sophomore forward Pilar Barrio scored her first goal of the season.

The defense held the rest of the way to earn the shutout victory. The Eastern defense now has seven shutouts this season, five of the them coming in seven conference matches. No other OVC team has more than three shutouts against conference opponents.

Head coach Jake Plant said he was satisfied with the team’s performance on Sunday, especially coming against a Cougar team that made the NCAA Tournament just two years ago.

“They’ve got girls on that team who went to the national tournament in 2016. They’ve got a wealth of experience,” Plant said. 

There was also a sequence late in the match, after Eastern’s go-ahead goal, where Southern had a flurry of scoring chances right in front of the goal. 

Goalkeeper Sara Teteak saved one of the shots, and several others were blocked away by Eastern defenders. Teteak ended the match with seven saves. 

Plant stressed the importance of maintaining composure during sequences like that.

“In those moments, it gets really hectic and mistakes can happen. The girls refused to let the ball go in the net today,” Plant said. 

On the offensive end, the Panthers were outshot 21-10. They only had two shots in the first half, but added eight in the second half. Plant said that maintaining pressure until the final whistle is vital. 

“Our whole thing (tactically) is to dominate possession and wear the opponent down, and as the game goes on they get more tired and a little less orchestrated,” he said. “That’s what the first half is about for us. If we can score along the way, perfect.”

Junior Sarah DeWolf returned to the field on Sunday after missing both matches last weekend with a right ankle injury. She registered one shot on goal coming off the bench. 

The Panthers, with their 11 conference points, are in a good position to make the OVC tournament for the first time since 2013. They have finished last or second-to-last in the conference every year since. 

They will play their final home match against Southeast Missouri on Thursday at 2 p.m. It will be the “Hope for Hannah” match, honoring current Eastern player Hannah Heniz who is currently battling cancer. 

Shirts will be sold at the match and donations will be collected, all benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].