EIU lost its final home game of the season 1-0 on senior night, dropping the team from first in the Ohio Valley Conference to fourth.
The goal that won it for Little Rock (7-3-5, 4-0-3), who was just one point behind Eastern (8-6-3, 5-2-1) in the OVC, came in the 21st minute.
Little Rock’s sophomore forward Maria Schuller got a through ball from senior midfielder Amaya Arias and broke through the Eastern defensive line before dribbling past junior goalkeeper Ella Kratochvil and tapping the ball into the goal.
“They have the top scorer in the league, and she’s dangerous. We had to step to a ball. The other defenders have to tuck back in,” said head coach Dirk Bennett. “If you’re a quarter of a second too late and they get the right kind of ball in behind, it happens.”
Eastern tried throughout the game to equalize the score, having a total of 11 shots compared to Little Rock’s 14, but it was never able to find the net.
The best opportunity for Eastern came in the 29th minute. Junior forward Alex Tetteh got through some traffic and took a long shot at the goal; the shot fired off the crossbar and was cleared by a Little Rock defender. The ball went back to Tetteh’s feet, where she shot again, but was stopped by Little Rock senior goalkeeper Peyton Urban.
“I really liked the chances we created,” said Bennett. “I thought we were super unlucky not to get one in one fashion or another, but that’s on us.”
Eastern is no longer in contention for first in the OVC. The Panthers can now only play spoiler, because even if they beat Tennessee Tech, they don’t own the tie breaker over Lindenwood or Little Rock.
The Panthers had a chance to clinch first in conference if they had beaten Little Rock, but the fate of the OVC will come down to the final matchday.
The elements were in full swing for the game as well; the field was wet and muddy from the rain the day before and there were powerful gusts of wind throughout.
“It’s certainly had an effect,” said Bennett, “but it affected both teams, so we can’t use it as an excuse and we won’t.”
Outside of the goal, Eastern held strong defensively throughout the game against a strong offense from Little Rock, who have not had a game since conference play started where they have not scored.
“Our defense has been stellar lately,” said senior midfielder Ella Onstott. “We switched formations, too, and I think that helped with being matched up with them.”
Today was senior day for Eastern. Before the match, it recognized redshirt junior goalkeeper Ashlyn Hoover, senior midfielder Kate Germano, redshirt junior defender Liz Galvin, Onstott, senior defender Kya Trejo, redshirt junior midfielder Kylie Mahoney and redshirt junior forward Kayla Green.
“A win today could have really helped,” said Bennett. “We probably have the odds a little bit against us now if we have the chance to win going into the final day.”
Eastern will play at Tennessee Tech away from home on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.
Emerson Reynolds can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
