EWU soccer falls to Boise State at home
Sophomore Goalkeeper Kelsee Winston leads the Eagles off the field following a 2-0 loss to Boise State. Winston had five saves in the match | Jeremy Burnham for The Easterner.
September 1, 2018
The EWU soccer team suffered its first home loss on Friday, falling to Boise State, 2-0. The offense never got off the ground, and the defense made crucial mistakes at key times as the Eagles got shut out for the second time this season.
“We made a couple mistakes today, and it cost us,” EWU head coach Chad Bodnar said.
Boise State came out of the gate firing. In the first minute, they sent a pass from midfield to a streaking forward near the box, but the pass went wide and the play got broken up. Less than a minute later, they had a breakaway, which led to the first shot on goal of the game. EWU sophomore goalkeeper Kelsee Winston made the save.
The game then slowed down as the teams felt each other out. EWU plays got broken up before any shots were able to be attempted. Boise State’s defenders were quick to jump into passing lanes near the box, and took advantage of several off-the-mark passes by the Eagles in the first 10 minutes.
In the 11th minute, BSU’s McKenna Kynett took the ball through traffic to create a one-on-one against Winston and put it into the net for her third goal of the season. The goal happened after the Eagles twice controlled the ball, but failed to clear it.
“That first goal, a couple of mistakes happened in a row with some missed clearances,” Bodnar said. “They’ve got some good players up top who will punish you if you do that.”
The Bronco’s second goal came off of another Eagle mistake.
“[The Broncos] had a lot pace up top,” Bodnar said. “One of their kids [Raimee Sherle] got by us, and we pulled her down when I don’t think we needed to.”
Sherle was pulled down inside the box, and the referee awarded a penalty kick. Sherle beat Winston to put the Broncos up 2-0.
The Broncos then started loading the box on defense, and milked the clock to victory.
Winston was strong in goal for the Eagles. She made five saves and her two allowed goals came off the one-on-one and the penalty kick. BSU’s first five shots of the first half were all on goal. Winston’s play kept her team in the game going into the second half.
“Kelsee had a great game,” Bodnar said. “She made some big saves for us.”
The Eagles entered the game averaging 19.75 shots a game. Today, they had seven, with three on goal. They allowed BSU to take 10 shots, with seven on goal.
“We just need to get better,” Bodnar said. “We’re a young group, and we have some freshmen out there trying to find their way. We need to blend that and get better from it, and just move forward.”
The Eagles now head out on a three-game road trip, starting at Colorado State on Sept. 7. They then play at Denver on Sept. 9, before finishing the trip at Utah State on Sept 14.
EWU returns home to play South Dakota State on Sept. 16, closing out the non-conference portion of the schedule.
