This Week in Eastern Athletics: October 7 – October 13

CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington athletics will be road warriors this week with five teams traveling. With a week’s rest, football is back to the regular season, traveling to play No. 18 Sacramento State. The Montana road trip is on deck for Volleyball, going to Bozeman on Thursday and Missoula on Saturday. Women’s Soccer has two big tests away from home, against Northern Arizona and the Griz. Women’s Golf concludes its second home tournament today, while preparing for the final fall tournament next week. Women’s Tennis will be on the court for the first time in the fall, traveling for the ITA Northwest Regionals. 

Football – at Sacramento State (Saturday, October 12 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time)

Now out of the bye week, Eastern is refocused as they enter the heart of its Big Sky schedule. EWU will be in Sacramento to face the No. 18/20 ranked Hornets with kickoff at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Catch the action live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen. 

Eastern is 1-4 and 0-1 in conference through six weeks of the season. Sac. St. is also coming off a bye with a 2-3 overall record and 0-1 in conference. 

The Eagles played No. 8/9 Montana two weeks ago in Cheney for another classic game against the Griz on the Red. Montana outlasted Eastern, 52-49, with four lead changes throughout the game. Montana held a 31-14 advantage at halftime, but EWU rallied in the second half to pull within three on three separate occasions. Following a touchdown pass from Kekoa Visperas to Efton Chism III in the fourth quarter, Eastern recovered an onside kick that led to a TD run from Visperas. After cutting the deficit down to three, the Eagles and Griz traded scores in the quarter to keep the game close. Down three with under a minute left, Eastern was unable to recover a second onside kick and Montana held on for the win. 

In his senior season, Chism is making the most of his opportunity, leading the Big Sky in receiving yards (513), receiving touchdowns (7) and receptions per game (9.4). He leads the FCS in receptions per game, while ranking third in touchdowns and 10th in yards. After catching 8 passes for 107 yards and 1 touchdown against the Griz, Chism has 3054 career receiving yards, putting him sixth on the all-time list and making him the seventh Eagle with 3000-plus yards in their career. Chism is now 6th on the all-time receiving touchdown list as well.

Visperas accounted for 6 touchdowns against Montana, with four passing and two rushing. It was the most total touchdowns accounted for since Eric Barriere had seven against Idaho (Oct. 16, 2021). 

Derek Ganter Jr. accounts for 7.4 tackles per game, ranking seventh in the conference. Ganter Jr. has 37.0 total, 23 solo to lead Eastern.

Soccer – at Northern Arizona (Thursday, October 10 at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time) ESPN+, at Montana (Sunday, October 13 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time) 

Eastern Washington soccer (6-4-3, 1-0-2) will go on the road for the first time in Big Sky conference play this season. The Eagles will travel to Flagstaff to take on Northern Arizona (1-5-4, 1-1-0), Thursday, October 10th at 7 pm, and then will travel to Missoula to take on Montana (8-2-2, 2-0-0), Sunday, October 12th at 12 pm. Both matches will be streaming on ESPN+.

It will be the 28th overall meeting between the Eagles and Lumberjacks. The Eagles are 9-16-2 all-time against the Lumberjacks, and are 3-8-1 on the road. The last time Eastern beat Northern Arizona on the road was in 2018 when they won 1-0.

It will be the 30th overall meeting between the Eagles and the Grizzlies. Montana is currently tied for second in the Big Sky conference with six points, as Eastern is 8-17-4 all-time against the Grizzlies. The Eagles are 3-6-3 all-time on the road against the Grizzlies, as the Eagles last recorded a win in Missoula in 2021 when they won 3-2 in overtime.The last two match ups between the two teams have ended in a tie (1-1, in Cheney, and 0-0 in Missoula). 

Over the weekend, the Eagles recorded a 2-2 tie in a rivalry match against Idaho (8-3-2, 2-0-1). After a 0-0 tie in the first half, the second half brought plenty of fireworks.

In the 57th minute, Chloe Pattison scored the first goal of the match and took the 1-0 lead. Pattison would record her ninth goal of the season, and her 12th of her career. Moore would record her third assist of the season, and Cole would record her second of the season. One minute later, in the 58th minute, Moore would get loose on the top of the box, and record a beautiful left footed goal to take the 2-0. Pattison and Arribas would record the assists for Pattison’s sixth assist of her career, and Arribas’ seventh assist of her career. Kendall Moore recorded her fourth goal of the season. Eastern goalkeeper Kamryn Willoughby recorded a season high 10 saves in the match. 

The Eagles are one of three teams to have at least six total wins in Big Sky conference. Eastern also leads the conference in goals scored (25), total points (69), scoring average (1.923), PK’S (5-5), and corners (71). EWU has not trailed at the half in all 13 matches, and have yet to be shutout this season.

Chloe Pattison leads the Big Sky in goals scored (9), and total points (21), shots (37), shots on goal (21). Riley Arribas is second in the Big Sky with four assists. Delani Walker is tied for the conference lead with two GW goals.

Eagles record book watch:

 

• Junior Chloe Pattison now has the fifth most goals in a single season (9), and has the sixth most points in a single season (21).
• Junior Kamryn Willoughby now has 197 career saves, and has moved into sixth all-time on the Eagles all-time saves list.

Volleyball – at Montana State (Thursday, October 10th at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time) , at Montana (Saturday, October 12th at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time) 

Eastern Volleyball is looking to build on their recent success after a commanding sweep over Idaho. This week, they’ll face a tough road challenge starting with Montana State on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 6 p.m., followed by a heated rivalry match against Montana on Saturday, Oct. 12, also at 6 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.



Bri Gunderson was a standout in the match against Idaho, racking up 10 kills with an impressive .600 hitting percentage, along with a team-high four blocks, showcasing her all-around skill.



The Eagles have a competitive history against Montana State, sitting at 14-14 overall, but they face a tougher challenge on the road with a 5-9 record in Bozeman. Their match against Montana will be equally challenging, as Eastern holds a 13-16 overall record against the Griz and has lost the last four encounters. The last win against Montana came in 2021, where Eastern pushed the match to five sets in Cheney.



This week presents a crucial opportunity for the Eagles to improve their standings and gain momentum as they take on these rivals



Golf – Tri-State Invitational (Oct. 6-7, All Day, The Creek at Qualchan in Spokane, Wash.), Portland State Fall Invite(Oct. 14-15, All Day, Portland, Ore.)

Eastern Washington is currently playing the second round of the Tri-State Invitational and will complete the tournament today. EWU is sitting at third with a score of 381 (+13) among the four teams competing. The other teams include Idaho, Montana and Idaho State, with players from Gonzaga and Washington State competing as individuals. Kami Twining is currently second on the individual leaderboard 88 (even) total score. She trails Idaho’s Emma Kang by one stroke. Gabriella Ilardi is tied for seventh with a 95 (+2) score.

The 2024 fall schedule concludes next week for the Eagles, with a road trip to Portland, Ore. for the Portland State Fall Invite. The tournament begins on Monday, Oct. 14 and goes to Tuesday, Oct. 15. The two-day competition takes place at the Columbia Edgewater Country Club. 

Women’s Tennis –  at ITA Northwest Regional (Friday, October 11th- Tuesday, October 15th)

Eastern Washington Women’s Tennis will kick off its first of three fall tournaments this weekend in Berkeley, California and play in the ITA Northwest Regional. The Eagles bring back six returners from last year’s team, (Kelly Arends, Anait Arutiunian, Isabella Foshee, Kenzington Mann, Leandra Nizetic, and Sara Vasic). Eastern will welcome two freshmen to the team. Zoe Pradel from Toulouse, France, and Olivia Marais from Lodi, California. Dustin Hinson will also be back for his 13th season as the head coach for Eastern Washington Women’s Tennis.  

The Eagles will also play in the Gonzaga Invitational, October 25th-27th in Spokane, Washington, and then will finish the fall season off at the SDSU Fall Classic II, November 8th-10th in San Diego, Washington. 

 

---

Season and single game tickets for the 2024 football season are now available. Ticket packages can be purchased online at goeags.com/tickets  via your Paciolan account, over the phone at 509-359-6059, or by emailing tickets@ewu.edu. 

Volleyball season and single-game tickets are now available, with nine home matches to watch! To purchase, go to www.goeags.com, or call the Eastern Washington University Ticket office at (509) 359-6059.

Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.

ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

FOLLOW THE EAGLES

SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram