Eastern Eases Past Murray
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Murray State College () | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Eastern Oklahoma State College () | 0 | 2 | 2 |
The Mountaineers once again rose to the occasion picking up back to back victories to close out Region 2 play in 2019. After an uneventful first half where Eastern carried the play and had the better part of possession the Mountaineers struck twice in the second half to put the game away and earn a 2-0 victory.
At the 50 minute mark sophomore co-captain, midfielder Leonardo Schulz settled a clearance from the Murray goalkeeper and connected on a 40 yard rope to put Eastern out in front 1-0. Eastern looked sure to add to the lead but it wasn't until the 70th minute when the Murray keeper denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity that the Mountaineers extended the lead. Jose Ruarte connected on the ensuing penalty kick. Eastern goalkeeper Carlos Dias Neto preserved the shutout with a penalty kick save of his own after a tough call in the box. Eastern continued to pressure the Murray goal as the contest wound down and held on for a hard earned victory and a place in the Region 2 conference tournament. Eastern now awaits postseason seeding and the results of teams with make-up games still to play.
The Mountaineers improved to 5-8-1, 3-6-1 in Region II play.
PLAY BY PLAY
- Eastern went up 1-0 50 minutes into the game.
- In the 70th minute Jose Ruarte put Eastern up 2-0 on a pk.
- Dias Neto saved a pk of his own to preserve the shutout and the victory.
Coach E commented:
"Back to back results against quality opponents at the top of the standings is all we can ask for. Murray has had a great season and through his recruiting Coach Reeb has built a strong team over there. We have talked about getting better everyday and seeking constant improvement, our team is getting stronger at the right time. We finished our season with a win over Murray to qualify for the tournament last season, hopefully this win can do the same for us this year. I'm happy for our guys and I want them to enjoy this, especially on sophomore day. " Evan said. "It's nice to get these results at the end of the season when we need them the most, this group has proven they can play with anyone in the country and win big games, what we are still seeking is consistentcy. If we can consistently bring our best effort to training and games the results will speak for themselves."
