Women’s soccer pummels Eastern Washington 4-0

State Hornet

After being limited to less than one goal per game over the previous six matches, it was only a matter of time until the Hornets offense exploded. Fortunately for the women’s soccer team, the offensive outburst came in the second half of a crucial conference game on the road. The Hornets found the back of the net four times in a 4-0 victory over Eastern Washington Sunday in Cheney, Wash. It is the first road victory for the team after six unsuccessful attempts. The scoring started in the 18th minute when senior captain Katie McCoy connected off of an assist from senior Amanda Gray. The score would be the lone goal for Sac State in a first half that saw the Hornets out-shoot the Eagles 9-5. McCoy waited less than nine minutes after halftime to score her second goal of the game, thanks to an assist from junior Missy Matzen in the 54th minute. The two goals put McCoy at nine for the season to go along with 25 points, both career-highs. Senior Amanda Gray added her sixth goal of the year in the 60th minute, set up by an assist from Kim Kemper, to give the Hornets a 3-0 advantage. The fourth and final goal came from junior Sarah Howard in the 83rd minute, giving her two scores on the season. Junior Kara Taylor was credited with her first career assist on the goal. The win gives sophomore goalkeeper Mandy Trojan her second straight shutout and sixth overall this year. It also marks the third time this season that she has notched back-to-back shutouts. Despite the Eagles 11 shots in the match, Trojan was forced to make only one save in the rout. Eastern Washington falls to 6-7-0 overall and 1-3-0 in conference play. The Eagles are the only team in the Big Sky Conference that have not had a game end in a tie this season. Sac State’s record improves to 8-3-4 overall and 2-0-2 in conference play. The team has lost only one of its last nine games, and is 5-1-3 in that span. The Hornets conference record is also tops in the Big Sky thus far, and they are the only team without a loss in conference play. The Hornets will play their final road game of the season next Friday at Northern Colorado. The Bears are 6-7-2 overall and 2-1-1 in conference. The Bears lost last year’s meeting with Sac State 2-1 in overtime at Hornet Field. Friday’s game is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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