In the closing match of a three-game homestand, Sacramento State welcomed Eastern Washington to Hornet Field on Sunday, Oct 5.
After a scoreless first half, both teams looked to the remaining 45 minutes to try and secure all three points.
Pressuring the Eagles as soon as the second half started, junior forward Tea Reyes crossed a ball into the box. The ball from Reyes found its way to fifth-year defender Isabella Vinsonhaler.
Vinsonhaler then took a shot towards the goal, but it was saved on the line by EWU senior midfielder Becca Gaido. The ball then fell into the path of junior forward Lexi Schroeder, who struck the ball onto the post and watched it deflect in for a Hornet 1-0 lead in the 46th minute.
Following Schroeder’s goal, the Hornets looked to extend the 1-0 lead with more pressure towards the Eagles’defense.
Taking a throw-in, freshman midfielder Elyse McGinnis spotted freshman midfielder Bailey Fuller. McGinnis sent the ball towards Fuller’s right hand side, allowing Fuller to drive down the right side of Eagle territory.
Fuller then ran into a dead end and got the ball poked away from her by the EWU defense. The ball then fell into the path for McGinnis to cross the ball into the Eagles’ box.
The ball from McGinnis bounced off the ground and into the vicinity of junior forward Micaela Romo. The bounce off the ground allowed Romo to line up a shot and hit it as her first touch with the ball in the middle of the air.
Romo’s shot soared over EWU goalkeeper Kamryn Willoughby and into the back of the net for a 2-0 Hornet lead in the 62nd minute.
Sending a cross into the box, freshman midfielder Elyse McGinnis finds junior forward Micaela Romo. The ball bounces off the ground and Romo hits it first time over the keeper and into the back of the net. 2-0 62′ pic.twitter.com/UkSlxeb2kB
— Elisha K Chandra (@ElishaChandra_) October 6, 2025
“We just got the ball up the field,” Romo said. “It was a really nice cross from Elyse, and I just hit it first time and it went right over the goalie.”
The Hornets did not stop after the Romo goal. Just two minutes later, a set piece just outside the box was taken by junior midfielder Ellie Farber, who decided to send the ball toward the crowd of Hornets and Eagles.
The cross from Farber found Vinsonhaler, who connected with the cross and headed it in the direction of unmarked freshman defender Aryana Martinez.
Martinez then sprinted toward the ball and struck it with her right foot into the bottom right corner, extending the Hornets’ lead to 3-0.
Sneaking through on the right side of the eagle box, freshman defender Aryana Martinez receives the ball from fifth year defender Isabella Vinsonhaler. Martinez strikes the ball into the bottom right corner for a Sac State 3-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/3RQsjPeG6B
— Elisha K Chandra (@ElishaChandra_) October 6, 2025
“Im very excited about it. [It] was very emotional for me because it was my first goal,” Martinez said. “I am very happy to be celebrating with the team.”
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Entering her first season with the Hornets, Martinez has been a pivotal part in defense throughout this season.Because of the injury to fifth-year defender Sydney Sharts, Martinez has had the opportunity to showcase her ability to stay comfortable in defense and show her skills going forward.
“I played with ‘olders’ growing up on my club team, so I just got used to that speed of play and that physical side of the older girls,” Martinez said. “So that’s why I think I am comfortable with the girls today.”
Following up the Martinez goal, the Hornets found the back of the net two more times before the final whistle. Goals in the 74th and 85th minute, by redshirt sophomore midfielder Candace Ching and redshirt sophomore Ella Wilcox respectively, capped off a 5-0 display for the Hornets.
“Five different players scoring five goals was pretty awesome,” head coach Randy Dedini said. “There’s obviously some things that we can clean up, but when you score five goals against a strong opponent, we are pretty happy with it.”
The Hornets finished the game with 12 shots and conceded 11 to the Eagles. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier made three saves against the Eagles and earned her fifth clean sheet of the season.
The Hornets will look to continue the goal scoring momentum into a three-game road trip. The first test on the road will be against Idaho State on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m.
“We can’t relax because every game has its own story,” Dedini said. “We’ve got to come away with points, and that’s all there is to it.”
