West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's women's soccer team faced Eastern Illinois in Charleston, marking a challenging encounter for the Leathernecks. Despite having accumulated four points in their last four matches and recently playing against first-place Little Rock, the team struggled to regain footing after falling behind early in Sunday's match.

Eastern Illinois took an early lead by scoring just 65 seconds into the game. The Panthers maintained momentum for the initial ten minutes until Western Illinois gained some control between the 13th and 24th minute, during which they attempted three corners and four shots. Alanna Pennington nearly equalized at the 17-minute mark, but her effort was thwarted by a decisive save from Eastern's goalkeeper.

As the first half concluded, Eastern regained control but did not score again until after halftime. In the second half, Eastern Illinois expanded their lead with three additional goals. A standout moment was Alex Tetteh's free-kick goal that found its way into the top corner past Bernard.

Western Illinois struggled to mount effective attacks throughout the second half and was out-shot by Eastern Illinois 12-4 in this period. Overall, Western lost the shot battle 8-15, matching their season-high shot difference previously recorded against Green Bay on September 5. The Panthers also had ten shots on goal compared to Western's two and led in corners with a margin of 7-3.

In terms of playtime, eight starters played through all 90 minutes of Sunday's match. Only Sydnee Sagal, Alanna Pennington, and Claire Brown were substituted before full-time.

Looking ahead, Western Illinois will host UT Martin on Thursday followed by Tennessee Tech for Senior Day on Sunday at John MacKenzie Alumni Field. These matches are crucial as they aim for qualification in the OVC Women's Soccer Championship.