Eastern lost its last home game of the regular against University Tennessee-Martin 1-0 Sunday at Lakeside Field.
Eastern (5-7-5, 3-3-2) had 55% of the possession for the game and had 13 shots compared to the Skyhawks (4-9-3, 3-5) 12.
The Skyhawks started the game strong and put a lot of pressure on Eastern with the Panthers unable to get anything going on the offensive front.
“We made sure that we stayed compact,” UT Martin head coach Mike Varga said. “We tried to keep them in front because I know how dangerous they are when they get behind their opponents.”
Eastern defense held strong until the Skyhawks scored a goal from a dangerous free kick right outside of the box in the 35th minute of the game. It was scored by senior midfielder Izzy Patterson sending the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
After the goal, Eastern started to gain momentum, getting multiple major chances in the game.
This came to a climax in the last minute of the game where Eastern would get a ball into the box, and sophomore forward Alex Tetteh would head the ball towards the goal before it was saved.
Eastern tried to put the ball in the net multiple times on the rebound but it was stopped by the Skyhawks at the goal line.
“I was really happy with our reaction in the second half,” Eastern head coach Dirk Bennett said. “We had enough chances to score and didn’t do it so that’s how it goes.”
Eastern defended well, keeping UT Martin off the board after conceding the goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Ella Kratochvil had five saves, multiple of which demanded an acrobatic effort.
“She is playing well,” Bennett said. “I know she is frustrated cause when you play that well and don’t get a result it hurts but she was big when we needed her to be big.”
Other Eastern players fought tooth and nail defensively. Freshman defender Hadley Hendrickson was tracking back on a UT Martin counterattack and made a goal line clearance in the 72nd minute.
Skyhawks freshman forward Alberte Amby was one-on-one with Kratochvil and got the ball past her but not Hendrickson.
Eastern falls to sixth place in the Ohio Valley Conference with one game to go. The Panthers were overtaken by Morehead State and Southern Indiana, and now sit on the outside looking in on an opportunity to host an OVC Tournament game, which would require at least a fourth-place finish.
This game also marks Eastern’s first loss at home to another OVC opponent this season.
“It’s pretty upsetting, to lose on our last potential game Lakeside Field,” senior midfield captain Avery Richardson said. “I’m proud of the fight and heart we left on the field.”
Eastern will wrap up the regular season with one more conference game next Sunday, traveling to Little Rock. That game is set to kick off at 12 p.m.
Emerson Reynolds can be reached at 581-2812 or at etreynolds@eiu.edu.
