EOU Comeback Bid Halted by Whitworth OT Goal in 3-2 Loss 8/24/2018 11:57:29 PM LA GRANDE, Ore. – The EOU men’s soccer team fell 3-2 in overtime to the Whitworth Pirates after a hard fought battle in the team’s season opener Friday night at Community Stadium. After falling behind 2-0 early, the Mountaineers (0-1) were able to comeback and tie the game in the second half before ultimately losing 3-2 in extra time. The opener for the men’s team marked the first official game played at Community Stadium on the new turf field that was recently installed. The first half was evenly played until the 37th minute when a direct free kick from Whitworth’s Ethan Kem found the net after deflecting off of the goaltender. The second half began with Whitworth’s Kyle Morris finishing with a header from a corner in the 52nd minute, the lone corner of the second half for the Pirates, to put them up 2-0. After the goal, however, the tides began to turn in favor of the Mountaineers. 10 minutes later, redshirt junior Alex Gutierrez found the back of the net following a beautiful ball from sophomore Austin Pederson. The strike by Gutierrez symbolized a strong momentum shift in favor of the Mountaineers, who would go on to outshoot the Pirates 18-4 in the second half. Pederson was a playmaker all night long, and ended up tallying a second assist with a gorgeous through ball in the 76th minute. Freshman Connor Young was on the receiving end of the pass, and he did not squander the opportunity with a powerful boot to tie the game at 2. Unfortunately, EOU couldn’t capitalize on their other shots, ending up with only six shots on goal of their 23 total opportunities. The missed opportunities proved costly after Whitworth’s Tyler Pangia netted a game-winning goal off the crossbar in the 96th minute. “Obviously, it hurts to lose in overtime, especially in that fashion,” said head coach Zach Mills. “However, I am very proud of my guys for the fight they showed to work their way back into the game. Our guys will be disappointed in the result, but not the performance”. Mills was very high on his guys after the tough result against a solid Whitworth squad, and is excited to see where they go from here. The men’s team will next take the field Thursday, August 30 at Arizona Christian in Phoenix, Ariz. By The Numbers: 23 EOU Shots to Whitworth’s 10 6 out of 23 EOU Shots on Goal 2 assists for Austin Pederson For more information on Eastern Oregon men’s soccer, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com. FOLLOW EOU ATHLETICS Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu