READING, Pa. – The Albright women's soccer team claimed crucial 1-0 victory over Eastern at Shirk Stadium on Saturday evening to clinch the fourth seed in the MAC Commonwealth tournament. Prior to the contest Albright recognized the dedication and commitments of their nine graduating seniors.
With the win the Lions improve to 4-4 in MAC Commonwealth play and 9-7-2 overall to advance to postseason action. Meanwhile, Eastern saw their season come to an end as they finished 1-5-2 in conference and 7-8-3 overall.
The Lions came out of the gate enthusiastic, as they posted two shots on goal in the first and seventh minute from senior
Diza Hasanaj and first-year
Alexis Baez, but Eagles goalkeeper Emily Honig stopped both. On just the third shot of the game, senior
Autumn Bieber volleyed the ball into the back of the net after Hasanaj laid up a perfect pass in front of the net in the 11
th minute as the Lions took the lead. The Eagles had an opportunity to score in the 35
th minute but first-year goalkeeper
McKenna LeVan kept Eastern off the board with an impressive diving save. Albright went on to outshoot Eastern 9-2 in the first half but could not convert another into a goal as they held onto the 1-0 lead entering halftime.
The second half was a tough defensive battle on both sides. Baez fired off a shot on goal in the 58
th minute but Honig put a stop to it. Eastern put LeVan to the test in the 61
st minute but she stood tall and kept the Eagles scoreless. Senior defender
Hailee Brooks almost converted a goal off a corner but headed the ball wide in the 67
th minute of play. LeVan held true again late in the 88
th minute when the Eagles had an opportunity to net an equalizer goal and send the game into extra frames, but Albright solidified their 1-0 victory over Eastern when the final buzzer went off.
Albright held a 13-6 shot advantage and a 7-3 shot on goal advantage over Eastern. LeVan earned her eighth shutout of the season with three saves in 90 minutes of action. Honig receives the loss for Albright despite making six saves in the full amount of play.
Albright will host Stevenson at Shirk Stadium in the first round of the MAC Commonwealth tournament on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
