SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Five different Hornets scored goals and 12 different players notched at least a point on the day while the defense limited visiting Eastern Washington to just three shots on goal as host Sacramento State unleashed a flurry of second-half scores en route to a 5-0 win over the Eagles.
The Hornets improved to 6-7-1 overall and 2-1-1 in Big Sky Conference play, claiming three points in the standings. EWU fell to 5-5-4 overall and 1-2-1 in conference play with the defeat.
Sacramento State's season-high five scores were the most since it posted a 6-3 victory over Idaho State on Oct. 13, 2017, while the five second-half goals against the Eagles on Sunday were the most since the Hornets put up five in the second half of that same contest.
Both sides played through a scoreless first 45 minutes with EWU taking eight of the 12 shots in the period — including a shot by Delani Walker that rang off the crossbar in the 14th minute. Sacramento State, meanwhile, put three of its four attempts on frame, but came up empty as goalkeeper Kamryn Willoughby stopped all three.
Wasting little time to start the second half, the Hornets finally broke up the scoreless deadlock just 1:37 into the period as junior Lexi Schroeder put home her third goal of the season off teammate Isabella Vinsonhaler's shot that was saved off the line by an Eastern Washington defender. The ball then found Schroeder, who powered a ball through traffic that deflected off the left post and rolled in for the 1-0 lead.
With the score, Schroeder took over the team lead with eight points and matched teammate
Tea Reyes for the team lead in goals.
Sacramento State then scored twice in a two-minute span to take full control of the contest, finding the back of the net in the 63rd and 65th minutes for a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Junior
Micaela Romo doubled the Hornets' advantage with her second goal of the season as freshmen
Bailey Fuller and
Elyse McGinnis kept the ball alive in the corner before McGinnis was able to create enough space to get a cross off. The ball curved toward the top of the 18 for Romo, who roofed a one-time right-footed volley into the net to make it 2-0.
The assists were the first points of Fuller's and McGinnis' career while Romo scored for the first time since the season opener against Pacific.
Soon thereafter, freshman
Aryana Martinez opened her account with her first career goal off a nifty sequence that started with a free kick on the right side from about 25 yards out.
Ellie Farber lofted a ball to the back post where Vinsonhaler headed it all the way back across the goal mouth on a bounce. Martinez timed her run and snuck a shot inbetween the EWU goalkeeper and the post to make it 3-0.
Ten minutes later, it was sophomore
Candace Ching with the honors in the 75th minute to make it a four-goal advantage. Reyes made a run down the right side and sent a ball into a streaking
Payton Inabata, whose 1-v-1 shot was smothered by the Eagle keeper kick save, but the rebound got loose to the left. Ching beat her defender to the ball and deftly flicked the goal home for her first goal of the year.
Another 10 minutes after that, junior
Ella Wilcox capped a big day by the offense with her first career goal seven minutes after entering the match for the first time. Senior
Bri Prado got the sequence started with a pass into the box from the left side that was flicked by junior
Shawna Larson right to Wilcox, whose shot found its way under both her defender and the goalkeeper for the final 5-0 advantage.
All told, the Hornets' offense finished with a 12-11 shot advantage for the game but, more impressive, was the fact that they put 11 of those 12 attempts on frame. At the other end of the field, the Sacramento State defense was equally as effective, limiting Eastern Washington to just three shots on goal while posting its fifth shutout in six victories this year.
Goalkeeper
Izzy Palmatier finished with three saves while posting her 16th career shutout, putting her just two shy of Aailyah Fesili (2017-21) for second on the school's all-time list.
After playing three straight at home, Sacramento State hits the road for its next three Big Sky Conference matches beginning next week with trips to Idaho State (Oct. 9) and Weber State (Oct. 12).
