A strike from outside the penalty box in the 67^th minute proved to be the decisive tally Thursday afternoon in Charleston, Ill., as host Eastern Illinois defeated the Valpo soccer team, 1-0.

How It Happened

• EIU had an early flurry of efforts in the fourth minute following a corner kick, but goalkeeper Kate Sheridan (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) made a pair of close-range saves to keep the Panthers off the board.
• Valpo outshot EIU 7-4 over the opening 45 minutes. Neither side broke through before intermission, however, as the first half ended 0-0.
• Less than six minutes into the second half, the Panthers had a golden chance to take the lead as they were awarded a penalty kick on a Valpo foul in the box. Facing the first PK of her career, Sheridan was more than up to the task, diving to her right to deny the penalty and then recovering the other direction to snuff out a rebound attempt before EIU was adjudged offside on a third effort.
• EIU found the breakthrough in the 67^th minute, as Kya Trejo struck from 25 yards out on the right flank to the far upper corner to give the Panthers the 1-0 lead.
• The Beacons had six shot attempts after falling behind in an attempt to equalize and had a couple of good tries among chaos in the box with around two minutes to play, but were unable to find the back of the net.

Inside the Match

• Thursday's match was the 300^th as head coach for Valpo gaffer John Marovich.
• Freshman Kaleigh Shafer (Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower) made the first start of her collegiate career.
• Valpo held a 15-9 edge in shot attempts, but put just three of its shots on goal. Meanwhile, EIU had seven shots on goal, with Sheridan making six stops in her second career match.
• After only one field player went the full 90 minutes in the season opener, Valpo's entire back line — Abby White (Commerce Township, Mich./Walled Lake Central), Anna Cup (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin), Maya Tyburowski (Palatine, Ill./Fremd) and Ashley Trippeer (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) — went the distance on Thursday. For the freshman Tyburowski, it was the first 90-minute effort of her collegiate career.

Next Up

Valpo (1-1-0) debuts at home on Sunday afternoon, as the Beacons take to Brown Field to face off with Milwaukee. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m., with the match streamed live on ESPN+.