LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineer Women's Lacrosse hits the road this weekend for their first tournament of the regular season. Eastern Oregon heads north to Walla Walla, Wash. for the 2022 Whitman Classic. On deck for the EOU is a set for NCAA Division III foes.
OPPONENTS
Whitman Blues (0-0)
Whitworth Pirates (0-0)
WHERE
Walla Walla, Wash. - Whitman Athletic Fields
WHEN
Saturday, Feb. 26, 10 a.m. - vs. Whitman
Sunday, Feb. 27, 1 p.m. - vs. Whitworth
Opening Draw
• The Mountaineers will look to get back to the winner's circle after dropping their first two home games last weekend.
• Eastern continues its sophomore campaign against two more NCAA D3 foes, with one being a familiar opponent.
• Already three games in, this weekend's match-up will be the first official ones in 2022 for the Mounties' opponents.
• Following the Whitman Tournament, EOU will remain on the road next weekend to take on CCC foe Corban University.
How to Watch/Follow
• Live video for this weekend's games through the NWC Network portal at
www.NWCNetwork.tv/whitman. Fans can also access live video by clicking the respective link above.
• Live stats coverage will be available through Whitman Athletics. Fans can follow live stats by clicking the respective link above.
• All home games this year will be webcast on the Mountie Sports Network at
www.EOUSports.com/watch. All EOU home games will be Pay-Per-View and can be purchased for $7.95 per game. Fans can also purchase an Eastern Oregon All-Access pass to watch all 2021-22 EOU home sporting events for $100.
• Livestreams for all home games will begin 15 minutes prior to the opening draw.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Women's Lacrosse home games this season can be accessed at
www.eousports.com/livestats.
Story Lines
• Eastern will play its fourth and fifth games this weekend against NCAA D3 opponents.
• One of the Mountaineers' opponents will be a rematch against Whitworth.
• EOU will look to snap a two-game skid when they head to Walla Walla.
• After the two-game homestand last week, Eastern is now on the road for its next six contests.
Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• EOU dropped its home opening contests, falling to Willamette and Linfield by scores of 17-6 and 18-2.
•
Samantha Buckley paced the offense both games with two goals scored in each.
• In net,
Brooklynn Wright tallied 14 saves against WU and 10 saves against LU.
Previously Against the Blues/Pirates
• Saturday's contest against the Blues will be the first official contest between EOU and Whitman College.
• Sunday will be a rematch between EOU and Whitworth. The Mounties defeated the Pirates 8-6 in the season opener. The Pirates denoted the game as an exhibition on their end.
Scouting the Competition
Whitman College Blues
• This weekend will be the first official competition of the 2022 season for the Blues. This will also be the first games for the team since March of 2020.
• Whitman College did not have enough players to field a team in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Of the 15 players on this year's roster, only three have played a collegiate game entering the weekend opener.
• The Blue also have a new bench boss entering this season as Heidi Colford was tabbed the head coach in the summer of 2021.
• Back from the 2020 season are Claire Podoll, Sophoa Maroulis, and Amelia Leopold.
• For the trio listed above, each one was a freshman in 2020 and played in all four games in the shortened season.
• None of the three returners scored in 2020, but saw action at midfield and on defense. Leopold had seven ground ball pickups and forced two turnovers.
• Podoll had one caused turnover and scooped up three ground balls. Maroulis had a draw control win and forced one turnover.
• Entering 2022, the Blues have two goalies listed in Maroulis and Lucy Magruder. Magruder joined Whitman ahead of 2021, but neither her or Maroulis have seen action in net.
Whitworth Pirates
• The Pirates will play their official season opener when they play at the Whitman Classic this weekend. Their game against Eastern back on Feb. 12 was denoted as an exhibition.
• Last year, the Pirates went 0-10 in countable contests. In true home contests, the team was 0-4 on the year.
• Leading scorer Kylee Walker is back from a season ago. She scored 13 goals in 10 starts and dished out three assists.
• Madison Perry tied for the team lead in assists last season with three. Seh also scored 10 goals on the year. She led the way in draw controls with 38.
• Perry was also a key player of defense and led the team in caused turnovers with 21. She had a team best 27 ground ball pickups last year as well.
• The Pirates will have a new goalie in net this year. On the roster for Whitworth are two freshmen in Hannah Lew and Sage Fosnock.
Up Next
• The Mountaineers will remain in-state next weekend when they head to Salem to battle rival Corban University on March 5. Game time is set for 1 p.m. PT.
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