LA GRANDE, Ore.- Eastern Oregon University Women’s Soccer returns to the pitch for the 2023 season with lots of familiar faces. After a two year dry spell from the National Tournament the Mounties will look to reclaim their position as national contenders under the leadership of first year head coach Josh Goodman.
“My expectations are that we go out and compete from start to finish every time we step on the field. We are looking to take strides forward from last year.” said Head Coach Josh Goodman. “We have a great mix of veteran experience and some talented young players joining the roster. Practices are going to be as competitive as ever and I think we’re going to have a lot of fun competing and making each other better.”
Eastern is coming off a 12-4-3 season in 2022 that saw them ranked as high as No. 21 nationally. The Mounties finished fourth in the CCC with a 8-2-2 record in conference play and ultimately fell to No. 25 ranked Northwest University 0-1 in the semifinals to end the 2022 season.
Eastern will bring back 20 letterwinners and 6 starters from the season prior including three All-CCC honorees in Erika Skindlov (First Team All-CCC), Darby McDevitt (Second Team All-CCC), and Megan Gustafson (Second Team All-CCC). Eastern will look to fill the void left from the graduation of three veteran seniors in Yahaira Chavarria-Mondragon, Cassidy Quick, and Corryn Vigil.
Some key newcomers will look to make an impact. One of those key newcomers joining the Mountaineers this season is Hailey Rogan. Rogan joins Eastern as a transfer from Walla Walla Community College and will look to make her impact known in her first season as a Mountie. Another key addition to the 2023 roster is Kapri McMillan. The senior joins Eastern after spending last season at Sonoma State University where she played in nine games and was tabbed a starter in five.
The Mounties will play 17 regular season games in 2023 beginning with a non-conference matchup at home against NCAA Division II opponent Northwest Nazarene University on Aug. 19. After starting the season at home the Mounties will pack their bags and hit the road traveling south for three games to take on Milligan University on Aug. 25, Tennessee Wesleyan University on Aug. 26 and Campbellsville University on Aug. 29. Eastern then will take on Hope International University on Sept. 7 at a neutral site in Caldwell, Idaho to wrap up their preseason.
Eastern will kick off conference play in Washington with matchups against Northwest University on Sept. 15 and The Evergreen State College on Sept. 16. The Mountaineers then start a three game homestead that includes matchups against Rocky Mountain College on Sept. 22, Oregon Tech on Spet. 29, and Southern Oregon University on Sept. 30. It is then back on the road for a three game stretch as Eastern will take on Carroll College on Oct. 6, The University of Providence on Oct. 7, then The College of Idaho on Oct. 13. Eastern’s final home games of the 2023 season will include matchups against Bushnell University on Oct. 20 and Corban University on Oct. 21 before finishing out CCC play on the road against Warner Pacific University on Oct. 27 and Multnomah University on Oct. 28.
The CCC Championships will be held in Springfield and Eugene on Nov. 6-10.
For more updates on Mountie Soccer and EOU Athletics visit eousports.com throughout the year and follow @EOUAthletics on all social media platforms.
