The women’s soccer team defeated Delaware Valley College 1-0 to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.  Senior Ashley Hackman, a native of Perkasie, PA, scored the game-winning goal on a corner kick in the 81st minute to lift the Eagles over Del Val.  The Eagles entered the match with an eight-game winning streak. In that run, the Eastern defense had given up just a pair of goals while earning seven shutouts. The women’s soccer Freedom Champion Eagles fought hard for this win.  Eastern had outscored their opponents 31-1 in home games this year, but were held without a shot on goal until the 44th minute.

The field hockey team had to earn their Freedom Championship on the road, as the Eagles defeated Wilkes University 2-1 on Saturday to take the Conference.  Junior Olivia Derr scored the first Eastern goal; Yvonne Herbster scored the game-winner and earned Tournament MVP Honors. With the win, the Eagles improve to 14-6 overall on the year and have earned an automatic bid into the Division III NCAA Tournament.

The top-seeded volleyball team competed in the Championship day sweep with a convincing 3-0 win over third-seeded DeSales University. The 33-1 Eagles secured the Freedom Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA National Tournament. The steady hitting of Junior Kara Hildebrand and Courtney Reinhold helped put the Eagles on top for good.  Reinhold finished the day with 13 kills, 2 aces, and three blocks to earn Tournament MVP honors. Hildebrand also reached double-figure kills with a dominating 10 kills on 17 attempts. Senior setter Maria Horning, who ranked eighth in the country with 10.8 assists per set coming into the week, kept her average with 34 assists. Eastern completed their ten games against Freedom Conference opponents without dropping a set.  The team qualified for the National Tournament for the ninth time in the last ten years.

The women’s soccer team will begin their NCAA Tournament run against the Lyons of Wheaton College from Massachusetts on Saturday, November 15, at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. The field hockey team will open the tournament against Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, on Wednesday, November 12.  The volleyball team will face Neumann College at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 13, at Juniata College.

For more information and up-to-date post-season action, visit www.goeasterneagles.com.