Ben Hriscu put the Eagles on the board in the fifth minute on a nice slotted pass from Ben Barnhart. The goal is the seventh goal in as many matches for the first year forward.
"My goodness is he efficient," Head Coach Mark Wagner marveled after the game, "He just doesn't waste opportunities. He got that ball in a little space and curled it right around the keeper and inside the right post."
The early lead, however, almost seemed to soften the Eagles resolve to go forward. Wagner noted that his team seemed to lose its sense of urgency after the goal. Losing that edge nearly cost the Eagles as the Cyclones had a pair of chances to equalize near the midway point in the period. Sophomore keeper Kyle Nichols was up to the challenge and made a pair of solid saves to keep the sheet clean for the Eastern defense. Nichols finished his day in the 69th minute with just the two saves, but the Eastern defense and fellow goalkeepers Matt Lieg and Nick Policastro helped Eastern to a fourth shutout win of the year.
With superior depth, the Eagles began to assert their dominance toward the latter part of the first half and into the second frame. This pressure resulted in a critical second goal just before the hour mark on the match. Zach Johnson headed home his first career goal on a cross from Brandon Beaumont.
In the 65th minute, Beaumont again played the role of provider as he slithered a pass in behind the Cyclone back line for Dan Shields. The senior forward did the rest with a subtle poke for his second of the season. Josh Cirocco became the third Eastern freshman to score when he put away a Mitch Osterhouse serve in the 72nd minute.
Sixteen of Eastern's 22 goals in the early part of the season have been scored by first-year players.
The Eagles (5-1-1) now have a week to prepare for their Freedom Conference opener at DeSales next Saturday.
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