CHARLESTON, Ill. – Ashley Streid scored in the third minute and Kaitlin Sullivan added a second-half insurance goal, as Eastern Illinois women's soccer opened its new season with a 2-0 win against IUPUI for the second year in a row.

Kaylin Lorbert and Jessica Taldone both saw action in goal, teaming up to help EIU shutout out the defending Summit League regular-season and tournament champion. Lorbert finished with three saves and Taldone made two in her 20 minutes, including the finest stop of the game.

Streid deflected in an Ashley Eck cross only two minutes and 20 seconds into the game. Eck moved the ball up the right flank and eventually played the cross from the endline. The ball appeared to initially touch an IUPUI defender before Streid knocked it into the net inside the right post. It was her fifth career goal, three of which have now come against IUPUI.

 

“We knew going into the game that it was going to be very tough because they won The Summit League last year and [IUPUI coach Chris Johnson] always has a very organized team and returned a lot of starters,” EIU head coach Summer Perala. “So our goal was to keep the pressure on and be somewhat composed. Being able to do that and play hard the entire time was very encouraging. [Scoring early] is good and bad because it gets everyone pumped up but then you get that lull where they feel complacent with being in the lead. The next step for us is to stay focused and not get relaxed too early.”

Sullivan scored her team-leading seventh career goal in the 63rd minute. Lauren Hoppensteadt and Jessica Blake helped setup the score to earn assists. Sullivan's initial scoring attempt, a header, was knocked down by an IUPUI defender for a team save. But Sullivan collected the rebound and pushed the ball into the left side of the net from the edge of the six-yard box.

 

“I didn't really have enough momentum behind me to head it in,” Sullivan said. “I knew it wasn't going to go all the way [into the net]. I got up as quick as I could and it was just a hustle play really. I'm really happy that we started off with a win like this.”

Taldone's big save came in the 81st minute on well-struck blast by Megan Hock. The redshirt-freshman reacted in time to get a hand on the shot and slap it out of play to the left of the net. She also made a save on an ensuing scramble after the second of IUPUI's two corner kicks during that segment of action.

Sam Balek was the lone Panther to go the distance. Hillary Blake left the field in the 54th minute, ending her streak of consecutive minutes played at 2,525 dating back to October 2008. Cassidi Dietz logged 56 minutes to lead the EIU reserves and was one of six true freshmen to see action.

 

Erika Prazma played the majority of the game next to Balek as central defenders. Together they helped limit IUPUI's starting forwards, Alicia Brock and Hock, who combined for 20 goals in 2009, to one shot a piece. The Panthers did not surrender a corner kick opportunity until the 49th minute and enjoyed a 6-4 edge in corners for the game.

 

Eastern scored in its 13th consecutive regular-season home game, extending the second-longest such streak in program history that also dates back to October 2008. Streid's goal was the quickest scored by the Panthers to begin a game since Sharyne Connell scored two minutes and 11 seconds into a 2005 loss at Loyola.

 

Streid scored both EIU goals in last year's season-opening win at IUPUI. She's the first Panther to score in consecutive season openers since Audra Frericks in 2003 and 2004.

Eastern returns to action Sunday when it hosts Evansville at 1 p.m.