HARRISONBURG, Va. – Eastern Mennonite converted three second half goals, including two inside the final 16 minutes of action, to earn a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Salem in soccer action on Saturday, September 11th.

Salem (3-2) assumed the early 1-0 lead when Ellie Montes drove her team-leading sixth goal of the season past Royals netminder Aja Laun in the 21st minute.

Eastern Mennonite (1-2) tied the match at 1-1 in the 59th minute when Mary Kate Bomberger found teammate Lyndsay Harris. Salem answered 13 minutes later, regaining the lead 2-1, when Baylee Greenwood established her single-season mark for goals (five) at the 72nd minute.

The Royals bounced back two minutes later when Bomberger facilitated a goal with a pass to Mariana Acosta at the 74:57 mark. The final Eastern Mennonite goal came in the 83rd minute when Halie Mast delivered the third goal of the second half with a shot past Salem goalkeeper Tori Long.

The Salem offense finished with six shots on the match, including four in the first half, while the Royals had 12 shots, attempting six in the second frame. Both Montes and Greenwood attempted two shots (one shot on goal) in the match. Isabel Scott attempted the other shot on goal for the Spirits.

Hailey Smith came through with five shots (two shots on goal) for the Royals, while Mast and Harris had two shots each.

Alexcina Wartski earned the starting nod in net for the Spirits, making three first half saves in the process. She gave way to Long, who suffered her first setback of the season, despite finishing with one save.

Laun played the first 45 minutes in net for Eastern Mennonite, making one save along the way, while Anna Filipkowski picked up the win with the three-goal outburst from the Royal offense.

The Spirits conclude the weekend road swing with a match against Sweet Briar at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 12th.