Four losses following its lone win turned into nine by September’s end, and the time since its last victory had grown to almost a month. But with a balanced, well-rounded performance, it’d set that dial back to zero in front of its home crowd at Alumni Stadium.

Emma Collins got the Eagles (2-9-1) on the board early and Savanna Albright helped them seal the victory with another goal late. The back line took the pressure off the back of freshman goalkeeper Cami Walker, propelling Bald Eagle to a 2-0 win over Philipsburg-Osceola, the first shutout of their 2025 campaign.

It’s been a tough stretch for the young squad, a squad that features 60-percent underclassmen and eight freshmen. But the win gives it some assurance and confidence as it looks to close out the season strong.

“I think it could be a turning point for our team, although it might be a little late,” laughed Albright when discussing what it meant to be back in the win column. “It could start something.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Abby Hacker (8) takes a shot at the goal during a girls soccer game against Philipsburg Osceola on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won 2-0.

“It feels good,” emphasized head coach Jared Moore. “It’s been a hard season. We’re a young team, but these guys have stuck with it the whole time. I thought they played really well tonight.”

In terms of fast starts, Collins got the ball rolling early with the help of great ball placement from sophomore Addison Tice.

On a free kick about 30 yards out from the right hash, Tice drilled a shot attempt right off the hands of Mountie goalkeeper Samantha Martinez. Collins was able to field it immediately on the rebound before skating it right past the goalkeeper to give the Eagles the lead seven minutes into the game.

“(Emma) was outstanding tonight. Kind of a breakout game for her,” said Moore on the sophomore. “Just the aggressiveness, the cross, fighting for the ball all over the place. I was really happy with her tonight.”

Though the team would have plenty of chances following that goal, it’d take some time for it to see another shot go through the back of the net. Multiple shots on goal were thwarted by strong goal play from Martinez and Charli Hunt, and Philipsburg-Osceola’s back line bent, but rarely broke.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Madilyn Jones (11) works to gather possession during a girls soccer game against Philipsburg Osceola on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won 2-0.

But after putting seven shots on goal through the second half, Albright would get the best opportunities through the stanza and capitalize on it.

Freshman midfielder Aiyanna Henninger found Albright wide open on the right hash just outside the box. Albright received it with plenty of space to operate, squaring up to the goal and curving a shot over Hunt’s head into the top-left corner of the net.

“I saw Ayanna with the ball and was wide open, and I just told her to cross it,” said Albright on the score. “It felt good; it meant everything against that team.”

That goal came with just over 12 minutes to go in the game, putting the Eagles in prime position to close out their four-game losing streak. And with continued control of possession, keeping the ball on Philipsburg-Osceola’s side of the field, they’d prevail, sealing the shutout.

When it came to preserving that first, the biggest contributors were Bald Eagle Area’s midfield and back line. Midfielders Abbie Hacker and Jordan Williams were dominant in keeping the ball in front of the 50-yard line. And whenever it did get past them, its defensive core put in work, limiting the Mountaineers to just three shots on goal.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Emma Collins (13) kicks the ball downfield during a girls soccer game against Philipsburg Osceola on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won 2-0.

“I thought the defense looked excellent, saw hardly any challenging shots or anything for Cami,” said Moore on the defense. “Lilly Johnson was outstanding tonight, she was everywhere. Her and Maddie Donley just locked it down.”

“It’s been a busy season for (Cami) and being a freshman, it’s really tough to put that on somebody. But she’s been really good and when she’s dialed in, she’s the one. That’s her first career shutout, so I’m happy for her,” he added on Walker.

Though the win doesn’t make the team’s record pretty, it did show progress and potential from the particularly young cast. The flashes are there, with plenty of underclassmen shining on Thursday night and throughout its plethora of losses. Now, the Eagles will look to carry the momentum from the victory as they strive to build on that win total.

“A lot of it’s just experience, situational focus and awareness on the field. We’ve been learning a lot of that on the fly. Just coming from junior high to senior high, it’s a much faster game. But they’re getting there,” said Moore on what hopes to see the team build on moving forward.

“Things just haven’t gone in our direction, so this was great. Hopefully we can get a little momentum built here and bring it right into Penn Cambria on Saturday.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Savanna Albright (7) prepares to kick the ball downfield during a girls soccer game against Philipsburg Osceola on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won 2-0.

Saturday’s game against Penn Cambria (1-5) is set to take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Alumni Stadium.

Bald Eagle Area 2, Philipsburg-Osceola 0

BEA – Emma Collins (unassisted), 6:51. BEA – Savanna Albright (Aiyanna Henniger), 67:24.

Shots: PO 10, BEA 29. Shots on goal: PO 3, BEA 17. Corners: PO 2, BEA 12. Saves: PO 14 (Samantha Martinez 6, Charli Hunt 8).

Records: Philipsburg-Osceola 0-10; Bald Eagle Area 2-9-1.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Abby Hacker (8) gets past a defender during a girls soccer game against Philipsburg Osceola on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won 2-0.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Jordan Williams (9) tries to get past a defender during a girls soccer game against Philipsburg Osceola on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won 2-0.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area goalkeeper Cami Walker reels in a save during a girls soccer game against Philipsburg Osceola on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won 2-0.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Addison Tice dribbles between two defenders during a girls soccer game against Philipsburg Osceola on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won 2-0.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area huddles up at halftime during a girls soccer game against Philipsburg Osceola on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won 2-0.