RICHMOND | The Morehead State soccer team scored two unanswered goals to reclaim the Bluegrass Cup from archrival Eastern Kentucky with a 2-1 victory Thursday afternoon at EKU Soccer Field in Richmond, Kentucky.

The win was the first of the year for the Eagles and coach Paul Cox, ending a five-game winless streak against the Colonels. It was also the final game of MSU’s three-game road season opener and the first home game for EKU. The Blue and Gold are now 4-2-1 in their last seven road games.

Watch Coach Cox talk about the win.

Morehead State (1-1-1) scored a goal by junior midfielder Kennedy Baquero and the decisive hit from the foot of the freshman forward Carlie Thurmond.

Eastern Kentucky (0-3-0) scored off an unassisted goal by Ana Manning right after kickoff, but Baquero responded in the 19th minute with a 20-yard shot from the right side that she placed into the upper right corner after an assist from the veteran forward. Erin Fitzgeraldwho made her first appearance in the regular season.

The score remained 1-1 until halftime, but the Eagles got back on the scoreboard in the 56th minute.^th Minute. Second-grader defender Hannah Burke hit a ball from the right sideline into the goal in the middle of the field that EKU goalkeeper Ruby Morgan tried to save, but the ball landed at the feet of Thurmond, who fired it into the net from a few feet away from just inside the left post. Burke was credited with the assist on that play.

Watch Thurmond talk about the win and her game-winning goal.

EKU got a free kick deep in the Eagles’ defensive zone, but the hosts couldn’t convert it into a shot on goal as Morehead State cleared the ball out of its half and Eastern Kentucky couldn’t threaten, leaving MSU victorious in the 17th game of the series. The Eagles now lead 8-6-2. It was Morehead State’s first win over the Colonels since 2015 and its first in Richmond since 2014.

MSU had a decisive advantage in shots (20 to 9), including an 8 to 3 advantage in shots on goal. The Blue and Gold also had more corner kicks (6 to 3) and more fouls (10 to 4), while the Colonels were penalized for offsides six times while MSU was offside just three times.

Both teams received two cards, but Eastern Kentucky’s Ella Grode was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.

The hosts had a slight advantage in possession percentage (51 to 49), but MSU had the ball on the Colonels’ defense for 52 percent of the game.

Thurmond finished the season with six shots, while Baquero and the defender Anna Lohrer each scored three goals. Manning scored five for the hosts.

Goalkeeper in the first year Claire Cress made two saves in the Eagles’ goal, while Morgan was credited with six.

Morehead State opens its home game with a Sunday game against Detroit-Mercy at 1 p.m. There will be a New Student Day Gear Giveaway. After UDM, the Eagles will play their next two games on the road.