PEMBERVILLE — Eastwood has won the Northern Buckeye Conference girls soccer title five years in a row, but that may be in jeopardy now.

NBC newcomer Maumee arrived at Eastwood’s soccer field and handed the Eagles their first league loss of the season, 4-3, despite the Eagles outshooting the Panthers 27-12, including 17-8 in shots on goal.

However, on their only three first half shots on net, Maumee scored all three times, to take an early 3-1 lead.

Maumee senior forward Julia Findling scored a three-goal hat trick, and freshman goalkeeper Lauren Liwo had 24 saves to preserve the win for the Panthers.

Maumee’s win bunches up the NBC standings even more than it already was. Entering Thursday’s play, Oak Harbor is the only team without a loss and Maumee, Eastwood, and Genoa have one loss each. Teams only play each other once.

Maumee improves to 10-5 overall and 4-1 in the NBC, while Eastwood, which has been receiving votes in the Division III statewide coaches’ poll, falls to 9-3 and 3-1. The Eagles travel to Genoa next Thursday (7 p.m.) and host Oak Harbor on October 12 (5 p.m.), the final week of the regular season.

“We knew we had a couple tests left,” Eastwood coach Julie Cross said. “We have Genoa and Oak Harbor left and Oak Harbor seems to be the one to beat right now.”

In the loss Thursday, Eastwood was down 2-0 before they knew what hit them.

Findling beat an Eastwood defender to the ball and scored just four minutes and 40 seconds after kickoff, and then just over four minutes later, junior forward Evelyn Boyett’s cross from the left side somehow deflected into the net, putting the Panthers up 2-0.

Eastwood senior midfielder Delaine Zura sent a cross to senior forward Saylor King, and King scored with 23:45 remaining in the first half to put the Eagles on the board.

But off a header by Maumee junior midfielder Shannon Tolbert, Findling directed it forward over the head of Eastwood junior goalkeeper Jordan Genson to put the Panthers back up by two with 7:06 showing on the clock.

Just one minute and eight seconds into the second half, Eastwood senior midfielder Abby Rothenbuhler scored to bring the Eagles back to within one, 3-2.

However, Findling scored her third goal on an assist from senior forward Ava Leonard, putting the Panthers back up by two with 22:25 remaining in the game.

Then, the game turned a little ugly with two yellow cards whistled against the Panthers and one against the Eagles in the final 19 minutes. The game saw 18 fouls whistled — nine against each team.

Eastwood, which controlled 60% of possession, finally got to within once again when Rothenbuhler popped a 35-yard shot that went over Liwo’s head with 1:26 remaining.

Rothenbuhler had one final look at the tying shot, beating a defender and closing to within 10 yards, but Liwo made a diving save, knocking the ball just outside the post with seven seconds remaining.

“I’m proud of them for working to the very end. They did not give up,” Cross said. “We were down by two with two minutes left and we were still trying to win it.

“We had a chance to tie it right there in the last seven seconds, so credit to our girls. We dug ourselves a hole but we didn’t stay there. We were trying to climb out of it.”

Joining Zura in the assist category for the Eagles were sophomore Kenna Nelson and freshman Ava Karchmarik.

Cross said Liwo played out of her mind.

“Their goalkeeper played amazing,” Cross said. “She definitely kept them in and helped them win that game. I was just telling the girls, ‘A couple bounces either way the game could have been very different.’

“We had a couple very unlucky bounces on their goals. Credit to them, but it was some unlucky bounces, and their keeper had some good saves, but we had some shots that were just wide of the post.”

Maumee coach Jeremiah McNutt said for a freshman, Liwo is giving all his team can ask.

“She’s stepped in, she’s had a few little mistakes but she’s a freshman and she’s learning,” McNutt said. “Overall, I think she is going to be a great asset for us coming down the line.”

Even though Eastwood seemingly controlled possesion, and even had a 12-1 advantage in corner kicks and kept Liwo busy with goal kicks and punts, that’s the way Maumee likes to play — fill up the box defensively and score over the top.

“Overall, it was a good effort by the ladies. Our style isn’t really to attack, as you can tell, our style is to really kind of counter-attack, over the top or through the middle, and it’s working right now,” McNutt said.

“We may have to adjust when the tournament starts because teams have already seen it once. We may have to go back to a (possession) formation, but right now it’s working for us.”

Maumee, which was a girls soccer powerhouse not that long ago in the Northern Lakes League under former coach Steve Kikolski, had its eyes set on Eastwood as soon as they became members of the NBC.

“When we first came in they asked who the top teams were,” McNutt said. “Everybody expected us, but you’ve got to keep it for Eastwood — it’s been Eastwood five years in a row.

“I still think they can if they can beat Oak Harbor it will be a three-way tie, if we can stay on top and they get one, too.”