Bodamer becomes career saves leader
BOX SCORE
EVANSVILLE. Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana women's soccer team completed a two-game sweep of its homestand with a 3-1 victory over Drury University Sunday afternoon at Strassweg Field. USI rises back to the .500 mark overall at 3-3-1 and to 3-1-0 in the GLVC, while Drury fell to 4-2-1, 1-2-1 GLVC.
USI senior goalkeeper Stephanie Bodamer (Highland, Indiana) became the USI career leader for saves while withstanding a barrage of 31 Panther shots, 16 of them on-goal. Bodamer, who has 340 career saves after win, finished the match with 15 saves, two short of the USI single-game record.
Bodamer's 340 career assists passes Meagan Homolla-Knight (2004-07), former USI goalkeeper and current assistant coach. Bodamer had tied Homolla-Knight at 325 Friday night against Missouri University of Science & Technology.
USI found the back of the net first in the match when freshman forward Makenzie Brinker (Evansville, Indiana) scored her second goal of the season. Brinker scored off a through-ball pass from junior forward Susan Ellsperman (Newburgh, Indiana) to make the score 1-0.
Drury rallied 10 minutes later to tie the score 1-1. The team would go into the locker room deadlocked at the intermission.
In the second half, the Eagles jumped back on top to stay at 61:16 when senior midfielder Sam Smith (DeSoto, IL) scored the game winner and posted her first goal of the season. Smith deflected a pass from freshman defender Maura Hulme (Westerville, Ohio) into the back of the goal from five yards out.
USI junior forward Kelly Fitzgerald (Fishers, Indiana) sealed the Eagles' victory with a goal at 78:41 when she rocketed a shot off the far post from 25 yards out and into the goal. She was assisted on the play by sophomore forward Julia Kohnen (Florissant, Missouri).
The goal was Fitzgerald's first of the year and the first of her career.
The Eagles return to the road next week in the GLVC when they travel to Rockhurst University Friday and William Jewell College Sunday. Kick off at Rockhurst is 5 p.m. Friday, while the start time at William Jewell is scheduled for noon Sunday.
