EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer takes a midweek break from Ohio Valley Conference action Thursday evening at home when the Screaming Eagles take on Chicago State University from Strassweg Field. Admission is free thanks to The Women's Hospital Deaconess.
 
Thursday's meeting is the second between the two schools this season, as USI (3-5-3, 0-3-1 OVC) defeated Chicago State 2-0 on the road back on September 9 for their first D-I win against a D-I opponent. Junior forward Morgan Beyer (Rossford, Ohio) and freshman midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) split USI's two goals in the first matchup against Chicago State. Beyer scored her goal early in the second half on a 1-v-1 against the Cougars' goalkeeper and off an assist by Murphy. Murphy scored her goal on a shot outside the box that finished in the top right-hand corner of the goal. Senior goalkeeper Maya Etienne (Midland, Michigan) made five saves in the first match.
 
USI heads into their match with the Chicago State Cougars coming off a 0-0 tie against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars on Sunday. The draw earned USI their first point in the Ohio Valley Conference, coming against the OVC standings leader. Sunday's final was USI's fifth shutout of the 2022 season.
 
Sunday's match was highlighted by strong defensive play for USI, as the Screaming Eagles kept SIUE out of the goal despite allowing 19 shots with eight on target. USI took nine shots with six on goal. USI had three good chances to score offensively, but a saved penalty kick and two shots just over the crossbar kept USI scoreless.
 
Etienne was also stout between the posts Sunday, recording a season-high eight saves to move her into fourth all-time with 278 career saves on USI's career saves list. She also recorded her fifth shutout of 2022 and the 34^th clean sheet of her career.
 
Among the OVC leaders, Etienne ranks second in the OVC with a 0.74 goals against average and first with five shutouts. Her efforts in goal put USI within the top-65 nationally in goals against average and save percentage.
 
Offensively, Murphy leads the Screaming Eagles with five goals, 12 points, 21 shots, and 15 shots on goal. Within the OVC, the freshman midfielder is first in goals and points, while inside the top-10 in shots and shots on goal. On a national scale, Murphy would rank sixth in the nation with a .714 shot accuracy this season.
Chicago State is 3-10-1 so far in the 2022 season, earning their wins against Valparaiso, Alcorn State, and Mississippi Valley State. The Cougars are coming off back-to-back road losses against Hartford, falling 4-0 and 3-1, respectively. The matchup against USI Thursday is the fifth of eight consecutive road contests to conclude the 2022 season for Chicago State, having only four home matches on their 2022 schedule.
 
The Cougars' offense has improved since the last meeting with USI, scoring eight goals since September 9. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Delaney Kenney and graduate student Mary Perez Aguire lead the squad with two goals each. Kenney also leads the team with three assists. In goal, sophomore Alexa Seiler has started all 12 matches she has played in, but she did not play in the previous match against the Screaming Eagles. Seiler has made 58 saves for a 0.699 save percentage and 2.08 goals against average.
 
Kickoff Thursday is at 7 p.m., and the match can be seen live with an ESPN+ subscription.
 
USI fans can stay up-to-date with the latest at usiscreamingeagles.com or follow USI Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.