EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer gets back to Ohio Valley Conference play Sunday afternoon against former Great Lakes Valley Conference foe and current fellow newcomer to the OVC in Lindenwood University. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. from St. Charles, Missouri.
USI heads into Sunday's match following a 1-0 home win Thursday against Chicago State. The win marked the first goal and victory for the Screaming Eagles since September 9 when USI defeated Chicago State on the road 2-0. The win was also the Screaming Eagles' sixth shutout of the 2022 season.
Thursday's match featured steady possession for USI, strong defense in the final third, and persistence with their attack in the second half. USI's goal was scored by senior midfielder
Jill DiTusa (St. Charles, Illinois) off a free kick in the 62nd minute, her first of the season.
The goal from DiTusa placed her inside USI's top-12 all-time for goals scored, tallying 15 career goals. Picking up two points also moved DiTusa into the top-15 all-time for career points at USI, tying her with teammate and junior forward
Morgan Beyer (Rossford, Ohio) with 34 career points.
Beyer has been on the fringe of finding the back of the net lately, recording a shot in each of the last five contests, including multiple shots taken in each of the last three matches. On Thursday against Chicago State, Beyer had two rockets blocked by the defense, and last Sunday against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, she just missed above the crossbar on a couple of occasions.
The Screaming Eagles and senior goalkeeper
Maya Etienne (Midland, Michigan) collected the sixth shutout of the season in Thursday's 1-0 win. The clean sheet was Etienne's 35
th of her career, extending her all-time lead in USI history. Etienne made three saves Thursday and dropped her goals against average to 0.68 on the season.
In the short three-year history between USI and Lindenwood, USI has won all three previous meetings by a score of 1-0. The two squads most recently faced off on October 31, 2021, in St. Charles, Missouri.
Lindenwood is 5-6-3 so far in the 2022 season, including a 2-1-2 record in the Ohio Valley Conference. Lindenwood, just like USI, is in its first season as a Division I program and first year in the Ohio Valley Conference. Lindenwood was a former Great Lakes Valley Conference member with USI at the Division II level.
Graduate student midfielder Jacqueline Baetz scored the game-winner for the Lions in their 1-0 win at the University of Tennessee at Martin on Thursday. Baetz leads the team with 15 shots and seven on goal this season. The leading goal-scorer for Lindenwood is freshman midfielder Rachel Jackson with four goals. In goal, senior keeper Sam Blazek has been top-notch for the Lions, making 72 saves with a 0.96 goals against average in 10 starts and 13 matches played. She has also posted five shutouts this season.
USI fans can stay up-to-date with the latest at usiscreamingeagles.com or follow USI Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
