EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer concludes its brief two-match homestand Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Screaming Eagles host Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at Strassweg Field.
 
Thursday is Mental Health Awareness Night as part of the Ohio Valley Conference's Mental Health Awareness Week. All in attendance are encouraged to wear green to help raise and spread mental health awareness.
 
Southern Indiana is 4-6-4 this season with a 3-1-1 record in Ohio Valley Conference play. USI is currently enjoying a three-game winning streak dating back to October 1. It is the longest win streak for USI since the 2021 fall championship season. Plus, the Eagles have earned results in seven of the last eight matches, going 4-1-3 during that stretch. USI is also 3-0-1 in its last four home contests.
 
In the recent stretch of play, USI has finished its scoring chances offensively while holding opponents to low-percentage looks on the defensive end. During the three-game winning streak, Southern Indiana has outscored its opposition 6-1 with eight assists. With the seven results in the last eight matches, USI has outscored opponents 10-3 with 12 assists.
 
Last time out, USI notched its third straight victory with a 3-0 shutout against Lindenwood University on Sunday. It was the fourth clean sheet of the season and the largest margin of victory this season for the Eagles.
 
Against Lindenwood, USI came out of the gates fast, controlling the action in the midfield and in the attacking half early on. Midway into the first half, the Lions made a push against USI, but the Eagles' defense stood tall. Southern Indiana took hold of momentum late in the first half with a goal by freshman midfielder Grace Bamber (Chesterton, Indiana) off a nice build-up from the wing. USI tacked on another goal right after halftime when sophomore midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) made a good run off an over-the-top pass, slotting the ball past the keeper. The Screaming Eagles capped off its goal-scoring late when senior midfielder Paige Vanek (St. Charles, Missouri) knocked in her first career goal, which happened to come on Senior Day for the senior captain.
 
Murphy was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. The sophomore had a big week for USI, tallying two goals, including one game-winner, and an assist in helping USI to a 2-0-0 week. Murphy stepped up to the penalty spot and scored the game-winning goal last Thursday in the Screaming Eagles' 1-0 win at Western Illinois before her goal on Sunday against Lindenwood. She also added an assist in Sunday's win.
 
Statistically, freshman midfielder Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) leads Southern Indiana with three goals, which is eighth in the OVC. Torres also has seven points after tallying her first assist in Sunday's win. Murphy and Bamber are right behind her with two goals each and six and five points, respectively. Murphy has a team-best 21 shots, which is good for ninth in the OVC, and three more than Torres. In goal, redshirt freshman Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) is third in the OVC with four shutouts, fifth with a 1.21 GAA, and sixth in the conference with 52 saves.
 
Following Sunday's victory against Lindenwood, USI Head Coach Eric Schoenstein is in line to hit a milestone mark with the next win for USI. Schoenstein is one win shy of 75 victories while at the helm of the USI Women's Soccer program. In his eighth season as the head coach, Schoenstein is second in wins in USI Women's Soccer history.
 
The SIUE Cougars enter Thursday with a 4-5-3 mark and a 2-1-2 record in the OVC. SIUE has tied in its last two matches, including a 1-1 draw last time out on Sunday at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. After a scoreless first half, the Cougars scored a few minutes out of halftime with a goal by redshirt junior midfielder Sidney Christopher. Little Rock answered shortly after to tie the game, leading to the 1-1 draw.
 
Christopher joins junior midfielder Kasey Neidhardt with a team-leading two goals on the season. Christopher was second-team All-OVC last season, while Neidhardt was selected to the OVC All-Newcomer team. The scoring has been spread out for SIUE, as nine other Cougars have scored this season. Graduate midfielder Matea Diekema paces the squad with 13 shots and nine shots on goal. Diekema is the reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year. Between the posts, redshirt junior keeper Taylor Spiller has started all 12 matches for SIUE, recording 46 saves, a 1.45 GAA, and two shutouts.
 
As longtime rivals in the Great Lakes Valley Conference years ago, SIUE and USI have transitioned the rivalry to Division I and the Ohio Valley Conference. Last season, the Cougars and the Eagles renewed the rivalry with a scoreless draw in Edwardsville, Illinois. Thursday's meeting will be the 16^th all-time meeting between the two programs. SIUE leads the series history 11-2-2, including a 6-0-0 mark on USI's home field. Both of USI's wins in the all-time series have come on the road, including the Eagles' last win in the series back in 2003 when USI won 2-1. The all-time series dates back to 1996.
 
Heading into Thursday's tilt against SIUE, USI sits in third place in the OVC standings with 10 points, which is three back of conference-leading Tennessee Tech University. The Cougars are tied for fourth with eight points in the league table.
 
Thursday's contest can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. Additional coverage links are on the USI Women's Soccer schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.