EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer makes a quick visit to the University of Tennessee at Martin on Sunday when the Screaming Eagles square off against the Skyhawks at 1 p.m. Sunday is the penultimate road match for USI.
The Screaming Eagles are 4-6-5 overall and 3-1-2 in Ohio Valley Conference action. Southern Indiana is currently enjoying an unbeaten streak of four games, matching a season best. USI has also earned a result in eight of the last nine matches, going 4-1-4 during that stretch.
Last time out, USI battled Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to a 0-0 tie at home in a physical contest on Thursday. Despite the high-paced nature of the game, defenses stood tall. Thursday was the fifth shutout of the season for USI. The Eagles' defensive unit has been solid of late. USI has not surrendered a goal in the last three matches.
Even though offensive chances were at a premium on Thursday, USI did find a few quality looks. Totaling seven shots in the match against SIUE, USI had a pair of shots miss outside the woodwork by only inches and another couple of shots that were blocked away or hit the post.
On the season, freshman midfielder
Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) leads Southern Indiana with three goals and is second on the squad with 18 shots. Sophomore midfielder
Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) has two goals and paces the team with 23 shots. Murphy led USI with two shots and one on goal in Thursday's match against SIUE. Murphy is also the reigning OVC Offensive Player of the Week.
In goal, redshirt freshman
Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) has been stellar between the posts. Markland is tied for second in the OVC with five shutouts. She is also third in the league with a 1.13 GAA and fifth with 47 saves. Late in the contest on Thursday, Markland kept SIUE off the scoreboard by making four of her five saves within a minute. Markland is a two-time OVC co-Goalkeeper of the Week this season.
UT Martin is 5-7-3 this season with a 2-2-2 conference record. Coming off a 2-0-2 stretch and two consecutive wins, the Skyhawks fell in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday against first-place Tennessee Tech University. Following a scoreless first half, the second stanza was a thriller. After surrendering a penalty-kick goal, the Skyhawks responded with two goals to take a 2-1 lead with just under 20 minutes remaining. Tennessee Tech tied the contest at two with 13 minutes to go. Battling down the stretch, Tennessee Tech scored the game-winner with two minutes left for the win against UT Martin. The game featured a combined 41 shots and 21 shots on goal with two of the top offensive teams in the OVC duking it out.
Statistically, junior forward Makayla Robinson is the leading scorer for UT Martin, tallying four goals and nine points so far this season. The reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Week in graduate defender Catey Hunt has scored three times in 2023. In net, sophomore goalkeeper Poppy Bastock has made 14 starts for the Skyhawks, posting a 1.68 GAA with 69 saves and two shutouts.
Sunday will be the second all-time meeting between USI and UT Martin. Last season, USI fell at home, 1-0, against UT Martin in the first matchup. The Skyhawks scored within the first five minutes of the contest and held on the rest of the way.
Entering Sunday's slate of games, Southern Indiana sits in a tie for second with Morehead State University in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with 11 points, trailing conference-leading Tennessee Tech by five points. UT Martin is tied for fifth with eight points.
Sunday's match can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. Additional coverage links are available on the USI Women's Soccer schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
