EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer begins a two-match homestand Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Screaming Eagles host Lindenwood University at Strassweg Field.
USI will be celebrating Alumni Day and Senior Day, recognizing its 2023 senior class in midfielder
Paige Vanek (St. Charles, Missouri), midfielder
Avery Schone (Galena, Ohio), and defender
Alexis Schone (Galena, Ohio). The senior class has had a hand in over 30 wins, 18 Great Lakes Valley Conference wins, and the first-ever Division I and Ohio Valley Conference wins in program history. They helped USI to two GLVC Tournament Finalist appearances and the first-ever OVC Tournament berth. They had their freshmen seasons postponed to the Spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and led the program in its current transition to Division I. The three have combined for 185 games played, 86 starts, nearly 9,000 minutes played, nine goals, six assists, and 24 points.
The Eagles are 3-6-4 overall this season and 2-1-1 in Ohio Valley Conference play. Last time out, USI secured its second straight victory, third shutout, and first road win of the season with a 1-0 result at Western Illinois University on Thursday. USI enters the weekend in a tie for fourth place with SIUE, sitting with seven points and three back of conference-leading Tennessee Tech University. USI has earned results in six of the last seven matches, going 3-1-3 during that stretch.
The scoring difference in Thursday's match was a penalty-kick goal by sophomore midfielder
Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana), her first of the season, in the first half after the Leathernecks committed a handball in the box. Defensively, USI was strong along the backline, holding Western Illinois to only three shots, two of which were saved by redshirt freshman goalkeeper
Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama). USI had good looks in the second half on the attacking end, but the Eagles could not get an extra goal. USI outshot WIU 11-3 overall and 6-2 in shots on goal.
Statistically, freshman midfielder
Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) leads Southern Indiana with three goals, which is good for seventh in the OVC. Torres has taken 15 shots while Murphy has team-best 18 shots. Both are top-10 in the OVC. Between the pipes, Markland is sixth in the OVC with 47 saves and fifth with a 1.31 GAA. As a team, USI is sixth in the OVC with 111 shots and sixth with a 1.46 GAA and three shutouts.
Lindenwood, formerly of the GLVC like USI, is 3-9-1 this season with a 1-4-0 mark during the OVC slate. Lindenwood dropped a 3-0 contest against the University of Tennessee at Martin on Thursday. The Lions were outshot 16-8 overall and 10-3 in shots on goal. Prior to Thursday, Lindenwood captured a 2-1 win last Sunday at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock that snapped a six-match losing skid for the Lions.
With 10 goals this season, Lindenwood has spread out its scoring, as three players have scored two goals. The Lions have placed 43 percent of their shots on goal in 2023. One of the leading players for Lindenwood is sophomore forward Anna Johnson. Johnson has two goals and an assist. She leads the team with five points and 17 shot attempts. In goal, Erika Anstine has been the leading goalkeeper, making 11 starts. Anstine has posted a 1.73 GAA with 56 saves and one shutout this season.
Sunday will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two schools. USI leads the all-time series 3-1-1, including a 2-0 record at home. Last season, USI tied at Lindenwood, 1-1, before falling in the rematch, 2-1, in the first round of the OVC Tournament.
Sunday'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.
