EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men's Soccer kicks off the 2023 regular season on the road Thursday when it visits Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis for a 7 p.m. (CDT) showdown. IUPUI hosts its home games at Michael A Carroll Stadium.
The Screaming Eagles complete the season-opening week by hosting Mercer University August 27 at Strassweg Field. The Eagles and Bears square off at 11 a.m. and will be a part of a USI soccer twin bill with women's soccer hosting Purdue University Fort Wayne at 2 p.m.
Game coverage for 2022, including live stats and video streams, can be found on
USIScreamingEagles.com. Tickets are $7 for adults (ages 18 and over) with 18-and-under admitted free of charge. USI students and faculty with a valid University ID are admitted free.
USI Men's Soccer Week 1 Notes:
USI predicted sixth in 2023 OVC: The USI Screaming Eagles are predicted to place sixth in the inaugural Ohio Valley Conference men's soccer season. The Eagles were seventh in the Summit League during their return to NCAA Division I play in 2022.
Faddis named OVC Player to Watch: USI senior midfielder/forward
Nick Faddis was named a Player to Watch in the OVC this season. He was one of two players on USI to start and play in all 17 matches in 2022, leading the team with three goals and tied for team lead with two assists while ranking second with 1,293 minutes played.
USI in three scrimmages: The Eagles were 1-2 in the three scrimmages during the preseason. USI fell to #3 University of Kentucky, 4-1, but posted wins versus McKendree University, 1-0, before losing a 2-1 decision to Maryville University.
USI started to roll at the end: USI started to get on a roll at the end of the 2022 season. After going 1-4-0 to star Summit League play last fall, the Eagles were .500 in the final three games with a tie and a win in the final three matches. USI would have earned a trip to the Summit post-season tournament had it be eligible in its return to NCAA Division I play last falls.
Barton among USI's all-time leaders: Senior forward
Zach Barton is among the USI all-time leaders in goals scored during his four previous seasons. Barton is 10
th all-time at USI with 21 career goals and is 20 points away from the top ten in total points (49).
Between the posts: Senior
Alec Meissner led USI between the posts during 2022 with a 2.29 GAA in 16 starts and 1412 minutes of action. He also had 73 saves and two shutouts.
Santoro leads USI all-time: USI Head Coach
Mat Santoro is the Eagles all-time leading coach in victories with 111 in 14 seasons at the helm.
USI against the OVC in 2022: USI was 1-3-1 against OVC teams last year while playing in the Summit League.
Versus IUPUI: IUPUI, who was 1-1-1 during three exhibitions games, was 7-7-6 overall and 4-2-3 in the Horizon League last season. USI holds a 2-0-0 series record over IUPUI, winning the last meeting in Indianapolis, 2-1, in 1996. The first meeting was a 5-0 home win for USI in 1995.
Versus Mercer: Mercer was 8-5-6 overall and 2-1-2 in the Horizon League last season. Sunday's USI-Mercer University contest will be the first meeting between the two programs. The Bears opens the 2023 slate at the University of Evansville on August 24 before visiting USI.
