EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer travels eastward to Dayton, Ohio Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. CT matchup at Wright State University. Thursday's meeting will be the first all-time between the two schools.
The Screaming Eagles enter the game with a 0-1-1 record after the first week of the regular season. Southern Indiana began the 2023 campaign with a 2-0 loss at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) last Thursday before picking up a 1-1 draw in the home opener against the University of North Alabama last Sunday.
After a few chances to grab an early lead last Sunday, USI struck first in the 21st minute, as junior midfielder Maggie Duggan (Defiance, Missouri) scored her first career goal off a long throw-in pass from sophomore midfielder Emma Thurston (Leawood, Kansas). North Alabama knotted the game at one in the 58th minute.
Sunday's draw extended USI's recent undefeated streak in home openers. Southern Indiana has not dropped its home debut since 2020.
Between last week's two matches, Duggan recorded two points off the goal with two shots on target out of three attempts. Sophomore midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) paced the Screaming Eagles in the first week with four total shot attempts.
Murphy was recognized on the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Players to Watch List and Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Players to Watch List out of the OVC following her 2022 OVC All-Newcomer Team accolade as a freshman.
Between the posts, sophomore keeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) made her Screaming Eagles debut after earning the starting spot out of the preseason. The Samford University transfer gloved five total saves in the two matches.
After an 8-7-3 record and a Horizon League quarterfinals appearance in 2022, Wright State is 0-2-0 to start its 2023 season. The Raiders began the season with a road swing in Arizona, falling 4-0 in each match against Arizona State University and Grand Canyon University.
Wright State returns its top four scorers from last year, including fifth-year forward Marcella Sizer. Sizer found the back of the net six times in 2022, adding three assists to accumulate 15 points. The Raiders scored 29 goals and averaged 1.61 goals per game last season. In goal, senior keeper Kiera Sarka has started both matches this season, making eight saves. Sarka appeared in only three matches in 2022.
There is no broadcast coverage for Thursday's game. Live stats links are on the USI Women's Soccer schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
