EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer returns home Sunday at 2 p.m. against Purdue Fort Wayne University. The home match is the back half of a USI soccer doubleheader at Strassweg Field.
Southern Indiana (0-2-1) is coming off a 2-1 road loss at Wright State University on Thursday evening. After a goal by Wright State in the 19th minute and one in the 54th minute, USI built momentum and provided some pushback at the Raiders. Down 2-0, USI scored in the 58th minute on the first career goal for freshman forward Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California). The Screaming Eagles had a few more chances late but could not find another breakthrough.
In the match at Wright State, USI had eight total shots on target. As a team, USI tallied its highest shot total of the season so far with 11 attempts. The Screaming Eagles outshot the Raiders 8-6 in the second half. Freshman midfielder Greta Ohlwein (Chicago, Illinois) joined Torres in leading USI with two shots on goal each.
On Thursday, junior midfielder Maggie Duggan (Defiance, Missouri) tallied another shot on goal for the Screaming Eagles. Duggan has five shots on goal in five of the last six matches she has played in dating back to last season. She has placed over 55 percent of her shot attempts on target during that stretch. What is interesting about the trend for Duggan is that she finished last season as a defensive outside back and moved into a holding midfield position this season, showcasing her versatility.
USI leads the all-time series 2-1-0 against the Mastodons. Last season, USI and PFW met for the first time since the 2000 season, as the Mastodons protected its home field in a 1-0 victory. The two schools previously met as Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents in 1999 and 2000. USI won both of those matchups, outscoring the Mastodons 14-0.
Purdue Fort Wayne, out of the Horizon League, is 1-2-0 this season. The Mastodons are coming off a 2-1 defeat against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. All three goals in the match were scored within the first 15 minutes of the contest. Senior forward Rylee Vruggink recorded the goal for Purdue Fort Wayne, her first of the season. Vruggink leads PFW with three assists in 2023 and is tied for a team-best five points with graduate forward Morgan Reitano. Reitano leads the Mastodons with a pair of goals.
Sunday's match can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. Additional coverage links are on the USI Women's Soccer schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
