OXFORD, Ohio – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer faced a tough road test against Miami University (Ohio) and the Redhawks' offense on Thursday evening, but the Screaming Eagles came up just shy in a 1-0 loss.
 
With Thursday's result, USI dropped to 0-4-1 on the season, while Miami moved to 2-2-1. Thursday was the Screaming Eagles' third straight game determined by a one-goal difference.
 
Thursday's match started in a defensive struggle, as neither side allowed many quality shooting windows in the opening minutes of the first half. Southern Indiana's defense blocked one shot from Miami in the sixth minute. USI had its first opportunity in the 10^th minute on a shot on goal from sophomore defender Brynn Quick (Cottage Grove, Minnesota) that was saved.
 
After the 25-minute mark, both offenses came alive and fired away at goal. The Screaming Eagles' defense got involved in the attack again in the 32^nd minute when redshirt freshman Abby Rhoutsong (Newburgh, Indiana) had her shot saved by the Redhawks' freshman goalkeeper Dominique Popa. Minutes later, junior midfielder Adriana Berruti (Berwyn, Illinois) had her attempt kept out of the goal by Popa.
 
Meanwhile, USI sophomore keeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) collected multiple saves on the other end of the field, doing her best to keep Miami off the scoreboard. However, the Redhawks broke through right before halftime with a goal in the 43^rd minute, taking a 1-0 lead into the break. Nine of 14 combined first-half shots between the two teams came after the 25-minute mark.
 
At the start of the second half, the Redhawks came out attacking, taking five shots in the first 10 minutes of the second stanza. As the second half waned on, USI's defense stood tall and kept the match a one-goal contest. The physicality and foul count also picked up. Unfortunately, for the Screaming Eagles, the offense was held without a shot in the second half. USI was outshot 10-0 by the Redhawks in the second 45 minutes, but USI's defense remained strong to keep it a one-goal match and keep Southern Indiana in the game.
 
For the match, Miami totaled 20 shots compared to USI's four. The Redhawks had seven shots on goal, while USI put three on target. There were 24 total fouls, including three yellow cards in the contest. Senior midfielder Paige Vanek (St. Charles, Missouri) recorded USI's other shot on the night. For Markland, the netminder surpassed her previous season-high five saves from last time out on Sunday, tallying six saves Thursday against the Redhawks.
 
Southern Indiana will return home Sunday at 1 p.m. against the University of North Dakota. The home match kicks off a three-match homestand at Strassweg Field for the Screaming Eagles. Sunday's match can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.