EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer kicks off Ohio Valley Conference play Sunday when the Screaming Eagles visit Southeast Missouri State University for a 1 p.m. contest. USI aims for its third consecutive result and a second straight win on Sunday.
 
Southern Indiana (1-6-2) enters OVC action with momentum following back-to-back results. The Screaming Eagles earned a scoreless draw at Austin Peay State University last Thursday before capturing its first win this season last Sunday, 2-1, against Bellarmine University.
 
The 2-1 victory against Bellarmine was a comeback win for USI to close out the non-conference slate. Trailing 1-0 at halftime, the Eagles struck for two goals within three minutes to surge ahead. From there, USI's defense and senior goalkeeper Zoe Lintner, who was making her first start of the season, shut the door on the Knights.
 
Sophomore midfielder Greta Ohlwein tallied both goals in the win last Sunday, leading to OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Tuesday. Ohlwein's first goal of the match snapped a scoreless streak of 339-plus minutes for USI. The two-goal performance marked the first multi-goal game for a Screaming Eagle since August 2022 when junior midfielder Peyton Murphy recorded a hat trick in her freshman season against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. The last time a USI player scored exactly two goals in a game was in October 2022 by Morgan Beyer against Maryville University (Missouri).
 
Junior defense Charli Grafton also picked up OVC accolades this week with OVC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Grafton helped USI to its best defensive week of the season, allowing one goal in two games. The junior played full time in each contest and led a defensive unit that held Austin Peay scoreless in heavy rain. Plus, Grafton was part of the defensive effort that held Austin Peay to zero first-half shots for the second consecutive meeting against the Governors. On Sunday, Grafton stopped and blocked multiple opportunities from Bellarmine's attack. Grafton and USI's defense kept the Knights to only a couple of chances down the stretch.
 
Entering OVC play, Ohlwein is tied for the team lead with two goals alongside redshirt freshman Eva Boer. Junior midfielder Emerson Grafton is tied with Ohlwein and Boer for a team-best four points off a goal and two assists. Grafton is one of three Screaming Eagles with a pair of assists this season. Junior midfielder Payton Seymour and junior defender Brynn Quick are the only USI players so far with double-digit shot attempts with 12 and 10, respectively. Quick has a team-high six shots on goal.
 
As a team, Southern Indiana averages 10.2 shots per game and 4.2 shots on goal per outing. USI is top five in the OVC in overall shots and shots per game. USI has also found success earning set-piece opportunities, especially corner kicks. The Eagles pace the OVC with 47 corners.
 
Southeast Missouri (0-6-0) welcomes Southern Indiana on Sunday still searching for its first result this season. The Redhawks have had a tough schedule this season and are coming off a three-game road stretch at the University of Missouri and a trip to Florida against Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University. Southeast Missouri has been shut out in the last five matches, having its only goal of the season come in the opener against Murray State University.
 
Last time out, the Redhawks fell 4-0 to the Owls of Florida Atlantic. SEMO trailed 1-0 at halftime before the Owls scored three times in the second half. Florida Atlantic took 20 shots with 12 on goal against SEMO, while the Redhawks had three shots and two on target.
 
Senior midfielder Elizabeth Rater is responsible for SEMO's lone goal this season which came against the Racers. Junior forward Cayla Koerner leads the squad with seven shots and five on frame. Koerner placed two shots on goal in the last match against Florida Atlantic. In the net, junior keeper Sophia Elfrink has started five of SEMO's matches, posting a 3.11 goals against average with 18 saves.
 
As a team, Southeast Missouri has totaled an OVC-low 27 shot attempts for an average of 4.5 per game. The Redhawks have placed just over 44 percent of their shots on goal.
 
Sunday's match is the third all-time meeting between Southern Indiana and Southeast Missouri. The Redhawks won the first meeting and last time on their home field in 2022, 1-0. Last season, the two sides battled to a 0-0 draw at USI.
 
Sunday's game can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. Additional coverage links are available on the USI Women's Soccer schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.