EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer concludes the Ohio Valley Conference regular season Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Screaming Eagles travel to Western Illinois University.
 
Sunday's match can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
 
USI Women's Soccer (6-7-4, 3-2-3 OVC) enters Sunday having already clinched a fourth consecutive OVC tournament berth but will solidify its seeding and first-round opponent by the end of the day. USI will have to travel for the OVC postseason.
 
The Screaming Eagles sit fifth in the OVC standings with 12 points. USI can be either the fifth seed or the sixth seed. With a win, a tie, or a loss or tie by the University of Tennessee at Martin on Sunday, USI will lock up the fifth seed. Western Illinois (1-16-1, 0-7-1 OVC) is eliminated from OVC tournament contention.
 
The all-time series between USI and Western Illinois is tied 2-2, with USI winning each of the last two meetings since the Leathernecks joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023.
 
Going into Sunday's regular-season finale, the Screaming Eagles are looking to get on track and snap a two-game skid. Most recently, USI fell 2-1 in its home finale last Sunday against Lindenwood University. After a scoreless first half, USI struck first shortly after halftime with a goal by senior forward Emerson Grafton. The Eagles held their 1-0 advantage until the 77^th minute when Lindenwood tied the contest. The Lions converted a penalty kick seven minutes later for the game-winning goal.
 
The goal by Grafton last Sunday was the 21^st goal this season by the Screaming Eagles, which is the most for the program since moving to Division I in 2022. 11 different Screaming Eagles have scored a goal this season, with four players having at least three goals on the year. The 2021 season was the last time USI had at least 11 different players score a goal and had four or more players score at least three goals in a season.
 
Grafton's goal last Sunday also added to a career season for the senior. Grafton paces the Screaming Eagles with a career-best five goals and 13 points, passing her previous career marks that she set last season in 2024. Grafton also has a career-best three game-winning goals this season. Grafton is top 10 in the OVC in shots (34), goals (5), assists (3), game-winning goals (3), and points (13).
 
Senior forward Peyton Murphy, who is USI's all-time Division I scorer, is second behind Grafton in scoring with nine points off three goals and three assists. The three assists are in the top 10 of the OVC. Redshirt sophomore forward Eva Boer and sophomore forward Josie Pochocki also have three goals apiece.
 
Between the posts, redshirt junior goalkeeper Anna Markland ranks in the top half of the conference with a 1.33 GAA and is tied for third in the OVC with six shutouts. Markland has 46 saves this season and 197 career saves, which is in the top eight in USI history.
 
Western Illinois is coming off its first OVC result last time out against UT Martin, earning a 1-1 draw last Sunday. The Leathernecks fell behind 1-0 late in the first half but answered with an equalizer by junior forward Hattie Mourning in the 72^nd minute to tie the Skyhawks.
 
On the season, Western Illinois is led in scoring by freshman midfielder Abigail Schilling, who has seven points off a team-high three goals and an assist. Junior midfielder Claire Brown and fifth-year midfielder Kayla Turner each have two goals. Overall, the Leathernecks have scored eight goals this season while conceding 64 to the opposition. In goal, sophomore goalkeeper Ariel Bernard has been the main keeper for WIU with over 1,200 minutes and 14 starts in net. Bernard has a 4.10 GAA and 95 saves this season.
 
Following Sunday's slate, more details about USI's schedule and positioning in the OVC tournament will be released on usiscreamingeagles.com.