EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer starts October with the front end of back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference road matches on Sunday at Noon when the Screaming Eagles travel to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
 
Sunday's match can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
 
USI Women's Soccer (5-5-2, 2-0-1 OVC) is 1-2-1 in the all-time series against Little Rock (3-3-4, 1-0-2 OVC), including a 1-0 home win last season and a 0-0 draw in USI's previous visit to Little Rock in 2023. USI enters the weekend matchup second in the OVC with seven points, while Little Rock is fourth at 5 points.
 
The Screaming Eagles head into Sunday's OVC contest on a seven-match unbeaten streak, going 5-0-2 in the last seven matches. It is USI's best stretch since 2021, when USI collected a seven-game winning streak. The Eagles have outscored the opposition during the streak, 13-2. As part of the current streak, USI went undefeated for the entire calendar month of September, a program first since 1998.
 
Last time out, the Eagles recorded their third consecutive OVC result and second straight win with a 2-1 home victory last Sunday against Southeast Missouri State University. After the Redhawks tied the match, 1-1, with 15 minutes to go, USI answered with its second penalty-kick goal of the match nearly five minutes later for the game-winning goal. Senior forward Peyton Murphy and redshirt sophomore forward Eva Boer scored USI's goals in the match. Boer tallied a career-high eight shots with a career-high four on target in the game. It was also Boer's fourth straight game with a shot on goal.
 
Before SEMO scored its goal last Sunday in the 75^th minute, the Screaming Eagles' defense organized its second defensive scoreless streak of 300-plus minutes this season. The most recent stretch lasted 317 minutes, which is the third-longest streak among OVC teams this season. Earlier this season, USI had a defensive scoreless stretch of 313 consecutive minutes.
 
This season, senior forward Emerson Grafton leads USI in scoring with eight points off three goals and two assists. Boer and sophomore forward Josie Pochocki are tied for second on the team with seven points off three goals and an assist. Grafton and Boer are top five in the OVC in shots with 28 and 26 attempts, respectively. In goal, redshirt junior goalkeeper Anna Markland has a 1.39 GAA with 33 saves and five shutouts, ranking tied for second in the OVC.
 
As a team, USI ranks second in the OVC with 17 goals and first with 15 assists, adding up to second in the OVC with 49 points on the season. The 17 goals, which have come in the last nine matches, are already USI's second-best team total in a season in the program's D-I era behind the 20 goals the Eagles scored in 2024. The Screaming Eagles also rank second in the OVC with 156 shots and top five with 59 shots on goal.
 
Little Rock carries a four-match unbeaten streak in Sunday's clash with USI. The Trojans are coming off a 2-0 victory at home last Sunday against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, scoring both goals in the second half. Prior to that win, the Trojans notched three consecutive ties. Little Rock has not lost at home this season (2-0-2).
 
Sunday's matchup features a battle of the top two offensive teams in the OVC, as Little Rock is just in front of USI with 21 goals scored and 159 shots this season. Sophomore forward Maria Schuller leads the charge for Little Rock, pacing the squad with 16 points on a team-best six goals and four assists. Schuller also has a team-high 35 shots and 15 shots on goal. Senior midfielder Amaya Arias and sophomore forward Maggie Turner have four goals each, while junior midfielder Candice Kilderry has three goals and three assists.
 
Between the posts, senior goalkeeper Peyton Urban has a 1.85 GAA with 43 saves in 10 starts. Urban recently recorded her first solo shutout of the season and 17^th career clean sheet last Sunday against SIUE, setting a new program record. Urban made seven saves against SIUE.
 
Following Sunday's game, USI Women's Soccer continues the OVC road stretch next Thursday afternoon at Eastern Illinois, which currently sits first in the conference standings ahead of USI.