EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Men's Soccer kicks off the 2025 season Thursday afternoon with a road match against the University of Louisville at 4 p.m. CT. This year marks the first time the Screaming Eagles have been eligible for the NCAA Division I Tournament since 1994, following the team's brief stint in D-I.
Thursday's match against the Cardinals will be the Screaming Eagles' first bout against a major conference opponent since transitioning back to the Division I level in 2022. USI leads the all-time series 4-1-3, with the last match being a 5-0 USI victory in 1993.
USI comes off a 2-14-2 2024 season with a 1-7-2 Ohio Valley Conference record. The Eagles finished seventh in the OVC standings. USI's 2024 season was highlighted by a 2-1 home victory over Eastern Illinois. The team was projected to finish eighth in the 2025 OVC Predicted Order of Finish.
The Eagles retooled the roster, bringing in 15 freshmen and four transfers. Despite the roster turnover, USI returns 90 percent of the team's scoring from last year, with sophomore forward
David Davilla, junior forward
Jackson Mitchell, and sophomore midfielder
Ahiro Nakamae each having three goals and two assists.
Head Coach
Mat Santoro enters his 17th season at the helm. In his previous 16 seasons, the Screaming Eagles have gone 115-134-32 and appeared in two NCAA Division II tournaments in 2016 and 2018.
Following a three-year reclassification period from Division II to Division I, the 2025 season will mark the first in which USI is eligible for potential NCAA postseason championship berths. Southern Indiana was granted status as a full-fledged D-I member at the end of June.
Louisville is coming off a 6-7-4 season in 2024 with a 0-5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference record. The Cardinals were eliminated in the first round of the ACC tournament last year with a 3-0 loss to Clemson University.
The Cardinals return a strong core of players, while also retooling the roster with 14 new additions and a top-25 recruiting class, according to Top Drawer Soccer. Louisville was predicted to finish 14th in the 2025 ACC Coaches Poll with 33 points, 12 points ahead of Boston College.
