EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer hits the road for the first time in two weeks Sunday afternoon when the Screaming Eagles head to Louisville, Kentucky, and take on Bellarmine University.
 
Kickoff is slated for Noon CT on Sunday and can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
 
USI (2-5-0) and Bellarmine (4-0-1) add another chapter between the former Great Lakes Valley Conference rivals during their Division II eras. Bellarmine leads the all-time series 14-8-6. Last year, the two teams met for the first time since 2019, with USI coming away with a 2-1 win on home soil.
 
The Screaming Eagles head to Bellarmine with momentum and aim for a third consecutive win. USI has won back-to-back games going into Sunday. The Eagles recorded a pair of 2-0 shutouts against Missouri Valley Conference foes, Southern Illinois University and Valparaiso University, this past week.
 
USI concluded a three-match homestand on Thursday with its victory against Valparaiso. Similar to last Sunday's win against Southern Illinois, USI quickly found the back of the net once again on Thursday against the Beacons. Senior forward Emerson Grafton led the way with her first goal of the season in the eighth minute. She was not done there, as the senior scored for the second time in the match only 57 seconds after halftime. It was Grafton's first multi-goal game of her career in a USI uniform.
 
Also noteworthy from Thursday's win, graduate midfielder Maggie Duggan had assists on both of Grafton's goals to mark the first multi-assist game of Duggan's career. Additionally, the USI defense and redshirt junior goalkeeper Anna Markland notched their second straight shutout. Markland, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Week, is up to 10 solo clean sheets in her USI career.
 
Following Thursday's outing, USI has now scored in four matches in a row, with multiple goals scored in three of the four. Seven different Screaming Eagles have netted a goal this season, three of whom are freshmen.
 
On the season, Grafton and senior forward Peyton Murphy lead USI in scoring with four points each. Grafton has the two goals from Thursday, while Murphy has a goal and two assists. Grafton paces the Screaming Eagles with 18 shots and six on goal. Four Eagles have taken at least 10 shots this season. As a team, USI ranks second in the OVC in shots and shots per game.
 
For Bellarmine, the Knights are off to a strong start, unbeaten through five matches. Bellarmine is coming off back-to-back 2-1 victories against Indiana University last Sunday and Wright State University on Thursday. In both outings, Bellarmine was tied 1-1 at the half before scoring the game-winning goal in the second stanza, making the most of only eight shots in each contest.
 
The Knights have tallied 18 goals by 10 different players already this season. Three Knights have notched three goals on the campaign. Sophomore forward McKenzie Carle is one of them with three goals and also has a team-best three assists to top the squad with nine points. Carle scored in both wins last week against Indiana and Wright State. Senior forward Lucy von Stefenelli leads the team with 17 shots and nine on target. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Anna Jenkins has made four starts, posting a 0.75 goals against average with 27 saves and one shutout this season.
 
Sunday is USI's penultimate non-conference match, as the Screaming Eagles will finish out their non-OVC schedule a week from Sunday, on September 14, at home against Purdue University Fort Wayne. USI's return to Strassweg Field against the Mastodons will also be Alumni Weekend.