EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Men's Soccer took an early two-goal lead, but the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's four-goal second half led to a 4-3 loss at Strassweg Field on Thursday night.
The Screaming Eagles (1-8-4, 1-4-1 OVC) struck first in the 26th minute as sophomore midfielder
Jimmy Murphy scored his second goal of the season off a rebound from sophomore midfielder
Isaac Weidner's shot attempt. Just two minutes later, senior defender
Ian Graham found the back of the net with a header off an assist from sophomore
Kadiri Bello, his first of the season. The Screaming Eagles maintained a clean sheet heading into halftime with a 2-0 lead, blocking three shots while senior goalkeeper
Kael McGowan recorded three saves.
The Vaqueros (3-4-3, 1-2-2 OVC) opened the second-half scoring in the 63rd minute to cut into USI's lead. Just seven minutes later, UTRGV scored again to tie the match at 2-2. The Vaqueros took the lead in the 76th minute, but the Screaming Eagles responded with an equalizer from long range by Graham in the 80th minute.
Graham's two goals were his first of the season, marking his first career brace as a Screaming Eagle and the second multi-goal performance by a USI player this season.
However, the equalizer was short-lived, with the Vaqueros scoring their fourth goal of the half on a penalty kick in the 85th minute. The Screaming Eagles had one final opportunity with 10 seconds remaining but were unable to find the game-tying goal.
USI will continue its home stand Sunday, with a visit from OVC opponent Lindenwood University. Sunday's match will begin at 3 p.m.
Team coverage for Sunday's match will be available on X (@USIMSOC) and Instagram (@usi_msoc). Live stats and ESPN+ coverage can be accessed at USIScreamingEagles.com.
