EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer fell in a 2-0 contest against Middle Tennessee State University on Sunday afternoon at Strassweg Field.
Sunday's game, which was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. and was pushed back to a 5 p.m. start due to extreme heat, was the Screaming Eagles' second match of their season-opening three-game homestand.
Each side recorded nine shot attempts, with USI (0-1-1) edging Middle Tennessee (2-0-0) in shots on goal, 5-4. The Blue Raiders had eight corner kicks compared to two for USI.
Graduate forward
Payton Seymour and freshman midfielder
Shea Krakowski led USI with two shots taken, with Krakowski being one of five Screaming Eagles with a shot on goal. Between the posts, sophomore goalkeeper
Merrick Schwalbach collected two saves.
Setting the tone in the first half in what was going to be a tough battle for possession, the defenses made it difficult for either side to get a clean shot attempt toward goal. One of the better looks for USI in the opening half came off the foot of sophomore midfielder
Olivia Hass toward the low corner that was saved. The game remained scoreless going into halftime with the two sides combining for nine shots and three on goal.
Middle Tennessee broke the deadlock to take a 1-0 lead with a goal by Hailey Phillips in the 55
th minute, poking the ball into goal after a battle for a loose ball inside the box. USI looked to answer with a free kick by Krakowski before the 60-minute mark, but the attempt went over the crossbar. The Blue Raiders doubled the lead to 2-0 with a goal by Megan Carroll in the 69
th minute and held on to the two-goal lead for the rest of the match.
Sunday's score snapped USI's consecutive shutout streak, which reached five straight clean sheets dating back to the end of last season and one away from tying the program record. The defensive scoreless stretch going back to last season reached 530-plus consecutive minutes without allowing a goal, only 25 minutes shy of a new program record.
Next, the Screaming Eagles conclude their season-opening three-match homestand on Thursday at 5 p.m. when USI hosts the University of Akron at Strassweg Field for USI's Welcome Week match.
