EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Men's Soccer will play its home opener at Strassweg Field against Indiana University Indianapolis on Wednesday, September 2 at 7 p.m. CT.
 
Wednesday's match will be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats and coverage will be available on X (USIMSOC) and at usiscreamingeagles.com. Wednesday's theme is Greek Appreciation Night.
 
USI (0-0-2) is coming off a come-from-behind 2-2 tie against Northern Kentucky University last Monday night. Despite trailing 2-0 and not taking a shot until the 67th minute of the match against Northern Kentucky, the Screaming Eagles fought back.
 
Sophomore midfielders Brian Novillo and Isaac Weidner led the Screaming Eagles offensively, scoring the team's first goals of the season. Both goals were assisted by sophomore midfielder Tony Murphy, who gathered his sixth career assist as a Screaming Eagle and took his first two shots, one on goal, of the season.
 
Sophomore forward Kadiri Bello also added two shots, one on goal, to USI's shot total, finishing with ten total shots as a team with five on goal. Only three USI players played the full 90 minutes: junior midfielder Ahiro Nakamae, sophomore goalkeeper Jacob English, and sophomore defender Zach Naessens. English added two saves in the defensive effort.
 
The Screaming Eagles' 0-0-2 start is the best start to a season since 2016, when the team obtained a 2-0-0 record while still in the Division II ranks. A win or draw for USI on Wednesday would give it three opening-season results for the first time since 2015.
 
IU Indianapolis (2-1-0) beat Bowling Green State University last time out on Friday, 1-0, scoring the team's only goal in the 79th minute of the match. IU Indy tied Bowling Green in shots, with each team taking 13 shots; however, Bowling Green took the upper hand in shots on goal with four. IU Indy had two.
 
Last season, the Jaguars finished 6-8-3 and 3-5-1 in Horizon League play. IU Indy returned two of the top four goal scorers from last season: senior forward Jose Antonio Herrera (three goals, one assist), and senior forward Nathaniel Isom (two goals, two assists). Herrera has already scored two of the three goals for the Jaguars this season. In goal for IU Indy is freshman Peter Field. Field has played the full 90 minutes in each game this season and has allowed only two goals, both against the University of Louisville, while posting 14 saves.
 
Wednesday's meeting is the third meeting between the two teams in the past three years, with IU Indy taking a 2-0-0 lead. In the last meeting on September 6, 2025, the Jaguars scored a late goal in the 88th minute to win the in-state matchup 3-2. Overall, the all-time series between the two teams is tied 2-2-0.
 
Fans can stay up to date on the action by following USI Men's Soccer on X (@USIMSOC).