EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer created multiple chances in front of the net on Thursday night at Strassweg Field, but the Screaming Eagles could not get the ball to bounce their way in a narrow 1-0 loss against Arkansas State University.
After giving up an early goal, USI Women's Soccer (0-4-2) kept fighting to battle back against Arkansas State (2-2-2). The Screaming Eagles flipped the shot totals after halftime and generated multiple looks in front of the goal, but the ball would not find its way into the back of the net, as USI kept Arkansas State scoreless for the final 86 minutes of Thursday's contest.
USI ended up with a 15-12 shot advantage by the end of the game, flipping a 6-4 shot margin at halftime after the Screaming Eagles posted 11 shots in the second half compared to only six for the Red Wolves. Both teams placed six shots on goal in the match.
Senior forward
Eva Boer led USI with three shots and matched graduate forward
Payton Seymour with two shots on goal. Six Screaming Eagles recorded two or more shots on Thursday. Sophomore goalkeeper
Merrick Schwalbach snagged five saves for the third time this season and for the second game in a row.
The game began with Arkansas State getting a couple of quick looks at goal in the first 2:30 of the match. It was the third opportunity at the 3:40 mark off a short-corner free kick that found its way in to give Arkansas State the 1-0 advantage. Following an initial save off a header, the Red Wolves' rebound attempt was kicked into the net.
Nearly five minutes later, junior forward
Josie Pochocki took a shot from the wing that ended up just out of the reach of Seymour, who was trailing the shot on the back post side. As USI started to settle and find its footing in the contest, the Screaming Eagles almost had the equalizing goal late in the first half after putting the ball in the net, but it was waved off for offside, keeping the game 1-0 going into halftime.
In the middle of the second half, the Screaming Eagles strung together several good looks in the final third, but bodies kept getting in the way to block the shots. Boer had a close-range attempt that deflected off the Arkansas State goalkeeper. Freshman forward
Morgan Wannemuehler was right there off the ricochet, but her follow-up attempt was also blocked away. A similar scenario occurred with under five minutes to go, with two shots by Seymour and Boer kept out of the goal by the Red Wolves netminder. USI did not get another quality opportunity before the final whistle.
Next up, the Screaming Eagles hop on the bus to begin a four-game road stretch, starting at Eastern Michigan University on Sunday at Noon CT.
