MOREHEAD, Ky. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer claimed its first road win of the season Sunday afternoon when the Screaming Eagles used a late second-half goal toward a 1-0 victory at Morehead State University.
Southern Indiana (3-8-4, 2-2-2 OVC) was looking to get back on track Sunday following a two-game skid in Ohio Valley Conference play. The match started with offensive opportunities coming at a premium. Junior midfielder Emerson Grafton had both of Southern Indiana’s first-half shots on goal within five minutes before the 20-minute mark.
Morehead State (6-6-3, 3-3-0 OVC) generated more shots down the stretch of the first half, but USI’s defensive unit was solid, holding Morehead State to only one shot on goal out of six attempts in the opening 45 minutes. The defensive battle led to a 0-0 score at halftime.
After halftime, Grafton took two more shots on goal as USI threatened to score early in the second half. However, defense continued to be the theme of the match, as neither side recorded a shot for 20 minutes in the middle of the second half.
In the 77th minute, USI won possession on a 50-50 ball out of the air. Going into the box, redshirt freshman forward Eva Boer turned and played a square ball to the middle where sophomore midfielder Pilar Torres found space and buried a shot into the low corner of the goal to give USI a 1-0 lead at the 76:23 mark.
Southern Indiana recorded four more shots in the final 13 minutes while the Screaming Eagles’ defense stayed strong. Morehead State took a last-second shot at the goal, but USI redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Anna Markland snagged the save to close out the win.
USI put six of eight shot attempts on goal Sunday. Grafton placed all four of her shots on target, marking the first time a Screaming Eagles put at least four shots on goal since August 2022 when Jill DiTusa put four shots on frame against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Meanwhile, Southern Indiana’s defense held Morehead State, one of the top shooting teams in the OVC going into Sunday, to only nine shots and two shots on goal.
Through Sunday’s early slate of matches in the OVC, Southern Indiana remained tied for fifth in the conference standings with eight points but closed the gap on Morehead State in fourth place.
The Screaming Eagles return home to Strassweg Field Thursday at 7 p.m. against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Thursday is USI Women’s Soccer’s annual pink game to help raise cancer awareness. Match coverage links can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.
