EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer concludes a three-match road swing Saturday when it visits Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Screaming Eagles (2-12-1, 1-5-1 OVC), currently, are seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference, two points out of the league’s playoff picture with three matches to play. USI is two points behind sixth-place Western Illinois University (2-5-0 OVC; six points) and within striking distance of fifth-place University of the Incarnate Word (2-2-3 OVC; nine points).
The top six teams advance to the OVC Championship at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville November 10-16.
Following this week’s road match, the Eagles finish the regular season with a split home and away week. USI’s final home match of 2024 is October 31 versus Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at 6 p.m. and November 3 at 1 p.m. The USI-SIUE match on Halloween will feature a pre-game Trunk or Treat for children and a halftime costume contest for USI students.
USI fans can attend all Men’s Soccer 2024 home matches for free, courtesy of a sponsorship from ProRehab. Game coverage for 2024, including links to live stats and video streams, can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com.
USI Men’s Soccer Week 9 Notes:
USI 0-for-2 to start road swing: The USI Screaming Eagles lost its second-straight on the road, falling to Liberty University, 5-0. USI was outgunned in shots, 20-10.
Eagles falter late to start road trip. The Eagles started the road trip with a 2-0 loss to Western Illinois, allowing two goals in the final 10 minutes of the match in Macomb, Illinois.
USI looking for offense: USI is in a scoring drought and searching for offense. The Eagles have not scored in the last 550 minutes of action, since posting a 2-1 win over Eastern Illinois University on September 29.
Leading the offense: The Eagles are led offensively by freshman midfielder Ahiro Nakamae, who has seven points on three goals and one assist. Sophomore forward Jackson Mitchell follows with six points on two goals and two assists.
In the OVC: Freshman midfielder Ahiro Nakamae is tied for eighth in the OVC overall with three goals scored. Sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Klott is tied for sixth in the OVC with one shutout and leads the OVC with 85 saves (5.67 per match).
EIU in 2024: The Panthers of EIU are 2-10-1 overall and 1-6-0 in the OVC during 2024. EIU defeated Western Illinois University, 2-1, last weekend for its first win over the season in the OVC.
USI vs. EIU: USI won the first meeting of the season with EIU, 2-1, at Strassweg Field, but trails in the all-time series,10-3-0. USI sophomore forward Jackson Mitchell put USI on the scoreboard in the first half, while senior defender Brock Martindale scored the game-winner in the second half.
SIUE in 2024: The SIUE Cougars are nearly perfect in the OVC this year, going 5-1-1, and have a 7-4-3 overall record. SIUE won its first five conference matches before tying Incarnate Word Thursday and losing to Houston Christian University Sunday.
USI vs. SIUE: SIUE has dominated the all-time series with USI, 16-3-1, since the 1970s. The Cougars took the first meeting this fall, 2-0, scoring a goal in each half.
