EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer secured a 3-0 victory against Western Illinois University Sunday afternoon at Strassweg Field to conclude the regular season. The win was USI’s fourth straight positive result and third win in the last four matches.
Southern Indiana (5-8-5, 4-2-3 OVC) entered Sunday having already clinched an Ohio Valley Conference postseason berth for the third time. With Sunday’s win and results elsewhere around the OVC, USI claimed the No. 4 seed in the 2024 OVC Championship Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Screaming Eagles earned a first-round bye and the right to host a first-round match and their quarterfinal contest just as they did a season ago.
Before Sunday’s kickoff, the afternoon began with Senior Day ceremonies for USI Women’s Soccer. USI celebrated goalkeeper Zoe Lintner, midfielder Maggie Duggan, midfielder Adriana Berruti, defender Sophia Finol, defender Brooke Coleman, and manager Maddy Baum.
Once the game was underway, Southern Indiana jumped onto the scoreboard for a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute when a lengthy service from junior midfielder Peyton Murphy was inadvertently kicked into the net by a Western Illinois defender.
USI ramped up the pressure in the middle of the first half. Two shots on goal by junior midfielder Emerson Grafton and freshman midfielder Emma Schut were punched away by Western Illinois’ goalkeeper.
The Screaming Eagles kept the ball pinned into the attacking half for most of the first half, as Western Illinois came out of the opening 45 minutes with only one shot compared to USI’s nine attempts. USI maintained its 1-0 advantage into halftime.
Western Illinois moved down the field with a few shots early out of the break, but Southern Indiana added a second goal in the 56th minute. Murphy punched in her second goal of the season off a couple of passes from Grafton and sophomore midfielder Kerigan Kivisto.
While Western Illinois created more chances in the second half, including a shot that forced USI redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Anna Markland to make her only save of the game, Southern Indiana continued to assert its pressure. The Screaming Eagles added an insurance goal in the 84th minute when Grafton combined with freshman midfielder Ana Munyon on a give-and-go pattern to increase USI’s lead to 3-0 and seal the victory.
Southern Indiana generated 21 shots with eight on goal on Sunday. The Leathernecks tallied nine attempts with one on target. Grafton led the Eagles with four shots and three on goal. With a goal and an assist on Sunday, Grafton moved into the team lead for goals, assists and points. Grafton also jumped to second in the OVC in assists. Redshirt freshman forward Eva Boer also had four shots Sunday afternoon, while Murphy finished with two shots including the one into the net.
Through the end of the regular season, the Screaming Eagles set new program highs in the Division I era for OVC wins (4) and points (15) in addition to 19 goals scored overall this season.
Western Illinois dropped to 1-14-1 and 1-7-1 in the OVC with Sunday’s loss, missing out on the OVC tournament alongside Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Tennessee Tech University captured the top spot in the OVC Championship field after winning its third consecutive regular-season championship. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock earned the No. 2 seed, joining Tennessee Tech with a double-bye into the semifinals. Lindenwood University finished as the No. 3 seed as the other first-weekend host with USI. The rest of the field ended up with Morehead State University as the 5-seed, Eastern Illinois University as the 6-seed, Southeast Missouri State University as the 7-seed, and the University of Tennessee at Martin as the 8-seed.
For the Screaming Eagles, USI will host and await the winner on Sunday, November 3, of the first-round 5/8 matchup between Morehead State and UT Martin on Thursday, October 31. Both days are slated for 1 p.m. kickoffs from Strassweg Field. The semifinals and championship are scheduled for November 7 and 10, respectively, at Tennessee Tech.
All games of the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. Additional coverage for USI can be found on usiscreamingeagles.com with full tournament coverage on the OVC website at ovcsports.com.
