USI Golf falls to UE in match play on final hole

MT. VERNON, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s and Women’s Golf went down to the final hole of 17 matches before falling to the University of Evansville, 9-8, in match play at Western Hills Country Club in Mt. Vernon, Indiana.

The final score came down to the final pairing as USI senior Carter Goebel battled Evansville’s Jamison Ousley through 18 holes. Goebel was up one through the first nine holes before falling behind by two between holes 10 and 16. He made a long putt on 17 to pull to within one and force the 18^th hole, but could not get all square as Goebel and Ousley both parred the final hole.

Of the 17 match-ups between USI and Evansville, the USI Screaming Eagles had the lead in the women’s match, 4.5-2.5 (three wins, two losses, and one tie, and trailed in the men’s matches, 6.5-3.5 (two wins, three losses, and three ties).

Women’s Golf wins match play battle with UE with an average of plus-two advantage. Freshman McKenna Lowe led the way, winning her match with a three-hole lead before the match was called with two holes to play, while sophomore Brianna Kirsch and graduate Valaria Lopez de Haro Juste posted two-hole leads before the matches were called with one hole left. Sophomore Fernanda Vera finished out all 18 holes with a plus-two win.

Junior Alexis Wymer earned USI a tie after battling UE’s Kate Petrova, the Missouri Valley Conference champion last spring, to an all-square. Wymer trailed by as many as three holes before pulling ahead by one on 16 and settling for the tie after the 18^th.

On USI Men’s Golf, graduate Sam Gargis and junior Hunter Reynolds posted wins in their matchups. Reynolds won his match in a back-and-forth affair before winning the last two holes for the point. Gargis posted a three-hole win after pulling ahead by three with three holes to play and getting an all-square on 16.

USI sophomores Jairen Stroud and Chandler Ornelas and freshman Ben Christian kept the Eagles in contention with all-squares in each of their matches.

What’s Next
USI Women’s Golf stays in the area competing in the Braun Intercollegiate, hosted by the Purple Aces at Oak Meadow Country Club, Monday and Tuesday of next week to complete fall action.

USI Men’s Golf also finishes fall play next week by playing in the Xavier Invitational in Cincinnati, Ohio. The tournament will be played Monday and Tuesday at the Maketewah Country Club.