EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer fell 2-1 to Lindenwood University at Strassweg Field on Sunday afternoon after the Lions charged back with a pair of goals in the final 15 minutes of action.
Following Sunday’s results and with one regular-season game remaining, USI Women’s Soccer (6-7-4, 3-2-3 OVC) sits fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. After a second straight setback, the Screaming Eagles will have to travel for the OVC Tournament, which begins October 30. USI will be the fifth or sixth seed, depending on the results on the final match day of the regular season next Sunday, October 26. Meanwhile, Lindenwood (8-4-4, 5-2-1 OVC) is tied for third in the league table and still has a chance at the top seed.
On Sunday, USI had the upper hand in shot totals, outshooting Lindenwood 17-7 overall and 6-2 in shots on goal. Redshirt junior midfielder Emma Thurston placed all three of her shots on goal in the game. Senior forward Emerson Grafton placed both of her attempts on target, including her team-best fifth goal of the season that she scored early in the second half. Redshirt sophomore forward Eva Boer and sophomore forward Josie Pochocki each had three shots on Sunday.
USI got a couple of quick looks in the first five minutes on Sunday, wasting no time applying pressure on the Lions’ defense. Lindenwood also had a pair of opportunities early, including one off the post. The two sides continued to exchange stretches of controlling possession. However, the Screaming Eagles had a good run of play near the 15-minute mark of the first half, recording two shots on goal within a minute by Grafton and Thurston that Lindenwood’s goalkeeper saved. The game remained knotted at zero going into halftime.
Just over three minutes into the second half, the Screaming Eagles broke the scoreless deadlock to grab a 1-0 lead. After Lindenwood failed to clear a cross into the box by Thurston, Grafton stepped up to the loose ball and laced a shot into the top half of the netting. Not only did Grafton add to her team lead in goals scored this season, but the senior also added to her team lead in points on the season with 13 points. Grafton also became the first Screaming Eagle to score at least five goals in a season since USI’s inaugural D-I season in 2022, when senior forward Peyton Murphy tallied five as a freshman.
Around the 60-minute mark of the contest, USI nearly doubled its advantage on a few opportunities. Boer had one shot go off the post and another just miss wide of the mark, and Thurston had an attempt from the top of the box that forced Lindenwood’s goalkeeper to make a diving save.
The game settled into a battle for possession once again in the middle of the second half, but once the clock reached under 15 minutes, the tide turned in Lindenwood’s favor. At 76:17, the Lions scored an equalizer off a deflection and follow-up shot that trickled into the goal.
While USI looked to quickly answer with 10 minutes left, the Lions carried a renewed energy into the final stretch. Lindenwood capitalized on a penalty kick at 83:30 after a handball in the box to take a 2-1 lead. Just over a minute later, USI was awarded a penalty kick following a foul in the box, but the Eagles’ attempt to draw back even was saved by the Lions’ goalkeeper. The Screaming Eagles would run out of time in search of a tying goal.
Looking to get back on track, USI Women’s Soccer concludes the regular season next Sunday, October 26, on the road at Western Illinois University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
