The Purple Aces controlled the first half of the match
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s soccer team ended the last road match of the season in a 2-2 draw with the Indiana State Sycamores.
The Purple Aces added another point as the 2024 season winds down at Memorial Stadium on Sunday afternoon. UE scored two goals in the first 30 minutes of the match as sophomore forward Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) became Evansville’s goal-scoring leader with three. Graduate defender Rachel Rosborough (Mt. Brydges, Ontario) also added her first goal since 2021 in the tie.
The first half of the match was all Aces as they controlled the pace of play across the pitch. While the Sycamores had the first shots of the afternoon, UE scored on only the team’s second shot. In the 15th minute after an Evansville blocked shot, sophomore midfielder Ashlyn Koutsos (Cumming, Ga. / West Forsyth HS) corralled the rebound at the three and knocked it over to Johnson. Johnson quickly tapped the ball with her right foot to give the Aces an early lead.
UE’s second goal of the match came only 15 minutes later. Sophomore midfielder Ella Hamner (Evansville, Ind. / Memorial HS) had a shot blocked from the top of the penalty arc. The ball went out to the right side of the field by Rosborough who maneuvered her way around an Indiana State defender and split two other Sycamores to score her second career goal. For the final 15 minutes of the first half, Evansville kept the ball away from Indiana State allowing just one shot in the final seven minutes.
The momentum of the match switched in the second half as the Sycamores came out of halftime on the offensive. Indiana State had the first three shots in five minutes, but the Aces had the best chance in the 54th minute. Senior forward Hailey Autenrieb (Cincinnati / Seton HS) crossed to Hamner at the top of the offensive third and forced a diving save left from the Sycamores goalkeeper. UE’s next shot didn’t come until 17 minutes later as junior forward Crysta Vasquez (Las Vegas / Coronado HS) put a chance on goal at the middle of the net.
Only two minutes later Indiana State cut into Evansville’s lead with a goal in the 73rd minute. Spurred by the goal, the Sycamores’ offense pressured the Aces with five shots in under two minutes. UE countered with its final shot on goal in the 79th minute as Autenrieb had the ball at the eight, shooting toward the middle of the net.
Evansville kept the ball in the offensive zone for the next five minutes as Rosborough got a second opportunity in the 82nd minute. Her shot from out in the offensive third went high and to the right as the Aces shifted back to defense to try and win their first game since August. But Indiana State found the equalizer in the 87th minute as UE picked up its seventh tie of 2024.
Autenrieb, Hamner, and Rosborough all had two shots each to lead Evansville on offensive opportunities while five separate players registered a shot on goal. Fifth-year goalkeeper Myia Danke (Laingsburg, Mich. / Laingsburg HS) made six saves in the draw while the Aces also had a team save. UE will play its final game of the regular season on Sunday, October 27th against Southern Illinois at home. Kick-off from Arad McCutchan Stadium is set for 12 p.m. next week.
