The University of Southern Indiana women’s soccer team scored three times in the first half and cruised to a 3-1 victory over Drury University to open the Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule Friday afternoon at Strassweg Field. USI goes to 2-2-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the GLVC, while Drury sees its record go to 0-4-1, 0-1-0 GLVC.
USI jumped on top in the first 15 minutes when senior midfielder Olivia Wilde (Racine, Wisconsin) scored off a shot and rebound by junior midfielder Courtney Spicer(Loveland, Ohio) to give the Screaming Eagles a 1-0 advantage at 14:04. The goal was Wilde’s first of the season.
The Eagles increased the margin to 2-0 at 25:25 when freshman midfielder Lyndsee Monac (New Brighton, Pennsylvania) scored her first collegiate goal off a rebounding shot. Monac slipped the ball into the goal after sophomore defender Madelyne Juenger (Columbia, Illinois) started the play by driving the ball into the box off a free kick and freshman midfielder Rachel Gray (Franklin, Tennessee) headed the ball off the Drury goalkeeper.
USI sealed the match when Gray got her chance and posted her first collegiate goal to make the score 3-0 at 39:18. Gray took a pass from junior midfielder Caroline Canoy (St. Peters, Missouri) before finding the back of the Drury net.
Drury would try to rally, getting a tally before halftime to cut the Eagles’ lead to 3-1, but Panthers would not get any closer as the USI defense took control the rest of the way. Senior goalkeeper Emily Hopkins(Greenfield, Indiana) picked up her second win of the year by allowing one goal and making two saves against nine total shots, three on-goal.
USI returns to the road Sunday when it visits 20th-ranked Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. The Bulldogs saw its record go to 4-1-0 overall and 0-1-0 in the GLVC after falling at home to Lewis University, 2-1, this afternoon.
The Eagles trail Truman State all-time, 7-2-1, in a series dating back to 1997. USI defeated the Bulldogs, 2-1, last year at Strassweg Field and broke a four-game losing streak to Truman State.
