LOUISVILLE – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer claimed a third consecutive result on the road Sunday afternoon, battling Bellarmine University to a 0-0 draw.
With the scoreless draw, USI Women’s Soccer (2-5-1) also posted its third straight shutout after recording a pair of 2-0 wins earlier in the week against Southern Illinois University and Valparaiso University. Meanwhile, Bellarmine (4-0-2) also maintained its unblemished record.
On Sunday, USI and Bellarmine added another chapter to the head-to-head history between the two programs, which dates to when both schools were in NCAA Division II and in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
The USI defense stood tall in the early going when Bellarmine fired three shots in the first four minutes. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Anna Markland made an early save, and the defense blocked a pair of shots.
The Eagles’ first shot came near the 24-minute mark when sophomore defender Emma Schut launched a shot off a corner kick that just missed. Another good chance for USI was just before the 36-minute mark when a shot by graduate midfielder Maggie Duggan went off the crossbar, keeping the game a scoreless deadlock going into halftime.
Bellarmine came out with some early pressure on the attacking end again to begin the second half, but USI’s defense remained strong and turned away the Knights with a few more blocked shots. Markland also snagged another save.
Around the 70-minute mark, junior forward Grace Bamber had a pair of shots on goal saved by the Bellarmine goalkeeper. Down the stretch, redshirt sophomore forward Eva Boer had an attempt just miss high, while the defense continued to stay solid to take the 0-0 score into the final whistle.
While Bellarmine had 21 shots, the Screaming Eagles limited the Knights to only four shots on goal, all of which were saved by Markland. Plus, the USI defense blocked 11 shots on Sunday. Markland and the Eagles’ defense have held opponents scoreless for the last 286 minutes of action through Sunday’s game at Bellarmine.
Offensively, USI totaled seven shots with two on goal. Schut and Bamber tied for a team-high two shots, with Bamber leading with both shot attempts on target.
The Screaming Eagles will be back in action next Sunday, September 14, returning home to Strassweg Field against Purdue University Fort Wayne for Alumni Weekend. Admission to next Sunday’s match is free courtesy of ProRehab and can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
