University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer made a solid second-half push against Wright State University on Thursday evening, but the Screaming Eagles came up just short in a 2-1 final from Dayton, Ohio. USI moved to 0-2-1 on the season while Wright State improved to 1-2-0.
The match started in back-and-forth fashion as both teams tried to settle in. In the sixth minute, Southern Indiana’s freshman forward Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) tallied the match’s first shot. Then the Raiders started to apply some pressure midway in the first half with shots on goal. Wright State grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. USI recorded a couple more shots but could not tie the game before halftime.
The early minutes of the second half went the Raiders’ way, scoring a second goal in the 54th minute. However, the Screaming Eagles were not fazed, creating relentless pressure on Wright State three minutes later. After a pair of shot attempts by junior midfielder Maggie Duggan (Defiance, Missouri) and sophomore midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana), Torres stepped up and buried a shot high into the back of the net to make it a 2-1 game. It was the first career goal for the freshman Torres.
Both teams exchanged shots in the middle portion of the second half. Duggan continued her strong start to the 2023 season, registering a shot on target in the 76th minute. The junior has posted a shot on goal in each game this season for USI. The Screaming Eagles had another late chance to even the match, as freshman midfielder Greta Ohlwein (Chicago, Illinois) put a shot on goal that was saved.
Torres, Duggan, Murphy and Ohlwein each took two shot attempts for Southern Indiana. The freshmen, Torres and Ohlwein, led USI with two shots on goals each. USI had eight total shots on target. As a team, USI tallied its highest shot total of the season so far with 11 attempts. The Screaming Eagles outshot the Raiders 8-6 in the second half. In goal, sophomore keeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) made a pair of saves in 62 minutes of action. She was substituted for by junior keeper Zoe Lintner (Wildwood, Missouri), who made one save while playing the last 28 minutes of the match.
Southern Indiana will return home Sunday at 2 p.m. against Purdue Fort Wayne University. The home match is the back half of a USI soccer doubleheader at Strassweg Field. Sunday’s match can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
