EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer seized its first victory of the 2025 season Sunday afternoon when the Screaming Eagles defeated Southern Illinois University, 2-0, at Strassweg Field.
USI (1-5-0) posted its first shutout of the season and handed Southern Illinois (4-1-0) its first loss of the year. Before USI scored its pair of goals on Sunday, the Salukis had outscored their opponents 13-1 in the previous four matches.
On Sunday, the Screaming Eagles fired away 11 shots with five taken on goal. Freshmen midfielders Paulina Campos and Haley Kocher each scored their first career goals in the winning effort. USI freshmen have scored half of USI’s six goals on the season. Senior forward Emerson Grafton topped the squad with three shots against the Salukis, while redshirt sophomore forward Eva Boer notched two shot attempts.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Anna Markland picked up her first clean sheet of the season behind an overall solid defensive effort, as Southern Illinois had zero shots on goal in 10 shot attempts.
It did not take long on Sunday for the Screaming Eagles to make some noise. USI jumped on the scoreboard in the fourth minute when Campos cleaned up a scramble in the box off a corner kick to give the Eagles an early 1-0 advantage. The energetic start continued with two more shots by USI within two minutes of scoring the opening goal.
Shortly after the 15-minute mark of the first half, the Salukis found some footing with one shot ricocheting off the crossbar and another blocked by the Eagles’ defense. However, the game turned into a defensive deadlock for the remainder of the opening 45 minutes, as USI went into halftime still ahead, 1-0.
USI came back out of halftime with the same energy it had earlier in the contest, launching four shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The USI midfield had a strong run in the middle of the second half, pressuring the ball and keeping possession in the attacking half of the field.
The Screaming Eagles’ defense continued to frustrate the Salukis, but Southern Illinois did not go down without a fight. The Salukis had a few shot attempts in the final 25 minutes, including one that grazed off the side post.
Down the stretch, USI had a couple of chances for an insurance goal halted by the Salukis. However, inside the final minute, the Screaming Eagles would not be denied. Following a defensive clearance off a set piece, the ball landed at Kocher’s feet, and the freshman took off on a breakaway down the field and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to seal the 2-0 triumph for USI.
The Screaming Eagles will conclude their homestand on Thursday when USI hosts Valparaiso University at 7 p.m. from Strassweg Field. Admission to Thursday’s match is free courtesy of ProRehab. The match can also be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
