FLORENCE, Ala. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer competed hard on the road Thursday night to a 0-0 tie against the University of North Alabama Lions, as senior goalkeeper Maya Etienne (Midland, Michigan) surpassed 250 career saves and earned her 32nd career shutout in the match.
The first half of Thursday night’s match was defined by physicality and battle for possession. The defensive midfield proved pivotal in keeping the game scoreless at the break.
Graduate student defender Mia Rose Daly (Haiku, Hawaii) took the lone shot in the first half for the Screaming Eagles, stepping up to shoot in the early minutes. She also made a key tackle 12 minutes in to prevent the start of a breakaway attack by the Lions.
In the middle portion of the first half, USI’s defense stood tall when the possession was controlled by North Alabama in the attacking half. The Lions’ sophomore forward and Evansville, Indiana native Hope Lensing took the first shot on frame for North Alabama but was saved by the Screaming Eagles’ Etienne.
The start of the second 45 minutes began like much of the first half, battling for possession. Then in the 62nd minute, North Alabama strung together some chances and applied some pressure on Southern Indiana’s defense. The Screaming Eagles were up for the challenge, blocking one shot and Etienne thwarting another opportunity with a save.
In the 73rd minute, Etienne collected her fourth save of the match on a shot lofted in by the Lions’ graduate student midfielder Kate Wiseman. The save marked a milestone 250th career save for Etienne, placing her in the top five all-time for saves in Southern Indiana’s record books. Etienne was tested a couple more times by North Alabama’s attacking front before the match ended, but she came through with two more saves to take sole possession of fifth place all time.
Team totals for the match were five shots – one on goal – for Southern Indiana compared to 10 shots – six on goal – for North Alabama. All five of USI’s shots were taken by five different players. Freshman midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) had the only shot on goal for the Screaming Eagles, extending her streak of games with a shot on goal to four.
“We’re playing extremely well and competing for every ball,” Head Coach Eric Schoenstein said. “We’ve been in every game, and the girls are playing hard and getting after it on every play.”
Following a physical match against the Lions, the Screaming Eagles will head back home and rest up before returning to Strassweg Field Monday for a Labor Day meeting against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis at 1 p.m. Admission to Monday’s match is free thanks to The Women’s Hospital Deaconess.
