KANSAS CITY, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer extended its current unbeaten streak to three matches on Thursday night, recording a 1-1 tie on the road against the University of Kansas City.
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The draw was USI’s first result away from home this season and pushed the Screaming Eagles’ record to 1-5-3 to conclude the non-conference slate. Thursday’s tie was Kansas City’s third straight 1-1 match, moving the Roos to 1-3-4 on the year.
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The Roos jumped out from kickoff with pressuring offense, taking four shots within the first 10 minutes of the contest. One shot banged off the crossbar and bounced off the back of USI’s sophomore goalkeeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama). Markland found a way to sandwich the ball between her and the goalpost and kept the ball from crossing over the goal line. The reigning Ohio Valley Conference co-Goalkeeper of the Week and the Eagles’ defense faced a good amount of shots in the first half and forced many of them off target.
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Southern Indiana flipped field position later in the first half, as freshman midfielder Lydia Bordfeld (Evansville, Indiana) fired USI’s first shot of the game in the 29th minute. Fellow freshman Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) took two shots just minutes later. As both teams battled to grab hold of the momentum before halftime, USI struck a minute before the break. Following a series of midfield passes, senior defender Alexis Schone (Galena, Ohio) directed an over-the-top service from the center line to the attacking box for running sophomore forward Payton Seymour (Louisville, Kentucky). Seymour beat the defense and punched the ball past the goalkeeper for her first career goal, giving USI a 1-0 advantage at the intermission.
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The Eagles came out of halftime with a pair of attempts, but each shot was blocked by Kansas City. The Roos resumed their relentless offensive pressure in the early minutes of the second half, but USI’s defense continued to challenge Kansas City’s shot attempts. Despite the strong effort from the defensive unit, Kansas City broke through to even the match at 1-1 in the 65th minute.
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With both teams in search of the go-ahead goal, the pace ramped up. Kansas City kept Markland busy between the posts, but USI’s netminder stood tall by adding to her save total throughout the night. Down the stretch, Southern Indiana saw good opportunities from set pieces and in the field of play. The Eagles’ defense blocked three shots in the last five minutes while Markland made another crucial save. USI took the final chance of the match off a turnaround shot by junior midfielder Adriana Berruti (Berwyn, Illinois), but the shot on goal was saved by the Roos’ goalkeeper and kept the match level at 1-1.
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The Screaming Eagles took 12 shots in the match, putting three on goal. USI’s defense faced a season-high 28 shots and 10 on target by Kansas City’s attack. Individually, Seymour scored her first career goal on her only shot attempt of the contest. Torres topped USI with three shots, placing one on goal. Senior midfielder Paige Vanek (St. Charles, Missouri) had two shot attempts. In net, Markland corralled a career-high nine saves on Thursday night.
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Southern Indiana gets a little break before continuing the current road swing next Thursday with the Ohio Valley Conference opener at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
