The University of Southern Indiana women’s soccer team enters the final stretch of the regular season and is looking to lock down a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, beginning with a road match Friday at McKendree University and a home match Sunday against Bellarmine University. Kick-off Friday at McKendree is 5 p.m., while the start time Sunday at Strassweg Field versus Bellarmine is 2:30 p.m.
The Screaming Eagles’ match against Bellarmine also is Senior Day and their “Kick for the Cure†game. USI will don pink jerseys and shoelaces to promote awareness of breast cancer. All proceeds from the game will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
The Eagles (8-5-1, 7-4-1 GLVC) are only one win away from locking down a GLVC Tournament berth for the fourth-straight year. USI swept the first two matches of the three-game road swing with 1-0 victories over Drury University and Missouri University of Science & Technology.
Freshman forward Madi Vellky (Dublin, Ohio) lead the way for the Eagles by scoring both game-winning goals. Vellky has a team-best three game-winning goals and ranks second on the team with 11 points on five goals and one assist.
For the season, senior forward Susan Ellsperman (Newburgh, Indiana) continues to lead the Eagles this season with 17 points on six goals and five assists. She is tied for the seventh in the GLVC in goals and assists.
The Bearcats of McKendree (7-4-2, 6-4-2 GLVC) are up first for the Eagles this week and the final stop on the three-match road swing. McKendree, which is not eligible for the GLV C Tournament this year, is 2-1-1 in the last four matches after losing to Rockhurst University and tying William Jewell College last week.
The eight-game series between USI and McKendree has been evenly split, 4-4-0. The Bearcats won the last meeting between the two schools, 2-0, in Lebanon, Illinois, in 2010.
The Knights of Bellarmine (9-2-2, 7-2-2 GLVC) begin their week with a make-up match against the University of Missouri-St. Louis Tuesday. Bellarmine has been tough to beat in its last nine matches, posting a record of 6-1-2.
USI trails Bellarmine in the all-time series, 9-6-2, with the Knights taking command the last few seasons and posting a record of 5-0-2 over the Eagles.
The Eagles will honor its three seniors – Ellsperman; defender Jessica Gates (Crown Point, Indiana); and midfielder Paige Nuelle (St. Louis, Missouri) – prior to their match on Sunday against Bellarmine.
