EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In the final match of the regular season, the University of Evansville women’s soccer team looks to secure their spot in the MVC Tournament when they host Valparaiso on Thursday. The Purple Aces can clinch a tournament berth with a win OR a UIC loss or tie in their match against Northern Iowa. Kick-off between the Aces and Beacons is set for 1 PM at Arad McCutchan Stadium. Last Time Out
Evansville dropped a hard-fought decision on Sunday afternoon, falling to Drake by a score of 1-0. A Bulldogs goal in the 59th minute was the difference, as Drake remained on top of the league standings with the win.
Allie Lammers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) kept the Aces in the match early, making leaping saves in the ninth and 13th minutes to keep the Bulldogs off the board.
Taylor Wehrer (Las Vegas. Nev./Desert Oasis) had the first shot of the day for Evansville, putting a shot on target in the 17th minute, while Ashlyn Koutsos (Cumming, Ga./West Forsyth) added a shot of her own in the 27th minute.
Lammers added another save in the 35th minute, keeping the Bulldogs scoreless as the match went into the half tied at 0-0.
Lammers made two more saves in the first 12 minutes of the second half, but Drake was able to break through with a goal in the 59th minute to take the lead.
The Purple Aces saw their best chance for the equalizer in the 81st minute when Brooklyn Robinson (West Haven, Utah/Fremont) fired a shot from the penalty spot, but her shot was saved by Drake keeper Addie Ford, as the Bulldogs took the 1-0 win.
Series History
Sunday marks the 17th all-time meeting between Evansville and Valpo. The all-time series is knotted up at 5-5-6, while the last two meetings have ended in draws.
Scouting Valpo
Valparaiso brings a 4-8-4 overall record in Thursday’s match and are eliminated from conference tournament contention with five points in MVC play. Most recently, the Beacons dropped a 1-0 decision against Murray State on Sunday.
The University of Southern Indiana has received a $2.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support Historic New Harmony’s efforts to strengthen exhibitions and programs focused on the history of religion and spirituality in New Harmony. Lilly Endowment made the grant through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.
The grant will help Historic New Harmony, a program of USI, build on the work it began with a 2023 Lilly Endowment grant. That funding has helped Historic New Harmony strengthen the ways in which it encourages visitors to explore the religious beliefs and practices of two nineteenth century New Harmony utopian communities and their lasting influence on the southwestern Indiana town. Major initiatives include the renovation of two historic buildings to create a permanent exhibition and community learning space, as well as the development of an interfaith festival.
The grant complements a separate Religion and Cultural Institution Initiative grant to the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, which will focus on strengthening religious and spiritual themes in the museum’s New Harmony Historic Site properties and programs. Together, these efforts will create a more dynamic and cohesive narrative that enhances New Harmony’s interpretive infrastructure and honors its unique legacy.
The new funding to support Historic New Harmony will enable it to continue to share the town’s unique history with broader audiences. New Harmony was founded in 1814 by German Pietists led by Father George Rapp, who sought religious freedom and communal living. A second community, established by industrialist Robert Owen and his business partner William Maclure, aimed to build a model society grounded in education and social equality.
Historic New Harmony will integrate these narratives—examining belief systems, including religion and the founders’ visions—into a cohesive interpretive framework for public engagement. The grant period is five years.
Planned activities include:
Developing a master interpretive plan, redesigning tour programs, producing documentary films and creating new K–12 field trip and educational programming
Enhancing amenities for group travelers and school groups
Improving landscaping and interpretive features in Church Park
Implementing the Maclure Square Public Art Program
Advancing collections development and launching a Community Collections Digitization Program
Continuing the Interfaith Festival, which was initiated with support from the first Lilly Endowment grant
“We are excited about the impact the new grant will have on our ability to better serve the public,” said Leslie Townsend, Director of Community Engagement and Historic New Harmony. “Through enhanced interpretation, updated tour programming and expanded amenities, visitors and residents will gain a deeper understanding of the central role that religious freedom and spirituality played in the founding of New Harmony and how those values continue to shape the community today.”
Lilly Endowment funding supports Historic New Harmony’s mission of preserving New Harmony’s utopian legacy by inspiring innovation and progressive thought through its programs and collections.
“The United States is one of the most religious nations in the world today.” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s Vice President for Religion. “Many individuals and families trust museums and other cultural institutions and visit them to learn about their communities and the world. We are excited to support these organizations as they embark on projects to help visitors understand and appreciate the varied religious beliefs, practices and perspectives of their neighbors and others in communities around the globe.”
Historic New Harmony is one of 72 organizations that have received grants through the Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. Lilly Endowment launched the initiative in 2019. Its aim is to encourage and support museums and cultural institutions in the United States in strengthening their capacities to provide fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion has played and continues to play in the United States and around the world. For more information, visit the website at USI.edu/hnh or contact Diane Sanders, Assistant Director of Historic New Harmony, at desanders@usi.edu or 812-682-3920.
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
St.LOUIS – University of Evansville sophomore goalkeeper Allie Lammers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) notched another honor in a breakout season on Tuesday, being named the MVC Goalkeeper of the Week for the third time this year, the league office announced. Lammers earns the honor after posting 12 saves and allowing only one goal across two matches this week, including a career-high seven save performance in Thursday’s 2-0 win over Northern Iowa.
Lammers led Evansville to a crucial victory over the Panthers, posting her fifth shutout of the year while facing 21 shots, the second-most she has faced in a match this season. On Sunday at Drake, Lammers tallied five saves on 11 shots faced, moving her season saves total to 45.
Lammers has been one of the top goalkeepers in the country this year, ranking 40th in the country in save percentage (.833) and 57th nationally in goals against average (0.82). Her three MVC Goalkeeper of the Week awards are the most by a Valley keeper this season and marks the first time an Evansville keeper has been named MVC Goalkeeper three times in a single season since Simone Busby 2014.
Evansville wraps up the regular season on Thursday, hosting Valparaiso at Arad McCutchan Stadium. The Purple Aces look to punch their ticket to the MVC Tournament against the Beacons, needing a win or a UIC tie or loss to earn a spot in the six-team bracket. Kick-off on Thursday is set for 1 PM.
Evansville, In.: The Thunderbolts took on the Huntsville Havoc on Tuesday morning at Ford Center, and although they fell 6-2, put on a good show for the 6,852 fans that turned out, the vast majority being children from schools around the Tri-State. The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Friday, October 31st against the Peoria Rivermen at 7:00pm CT.
In the first period, the Havoc opened the score at 8:05 with a breakaway goal by Connor Fries. Evansville finished the first period strong, with Scott Kirton scoring an unassisted goal at 14:04 as he stole the puck in close. The second period began with a scrap, as Matthew Hobbs got the better of Havoc veteran Josh Kestner, much to the delight of the crowd. Unfortunately, the Havoc scored three goals, Austin Alger at 3:59, Ethan Lindsay on a power play at 8:33, and Fries again at 12:13 to open up a 4-1 lead. Late in the second period, Evansville again found life as Myles Abbate scored off a net-front scramble from Hobbs to shorten the gap to 4-2. The Havoc, however, pulled away in the third period with goals from Jaxon Camp and Kestner to round out the score at 6-2.
Kirton and Abbate scored Evansville’s goals while Brendahn Brawley finished with 31 saves on 37 shots on goal. The Thunderbolts and Havoc meet again on Friday, November 7th at Ford Center, with the Havoc leading the series 1-0.
After falling behind midway through the first half, Indiana men’s basketball rallied to a 76-74 victory over Baylor University on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Hoosiers’ offense looked sluggish throughout the first half. Coming off an effort in which they hit 12 3-pointers in the first half against Marian on Oct. 17, Indiana only attempted 10. Two went in — one from fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson and another from redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries.
In addition to struggling from beyond the arc, securing stops also proved to be a challenge for the Hoosiers. Baylor grabbed six offensive rebounds in the first frame, and the Bears outrebounded the Hoosiers 19-11.
Wilkerson’s 16 first half points kept the Hoosiers in the game. Indiana entered halftime down 41-36.
In the second half, the Hoosiers flipped the script. Indiana tied the score at 43 in the first three minutes, and by 15:42, it had taken a 48-45 lead.
While Indiana continued to struggle from distance, it found other ways to score. Sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway provided 13 second half points, and the Hoosiers built a nine-point lead with under eight minutes to play.
A late push from Baylor tightened the game in the final minutes. Redshirt sophomore guard Cameron Carr poured in 18 points, and the Bears took a two-point lead into the final two minutes.
Clutch free throws from WIlkerson put the Hoosiers temporarily back in front. But a Conerway layup with eight seconds to play was the dagger, and the Hoosiers walked away with a 76-74 victory.
Indiana will begin the regular season against Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team hit the floor for the first time this season on Tuesday night for an exhibition game, taking a 68-63 win over Roosevelt. Logan Luebbers Palmer (Union, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) had a big night offensively for the Purple Aces, pouring in a game-high 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including a 3-for-3 mark from three-point range.
The Aces and Lakers went back-and-forth through the first five minutes of play, with Evansville taking a 5-4 lead at the 5:04 mark in the first quarter. However, the Aces got hot to close the period, going on a 12-0 run to close the quarter. Avery Kelley (Evansville, Ind./Memorial) led the charge during the run, scoring six points.
The Purple Aces maintained their lead throughout the second quarter, taking a 32-25 lead into the half. Luebbers Palmer led the Aces in scoring in the period, contributing five points.
Luebbers Palmer continued to fill up the stat sheet in the beginning of the third quarter, scoring nine of Evansville’s first 13 points in the period to help the Aces stretch the lead to nine. After being held to three points in the first half, reigning MVC Freshman of the Year Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) got going in the third quarter, knocking down a three to push the lead to 12 before sinking four free throws to help the Purple Aces remain in front 54-47 through three quarters.
Luebbers Palmer led the Aces once again early in the fourth quarter, using a layup and three-pointer to move past the 20-point mark and give her team a 12-point lead. After the Lakers fought back late in the quarter, Kelley helped the Aces secure the win, making five of six free throws in the final 31 seconds as Evansville secured a 68-63 win.
The Aces open the regular season next Thursday, traveling to SEMO to take on the Redhawks. Tip-off is set for 11 AM. Evansville opens the regular season home slate on November 20, hosting IU Indy at Meeks Family Fieldhouse for a 6 PM tip.
Make a difference in your community and enjoy discounted Thunderbolts tickets!
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (October 28, 2025) — The Indiana Region of the American Red Cross is excited to partner with the Evansville Thunderbolts Hockey Team to provide fans with the opportunity to support the Red Cross mission and donate lifesaving blood products.
The Thunderbolts are offering discounted tickets for games on Saturday, November 1 at 7 p.m. and Friday, November 21 at 7 p.m.To purchase game tickets, please click here.A portion of each ticket purchased through the link will support the American Red Cross and our work to help people impacted by disaster, teach lifesaving skills, aid military members, veterans and their families and more.
Fans can also support our lifesaving mission by giving blood on Friday, November 21 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Corner Club at the Ford Center located at 1 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Evansville. To make an appointment to give blood, visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter sponsor code thunderbolts or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, and we depend on the generosity of volunteer donors to help save lives.
During National Diabetes Awareness Month in November, successful blood donations will receive free A1C testing, commonly used to screen for prediabetes and diabetes. (One test result per donor in a 12-month period; do not fast before you donate). Visit RedCrossBlood.org/diabetes for details.
All who come to give Nov. 17-Dec. 7, 2025, will receive an exclusive pair of Red Cross x PAC-MAN socks, while supplies last. BONUS: Those who come to give during the same time frame will receive a custom GASHAPON®, while they last. This high-quality collectible won’t last long – supplies are limited so hurry in to get yours!
How to donate blood A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also must meet certain height and weight requirements.
A system of regional workforce development boards wants to lead the way on solutions to Indiana’s “immense” labor needs — but fragmentation, funding and other challenges limit its effectiveness, the Indiana Workforce Alliance has found.
The alliance, which represents the state’s 12 workforce boards, commissioned the report from Pathemy Strategies. It was released last week.
At a time “when employers are struggling to find talent, Hoosiers need clear and faster routes to good jobs,” the 25-page report reads. “… Workforce boards offer the connective tissue linking regional economic growth strategies to the people who will power them.”
But they’re “limited by fragmentation in the talent ecosystem, funding cuts, inconsistent quality, and regulatory constructs that crowd out strategy,” it said. It also laid out a plan to help them “evolve from program administrators to strategic conveners and talent system architects.”
Workforce boards are federally authorized groups of community leaders — led by local employers — that guide how national and state workforce dollars are spent in their areas. Indiana has 12, monitored by the state’s Department of Workforce Development.
They oversee about 70 WorkOne job centers, run the recently gutted Jobs for America’s Graduates program, help Hoosiers find jobs or enroll in registered apprenticeships, assist employers in recruiting workers and more.
The report lauded the boards’ “extensive” geographic reach, employer network, adaptability to economic changes and wraparound service provision — such as transportation or child care — to ease barriers to employment. It also applauded Gov. Mike Braun for his attempt to align talent and economic development strategies.
But the system has its weaknesses.
Communication between the boards, state workforce and economic development agencies, and others is often “fractured or ineffective,” according to the report.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, for instance, administers an employment services program for Hoosiers on the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
Because workforce boards “are the primary entities charged with helping low-income Hoosiers access job training and employment, the separation of TANF job-readiness efforts creates duplication and limits integration,” the report found.
The critique also applies to the boards themselves, which maintain different databases and platforms that don’t connect to each other.
The report further chided Indiana for not applying for more waivers from federal requirements, which can ease administrative requirements and add flexibility.
But “declining and unpredictable” funding was highlighted as a “growing threat to the stability and scalability” of Indiana’s workforce system.
The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act provides most of the Hoosier system’s funding, but the amount received has dropped 16% in the last decade — and the share of funding DWD withholds has increased.
Additionally, state funding cuts of $22 million “have all but eliminated” the popular, $26 million Jobs for America’s Graduates program. That’s less than a year after the program finished a massive expansion to become the nation’s largest network.
Thinking bigger
The analysis made several ambitious recommendations to boost workforce development progress in Indiana.
The boards “must see their missions as much bigger” than administering WIOA and their WorkOne centers, it asserted. They should partner more with businesses, chambers of commerce, universities and others — and get talking to lawmakers to prevent cuts in the future, the report added.
“Maintaining active, year-round relationships with public officials and civic leaders means going beyond occasional updates and instead systematizing regular interactions such as district visits, site tours of WorkOne centers, and data briefings that highlight outcomes, workforce needs, and employer perspectives,” it said. “These activities reduce misperceptions about what (workforce boards) do and build long-term champions who can advocate for stronger policies and resources.”
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun speaks at a Department of Workforce Development event on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Courtesy Office of the Governor)
Workforce boards should become the default source of information on training programs, perhaps by creating provider scorecards along key metrics, the report suggested.
The analysis included a call for Indiana’s employers to step up.
It noted many want new or expanded programs, or are frustrated by funding cuts to programs they benefit from, but “are often unwilling to contribute funding or engage in formal advocacy.” Doing so would make the workforce system less reliant on government money, the report said.
The boards should also get more involved in youth apprenticeships, plus educational and economic development planning.
“Rarely are (workforce boards) involved in Indiana’s code-name economic development projects, and that needs to change if workforce and economic development are to be more aligned,” the analysis noted.
Other recommendations included: offering boards greater funding and flexibility, having them administer workforce-related human services programs, strengthening the Indiana Workforce Alliance and integrating data infrastructure.
Workforce boards are “Indiana’s most scalable, demand-responsive workforce infrastructure,” the report asserted. “… But realizing their full potential requires deliberate action from leaders across the full workforce ecosystem.”
