EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer fell 2-1 to Lindenwood University at Strassweg Field on Sunday afternoon after the Lions charged back with a pair of goals in the final 15 minutes of action.
 
Following Sunday’s results and with one regular-season game remaining, USI Women’s Soccer (6-7-4, 3-2-3 OVC) sits fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. After a second straight setback, the Screaming Eagles will have to travel for the OVC Tournament, which begins October 30. USI will be the fifth or sixth seed, depending on the results on the final match day of the regular season next Sunday, October 26. Meanwhile, Lindenwood (8-4-4, 5-2-1 OVC) is tied for third in the league table and still has a chance at the top seed.
 
On Sunday, USI had the upper hand in shot totals, outshooting Lindenwood 17-7 overall and 6-2 in shots on goal. Redshirt junior midfielder Emma Thurston placed all three of her shots on goal in the game. Senior forward Emerson Grafton placed both of her attempts on target, including her team-best fifth goal of the season that she scored early in the second half. Redshirt sophomore forward Eva Boer and sophomore forward Josie Pochocki each had three shots on Sunday.
 
USI got a couple of quick looks in the first five minutes on Sunday, wasting no time applying pressure on the Lions’ defense. Lindenwood also had a pair of opportunities early, including one off the post. The two sides continued to exchange stretches of controlling possession. However, the Screaming Eagles had a good run of play near the 15-minute mark of the first half, recording two shots on goal within a minute by Grafton and Thurston that Lindenwood’s goalkeeper saved. The game remained knotted at zero going into halftime.
 
Just over three minutes into the second half, the Screaming Eagles broke the scoreless deadlock to grab a 1-0 lead. After Lindenwood failed to clear a cross into the box by Thurston, Grafton stepped up to the loose ball and laced a shot into the top half of the netting. Not only did Grafton add to her team lead in goals scored this season, but the senior also added to her team lead in points on the season with 13 points. Grafton also became the first Screaming Eagle to score at least five goals in a season since USI’s inaugural D-I season in 2022, when senior forward Peyton Murphy tallied five as a freshman.
 
Around the 60-minute mark of the contest, USI nearly doubled its advantage on a few opportunities. Boer had one shot go off the post and another just miss wide of the mark, and Thurston had an attempt from the top of the box that forced Lindenwood’s goalkeeper to make a diving save.
 
The game settled into a battle for possession once again in the middle of the second half, but once the clock reached under 15 minutes, the tide turned in Lindenwood’s favor. At 76:17, the Lions scored an equalizer off a deflection and follow-up shot that trickled into the goal.
 
While USI looked to quickly answer with 10 minutes left, the Lions carried a renewed energy into the final stretch. Lindenwood capitalized on a penalty kick at 83:30 after a handball in the box to take a 2-1 lead. Just over a minute later, USI was awarded a penalty kick following a foul in the box, but the Eagles’ attempt to draw back even was saved by the Lions’ goalkeeper. The Screaming Eagles would run out of time in search of a tying goal.
 
Looking to get back on track, USI Women’s Soccer concludes the regular season next Sunday, October 26, on the road at Western Illinois University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.

Men earn a pair of dual victories

INDIANAPOLIS – Saturday’s dual meet at the IU Natatorium saw the University of Evansville men’s swimming and diving team earn a pair of victories to highlight the day. The men defeated Valparaiso by a score of 141.00-138.00 while edging out USI by a 153.00-144.0 score.

IU Indy defeated the men by a score of 216.00-81.00. The women’s scores finished with Valpo taking a 186.00-94.00 win while USI finished with a 181.00-105.00 decision. The Jaguars completed the day with a 224.00-68.00 win over the Purple Aces.

UE’s men completed the day with multiple victories beginning with Joseph Capo’s effort in the 200-free. He bested the competition with a time of 1:41.63. Carer Bolling and Tyler Jackson took 8^th and 9^th in the race finishing just over five seconds behind Capo. Capo took 6^th place in the 500-free (4:41.62) while Wyatt Gallas was just behind him in seventh (4:50.48).

Logan Tenison recorded a victory in the 100-backstroke with a time of 50.18. His time was 0.04 in front of the competition and marked the 9^th-best time in program history. Later, he took second in the 200-back posting a time of 1:53.20. Michael Pruett was victorious in the 100-free. A strong time of 46.21 came in 0.47 in front of the runner-up. Sammy McCall placed 8^th in the race while taking 9^th in the 50-free (21.71) and 8^th I the 100-free (48.08).

Alex Willis, Chris Rector, Tenison, and Pruett earned a 3^rd-place finish in the 400-medley relay. Their 3:25.72 was just over a second behind the runner-up. Bryce Ryan and Luke Cook registered top tens in the 100-free. Finishes of 10:13.34 and 10:22.21 saw them finish 6^th and 7^th, respectively. Willis had a strong race in the 100-fly. Swimming a 52.01, he took 6^th. Rector picked up a top five in the 400-IM. His time of 4:18.00 gave him fifth.

Pruett, McCall, Capo, and Tenison took part in the 400-free relay. Combining for a time of 3:07.55, the group finished in third place.

Evansville had a strong race in the 100-breaststroke. Jesse Montano and Robert Hargrove came home in 4^th and 5^th, respectively. Their times finished at 58.24 and 58.64. Rector and Montano picked up top five finishes in the 200-breaststroke. Rector was second (2:09.03) while Montano placed fourth (2:11.68).

Claire Mewbourne and Evelyn Chin earned victories for the women. Mewbourne took top honors in the 200-breaststroke recording a time of 2:26.95. Chin picked up the win in the 100-fly with a time of 57.82. She bested her nearest competition by 1.27 seconds. Chin added a finish of 9^th in the 200-free as she recorded a 2:03.24. Mewbourne followed her victory with a top five in the 100-breaststroke. An effort of 1:07.72 saw her finish fourth.

In the 400-medley relay, Evansville took second place as Jillian Giese, Grace Moody, Chin, and Mewbourne swam a 3:57.09 to finish less than one second behind IU Indy. Moody swam a 2:08.05 in the 200-backstroke on her way to a 3^rd place effort. Mia Pesavento, Moody, Mewbourne, and Chin came in third place in the 400-free relay. They finished in a solid 3:38.50.

Hannah Krings picked up a top ten in the 1000-free. She took 7^th place with a finish of 11:27.00. Jaley Hamilton placed 10^th in the 100-back swimming a 1:02.69 before taking 9^th in the 100-free (56.58). Jillian Giese rounded out the top ten in the 50-free with her finish of 25.42. Giese followed with a finish of 7^th in the 400-IM. She swam a 4:48.28 in the event. In the 500-free, Luana Carrotta and Krings took 9^th and 10^th place, respectively. Their times finished at 5:33.49 and 5:35.82.

Leah Gardner took 9^th place in the 3-meter dive registering a score of 180.45. She was followed by Eden McRoberts who finished 10^th with a 170.45. The duo repeated their finishes in the 1-meter as Gardner finished 9^th (183.60) and McRobets was 10^th (174.70).