THUNDERBOLTS RE-SIGN LOGAN VANDE MEERAKKER

08/31/2024

Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the re-signing of forward Logan vande Meerakker for the 2024-25 season. The Thunderbolts begin the 2024-25 season at Ford Center on Friday, October 18th as they host the Knoxville Ice Bears.

Following a 4 game stint in Fayetteville to begin his professional career, vande Meerakker was claimed off waivers by the Thunderbolts late in the 2023-24 season. Although he went pointless in 3 regular season games with Evansville, vande Meerakker’s play spiked in the postseason, scoring two goals and adding an assist in Evansville’s 5 playoff games. The native of Dieppe, New Brunswick played three seasons of junior hockey in Nova Scotia with the Pictou County Scotians and Crushers between 2017-2020 before beginning his collegiate career with Norwich University between 2020-2022 and Alvernia University between 2022-2024, scoring 24 goals and 69 points in 69 total games of collegiate play, and was named to the NCAA UCHC First All-Conference Team in his final college season.

Reflecting on his tenure with the Thunderbolts to this point, vande Meerakker commented: “I’ve loved my time in Evansville so far, the boys were awesome and made the experience better than I could have imagined. Last season did not end as we wanted it to, but we got a taste of what it takes to win in the playoffs, and that experience will be great for us as a team going into this season.” Vande Meerakker was clear in his response to what his goal is for the coming season: “I have one goal in mind for this season, and that is helping to bring a championship to Evansville.”

Vande Meerakker joins previously announced forwards Matthew Hobbs and Derek Contessa, along with defensemen Benjamin Lindberg and Gehrig Lindberg on the roster heading into training camp.

USI and UE square off in Mayor’s Cup Sunday

08/31/2024

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer starts the second half of a five-game season-opening road swing in the Mayor’s Cup Sunday when it travels across the city to play the University of Evansville at Arad McCutchan Stadium. Kick off Sunday is set for 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.

Following the visit to Evansville, USI will conclude the season-opening road swing with a visit to Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. The game is an early 10 a.m. (CDT) kick off and also will air on ESPN+.

Game coverage for 2024, including links to live stats and/or video streams, can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com.

The Eagles open the 2024 home slate September 14 when they host Bellarmine University at Strassweg Field for a 7 p.m. USI fans are able to attend Men’s Soccer 2024 home matches for free courtesy of a sponsorship from ProRehab.

USI Men’s Soccer Mayor’s Cup Notes:

USI falls in heartbreaker at Green Bay. The Screaming Eagles lost a heartbreaker Thursday, falling in the final four seconds, 3-2, to the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. USI freshman midfielder Ahiro Nakamae provided all of the offense for the Eagles with a pair of first half goals.

Eagles fall to Belmont in 2^nd Half: The Eagles could not hold off Belmont University in the second half, losing 3-0. USI and Belmont battled to a 0-0 draw through the first 45 minutes, but the Bruins exploded for three goals midway through the final half to pick up the victory.

USI loses opener at Butler: The Eagles opened the 2024 season with a 2-1 loss at Butler University. USI freshman midfielder Ahiro Nakamae scored the Eagles’ lone goal and his first collegiate tally.

Nakamae had three goals in three matches: Freshman midfielder Ahiro Nakamae is the first USI freshman to have three goals in his first three matches since Eric Ramirez had three goals in three matches in 2016. Ramirez would go on to score at least a goal in six of his first eight matches and would lead USI in scoring with 21 points on 10 goals and one assist as a freshman in 2016.

Evansville in 2024: The University of Evansville is off to a 2-0-0 start to the 2024 campaign. The Purple Aces started the year with a 2-1 win at Bellarmine University and a 3-0 win at the University of Memphis.

Evansville in 2023: Evansville was 4-8-4 in 2023, 2-4-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

USI vs. Evansville: USI trails the all-time series with Evansville, 1-0-1. The Aces took the 2023 match at Strassweg Field, 4-0.

Mercer’s start to 2024: Mercer University is 1-1-1 to begin 2024. The Bears began the season with a loss to the University of Central Florida, 3-1; tied the University of South Florida, 0-0; and defeated Jacksonville University, 1-0.

Mercer in 2023: The Bears were 7-6-8 last season, 1-2-2 in the Southern Conference.

USI vs. Mercer: USI lost the first ever meeting with Mercer last year at USI, 1-0.

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

08/31/2024

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EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.

Boil Advisory Alert – Lifted

08/30/2024

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The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility (IN5282002) is lifting the precautionary boil advisory issued at 3400 Stringtown Rd. on 2024-08-30 09:55 AM.
Advisory Area boundary defined per JAY WARREN
Results of the samples collected from the affected area have revealed no evidence of contamination. Accordingly, the boiling of water for consumption purposes is no longer necessary.

For further information regarding this issue Contact EWSU Water Filtration Plant Phone: 812-428-0568

THUNDERBOLTS SIGN LINDBERG BROTHERS

08/30/2024

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Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the signing of defensemen Benjamin and Gehrig Lindberg for the 2024-25 season. The Thunderbolts begin the 2024-25 season at Ford Center on Friday, October 18th as they host the Knoxville Ice Bears.

Benjamin joined the Thunderbolts midway through the 2023-24 season after concluding his three seasons at Morrisville State College, playing in 23 regular season games and all 5 playoff games with Evansville, scoring 2 goals and 4 points along the way while registering a +4 rating. The younger Gehrig also turned pro this past season, split between the Blue Ridge Bobcats and Watertown Wolves of the FPHL, along with the Quad City Storm and Knoxville Ice Bears, picking up one assist in 5 SPHL games and 5 goals along with 11 points in 35 FPHL games. The defensive duo from the Buffalo suburb of East Aurora, New York last played together with the Texas Jr. Brahmas of the NA3HL and Stouffville Spirit of the OJHL in 2019-20. While Benjamin left juniors for college, Gehrig continued his junior career through the next three full seasons. In 2020-21, Gehrig skated for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres 18U AAA program, before returning to Stouffville to start 2021-22, playing in 9 games before moving on to the Niagara Falls Canucks of the GOJHL where he played through most of 2022-23, serving as team captain of the Canucks before then joining the OJHL’s Trenton Gold Hawks for the 2023 playoffs. Gehrig’s junior career concluded with an 8 game stint with the GMHL Niagara Predators early in 2023-24 before making the move to the FPHL with Blue Ridge.

“I’m thrilled to be back in Evansville this season and playing for a top notch organization with a stellar fan base,” commented Benjamin Lindberg on his excitement for the upcoming season. “I’m very fortunate to be returning and bringing my younger brother with me this season, we have some unfinished business to attend to and I can’t wait to get back to work at Ford Center!” Not surprisingly, Gehrig mirrors his brother Benjamin’s sentiment, commenting: “I can’t wait to experience the culture that Evansville has, and the great rink and fan base that are part of that, October can’t come soon enough. My brother and I haven’t been on the same team since our junior hockey days, so joining him in Evansville will make it even more special.” Gehrig’s planned post-hockey career also had a strong tie-in with joining the Thunderbolts: “I love the town’s history with aviation, as I’ve been working on getting my pilots license.”

Pair Arrested for Acts of Prostitution

08/30/2024

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Detectives with the Evansville Police Department followed up on a tip that “Relaxing Spa” was operating as a massage business in the 2500-block of Waterbridge Way. The tip stated that in addition to massage services, the employees were also performing illegal sex acts on customers. Detectives began monitoring these activities and, based on the illegal acts they observed, were able to obtain a search warrant forvthe business in reference to acts of prostitution occurring at the location.

Yesterday, during the execution of the search warrant, detectives detained the only two employees that were present, Gao Jinghong (56) and Xia Lu (42). During an interview, both females admitted that, in addition to providing massages, they regularly fondled the genitals of customers in exchange for money. A large storagebag of condoms was located during the search, as well as a used condom that was observed on the floor of one of the massage rooms that had recently been visited by a customer.

Both Jinghong and Lu confirmed that they had established a residence inside of the business. They also admitted they took care of the daily caretaking functions of the establishment to keep the illegal activities operating; tasks such as opening and closing the business, cleaning and stocking supplies, scheduling appointments, accepting payments, and distributing illegal proceeds. They were both booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail last night for Public Indecency – Promoting Prostitution, a level 5 felony.

Special Projects Coordinator Taylor M

USI Falls Late to Green Bay

08/30/2024

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GREEN BAY, WI.- University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer lost in the final four seconds against the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, 3-2, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Screaming Eagles fall to 0-3 while Green Bay improves to 1-2.

The USI offense came out of the gate hot and took the lead 4:39 into the match off of a goal by freshman midfielder Ahiro Nakamae (Fishers, Indiana). Nakamae was assisted by junior forward Jackson Mitchell (Newburgh, Indiana) allowing the Eagles to take a 1-0 advantage.

The tides turned quickly as Green Bay’s offense struck back at 6:24 tying the match. Unfortunately, the tie would not last long as a USI error resulted in an own goal giving Green Bay a 2-1 lead 7:51 into the game.

The 2-1 Green Bay lead would last for over thirty minutes until Nakamae found the back of the net at 41:50 for his second goal of the match and his third of the season. The 2-2 tie would remain for the rest of the first half. Through the first half of the match, USI and Green Bay were even with seven shots each.

In the second half, Green Bay’s offense took control, eventually scoring the game-winner with four seconds on the clock in its 3-2 win. USI was unable to find its offensive footing throughout the second half, being out shot, 9-1. The Eagles’ best scoring opportunity came from junior forward Jaron Frye (Tulsa, Oklahoma), who had a shot on-goal that was saved by Green Bay at 62:08.

In goal, sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Klott (St. Charles, Missouri) made five saves and allowed three goals while facing 16 shots,.

USI Falls Late to Green Bay

Eagles hurt by Huskies’ second-half charge

08/30/2024

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DEKALB, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer suffered a 6-1 setback against Northern Illinois University late Thursday afternoon in DeKalb, Illinois, as the Huskies used a big second half to pull away from the Screaming Eagles.

Not long after the opening kickoff, USI (0-3-1) entered the attacking half in the early minutes to earn a pair of corner-kick opportunities. However, Northern Illinois (2-0-1) scored the game’s first tally in the seventh minute to take a 1-0 advantage after winning a ball out of the air and slipping a through-ball across the goal line.

The Screaming Eagles made a run in the back half of the first 45 minutes, starting with a shot from freshman midfielder Josie Pochocki (LaGrange Park, Illinois) that was blocked inside the box and out for a USI corner kick. A few minutes later, junior forward Payton Seymour (Louisville, Kentucky) laced a shot that was blocked away by NIU’s goalkeeper for another USI corner. Southern Indiana’s first-half efforts paid off in the 43^rd minute when junior midfielder Emerson Grafton (Camas, Washington) got a takeaway near midfield, ran down the field, and struck a shot from nearly 25 yards out and over the keeper for her first USI goal to tie the match, 1-1.

Out of halftime, Northern Illinois quickly retook the lead, 2-1, with a goal just over a minute into the second stanza. The Huskies scored again a few minutes later and went on to grab a 4-1 lead by the midway point of the second half. Remaining in control, the Huskies continued their big charge by scoring twice more in the last 15 minutes of the contest.

USI took eight shots with six on goal in the match. All four of USI’s shots in the second half were on target. USI also had 10 corner kicks in the game, seven of which came in the first half. Northern Illinois finished with 13 shots and eight on goal.

Southern Indiana returns to Strassweg Field Sunday afternoon when the Screaming Eagles host Wright State University at 1 p.m. Coverage links of the match can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com

Aces women’s soccer earns first win against Lindenwood

08/30/2024

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The Purple Aces netted two goals in the victory

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Two second half goals powered the University of Evansville women’s soccer team to its first win of the 2024 season.

The Purple Aces offense came alive in the second half on Thursday night in a 2-1 win over the Lindenwood Lions. Forwards Amy Velazquez (Avon, Ind. / Avon HS) and Hailey Autenrieb (Cincinnati / Seaton HS) goals in the 72nd and 77th minutes helped UE to the win along with strong defense from the backline and goalkeeper Myia Danek (Laingsburg, Mich. / Laingsburg HS).

“It felt good to get the first win,” said Head Coach Chris Pfau. “I thought we did some really good things the first half. Things we have been working on in training. I thought it was important too that we got on them a little bit in the first half.

“Especially after Western Kentucky, because I thought the first half of WKU we did well, but we hit the wall a little bit. We weren’t as sharp with 10 days off; we didn’t do the little things. So to come out and not be shell shocked, still have the confidence to play and do some things was important. Getting the win with two freshmen playing center back in a big game and getting the explosiveness we did in the second half is huge. Getting two goals is also a bonus for us at this point.”

It was a quiet first half offensively for Evansville as the team didn’t register a shot in the first 45 minutes. But the Aces defense stood strong against Lindenwood’s attack, blocking three shots while Danek made her first of five saves in the 23rd minute.

UE’s offense came out fast and furious in the final 45 of the match starting with a corner kick in the first minute. Which was quickly followed up by Evansville’s first shot on goal from sophomore midfielder Ella Hamner (Evansville, Ind. / Memorial HS). The Lions took over on the offensive side of the ball for the next 15 minutes.

But it was the Aces who broke through first in the 72nd minute as sophomore midfielder Ashlyn Koutsos (Cumming, Ga. / West Forsyth HS) brought the ball up the middle of the field. Koutsos sent a cross to Velazquez on the left side who ran forward into the penalty box and nailed a left-footed shot that went off Lindenwood’s goalkeeper’s hands into the top left corner of the goal.

UE added an insurance goal from Autenrieb in the 76th minute as she chased down her own rebound off the post. Autenrieb cleared the goalkeeper on the initial shot and found the back of the net with a strike on the right side. The Lions did break the shutout in the 88th minute but Evansville locked things down in the final 90 seconds to secure the 2-1 win.

The Aces finished the match with nine shots as 44% landed on goal. Koutsos picked up her first point of the season with an assist on Velazquez goal in the 72nd minute while it was both goal scorers first of the season. UE is back in action on Sunday evening in Louisville with kickoff set for 6 p.m.

Mendham’ big night not enough in series finale

08/30/2024

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SCHAUMBURG, Ill. – In a 9-8 offensive shootout, the Evansville Otters were swept by the Schaumburg Boomers on Thursday night at Wintrust Field.

Throughout the series, the Otters (41-53) left 37 men on base, with 13 stranded tonight, including the bases loaded in the first and ninth innings.

They opened the scoring with a run, before the Boomers (50-43) answered with two in the first inning.

Justin Felix homered to left field in the second, making it a 2-2 game.

The tie was broken in the third when the Boomers scored another trio of runs.

Evansville then went on to score five unanswered runs. With one out in the fifth, Randy Bednar blasted a solo shot over the center field wall. In the sixth, the Otters took the lead, putting four on the scoreboard. Highlighting the frame, Gary Mattis tripled off the left field wall which scored two and he later touched home as well.

Punching right back, Schaumburg matched the Otters’ four in the home sixth to spoil the fun and take the final lead of the night. Finalizing the run totals in the seventh, Evansville plated one more run on a David Mendham single.

Bats were hot for both sides. The Boomers out-hit the Otters 12-11. Mendham had a 4-for-4 effort, reaching base in five of his six plate appearances while also nabbing a pair of RBIs. Also a top producer, Mattis had two hits with as many runs brought home.

On the hill, lefty Braden Scott (5-10) took the loss after exiting in the sixth. He went five and one-third innings, allowing all nine runs, seven earned. With the win, Aaron Glickstein (6-5) pitched in the sixth allowing one run.

Out of the bullpen for Evansville, Jakob Meyer and Tyler Ras both had scoreless outings, racking up two strikeouts.

With two more games left in the season, the Otters will play them both against the Windy City ThunderBolts. Game 95 begins tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. CT. Coverage is available on the Otters Digital Network and FloBaseball.