EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer kicks off its 2022 regular season at the end of this week with two road matches against North Dakota on Thursday and at Winona State on Saturday. Start times are 1 p.m. for both.
The match at North Dakota Thursday will be Southern Indiana’s first regular season match as an NCAA Division I program. Southern Indiana is beginning their first year as an NCAA Division I program, transitioning from NCAA Division II and their previous membership in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. USI is now a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, the eighth-oldest NCAA Division I conference.
USI enters the 2022 regular season after a 1-0-2 record in preseason exhibition matches. The Screaming Eagles earned a 1-1 draw in their first exhibition at home against the University of Missouri Kansas City. Junior forward Morgan Beyer (Rossford, Ohio) scored the goal for USI in that match. In their second exhibition, USI won 1-0 at Illinois Chicago on a goal by junior forward Paige Vanek (St. Charles, Missouri). USI’s last exhibition resulted in a 0-0 draw at Murray State.
The 2022 USI squad features 33 players – 18 returning players and 15 newcomers, beginning its seventh season under Head Coach Eric Schoenstein, who has a 65-36-14 record leading the last six seasons. USI was a Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Finalist in the 2021 season.
Three of USI’s top goal-scorers from a season ago return in 2022 for the Screaming Eagles. Beyer along with senior midfielder Jill DiTusa (St. Charles, Illinois) and junior midfielder Avery Schone (Galena, Ohio) lead an experienced front for USI. DiTusa led the team with six goals, while Schone scored five goals and Beyer found the back of the net four times in 2021. Schone was an All-GLVC selection last season.
Senior goalkeeper Maya Etienne (Midland, Michigan) is back in net for USI after a strong 2021 season between the posts. Etienne recorded 54 saves and a 0.81 goals against average in 16 matches played last season. For her career, Etienne already holds the top spot in the USI record books for career shutouts with 29 entering the 2022 season. Etienne also enters the 2022 season with 236 career saves, which is good for sixth all-time at USI.
USI was projected to place eighth in the Ohio Valley Conference in a vote submitted by the league’s head coaches and communication directors. SIU Edwardsville topped the OVC preseason poll with 123 points and 11 first-place votes. UT Martin was picked second with 119 points and seven first-place votes. Etienne represented USI on the 2022 OVC Soccer Preseason Players to Watch List.
USI’s opponent on Thursday, North Dakota, picked up a 3-3 draw in their lone exhibition match on August 7 against the University of Manitoba. The Fighting Hawks return three of their top scorers in Hannah Olson, Bailey McNitt, and Julia Briggs from the 2021 season. Olson scored four goals last year as the top returning goal-scorer, while McNitt comes back the top points-scorer from a season ago. McNitt tallied 10 points on three goals and four assists. Briggs found the back of the net twice last season. Senior goalkeeper Madi Livingston is back in net after posting 69 saves and 1.69 goals against average last season. Overall, North Dakota went 3-13-1 with a 1-8 Summit League conference record in 2021.
Saturday’s opponent, Winona State, is out of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in NCAA Division II. Winona State went 4-12-1 with a 3-11-1 conference record in the 2021 season. The Warriors return three of their top-five scorers from last year, including leading scorer Riley Harmon who had four goals. Ella Roberts and Abigail Williams each scored twice last season. Alyson Jumper and Yanel Ortiz split time in net for Winona State in 2021, both returning for the Warriors in 2022. Jumper had 10 starts with 52 saves and 1.47 goals against average, while Ortiz made seven starts with 36 saves and a 1.55 GAA.
