EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer battled Eastern Illinois University to a 1-1 draw Sunday at Strassweg Field, claiming the fifth consecutive result for the Screaming Eagles.
Southern Indiana (2-6-4, 1-0-2 OVC) still had to deal with rain and soggy field conditions against Eastern Illinois (2-5-5, 0-1-2 OVC) on Sunday as they did last time out on Thursday. The two teams contested for possession in a defensive start to the first half.
Junior midfielder Emerson Grafton, who scored in the last game Thursday, had two shot chances in the first 20 minutes. Junior midfielder Peyton Murphy had two shots with one on goal in the first half. Defensively, USI remained strong with several blocked shots.
Southern Indiana grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute. Following a corner kick that pinballed around in the box, freshman midfielder Ana Munyon tapped it back to fellow freshman midfielder Emma Schut for a shot into the right-side netting. The goal was Schut’s second of the season.
Working with a 1-0 advantage out of halftime, Southern Indiana started the second half on the attack with multiple shots including four on goal in the first 15 minutes of the second stanza.
A big sequence in the second half came just after the 60-minute mark. Eastern Illinois was awarded a free kick inches outside the top of the box. The free kick went off the post and was cleared out by USI’s defense. However, Eastern Illinois tied the match later, 1-1, in the 79th minute off a corner kick.
The Eagles could not collect the potential game-winning goal after a couple of shot attempts late, as the match ended in a draw.
USI tallied 17 shots with 12 coming in the second half. Eastern Illinois totaled nine shots in the contest. Southern Indiana had a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. Emerson Grafton led USI with four shots. Schut and Murphy were among four Screaming Eagles to record two shot attempts. Seven of USI’s starters played a full 90 minutes.
By the end of the early afternoon slate in the Ohio Valley Conference, Southern Indiana was fourth with five points.
Next, the Screaming Eagles will travel to St. Charles, Missouri, on Thursday for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Lindenwood University. Match coverage links can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.
