EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Continuing the march toward the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer posted its third straight draw with a 0-0 tie against Southeast Missouri State University Thursday night at Strassweg Field.
Both teams came out of the gates looking to gain control of the match. USI redshirt goalkeeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) got her gloves on the ball early with a pair of easy saves. The Screaming Eagles’ first shot came in the 12th minute off the foot of sophomore midfielder Emma Thurston (Leawood, Kansas).
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Southern Indiana generated a pair of chances in the 26th minute from senior defender Alexis Schone (Galena, Ohio) and sophomore midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana), tracking down a loose ball in the attacking penalty box. Each team produced three shots on goal in the first half.
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The back-and-forth stalemate continued into the second half. Despite attacking opportunities for both teams, neither budged on the scoreboard. Markland saw a couple of shots come her way in the early portion of the second half, but she collected saves on both.
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USI had a few opportunistic looks late in the match. With under 10 minutes remaining, Southern Indiana moved down the field and was rewarded with several tries in the attacking third. Following a throw-in pass, freshman midfielder Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) had the ball come to her feet inside the top of the penalty box, but her shot was knocked away by the Redhawks’ goalkeeper Sophia Elfrink. A couple of minutes later, Thurston had a shot that was off the mark before Alexis Schone had a header off a free kick blocked away.
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In the contest, the Eagles tallied 11 shots and the Redhawks had nine. Both teams put five shots on target. Alexis Schone had a game-high four shots, Murphy had three with two on frame, and Thurston had two shot attempts. Markland recorded five saves in goal, claiming her sixth shutout of the season.
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The Screaming Eagles moved to 4-6-7 this season with a 3-1-4 conference record, extending the team’s season-best unbeaten streak to six matches. Southeast Missouri moved to 6-5-4 on the year with a 2-3-3 mark in OVC play. With Morehead State University’s win over Tennessee Tech University on Thursday to solidify those two schools as the top two teams and the double-bye, Southern Indiana now knows it will be playing next week in the OVC Tournament. USI remained tied with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at 13 points. The third through eighth seeds and who will be hosting the first two rounds of the OVC Tournament will be determined following this Sunday’s games.
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On Sunday, USI will close out the regular season on the road at Eastern Illinois University. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. from Charleston, Illinois. The match can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
