USI Women’s Soccer has solid performance, suffers unlucky 1-0 loss

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer put together a solid performance on both sides of the field Sunday afternoon, but the Screaming Eagles came up on the wrong side of a 1-0 score against Purdue Fort Wayne University at Strassweg Field.
 
With Sunday’s results, the Screaming Eagles are now 0-3-1 this season, and Purdue Fort Wayne moved to 2-2-0.
 
In the first 45 minutes, both defenses played a strong role in the match. Each offense took some time to settle into a fluid rhythm in the contest. The two sides combined for seven shots in the first half. Southern Indiana’s best first-half opportunity came in the 27^th minute when sophomore midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) took a strong rip at goal but was saved by the Mastodons’ graduate keeper Samantha Castaneda.
 
After that point, USI grabbed some control of the momentum and possession in the attacking half. Purdue Fort Wayne had one last look in the first half after a corner kick, taking a hard shot, but USI’s sophomore keeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) made a diving to the lower left corner to keep the contest scoreless at the halftime break.
 
Out of halftime, Purdue Fort Wayne came out on the attack. Following a solid save by Markland, the Mastodons scored a rebound goal to take a 1-0 lead in the 27^th minute on an unlucky break against the Screaming Eagles.
 
In the middle of the second half, USI created some momentum in the attacking half, generating a pair of good shot attempts. Freshman midfielder Lydia Bordfeld (Evansville, Indiana) took a crack at the top-left corner of the goal in the 64^th minute from approximately 25 yards out, but the Mastodons’ keeper dove to make the save. Bordfeld had another chance a few minutes later that was also saved. USI had a flurry of shots in the latter minutes of the second half but could not sneak one by Castaneda before the final horn.
 
Both programs tallied 10 shots in the game, as Purdue Fort Wayne had six on goal and USI put five on target. Bordfeld put both of her shot attempts on goal, while Murphy had one shot on frame out of two attempts. Freshman forward Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) also took two shots in the match. Markland finished with a season-high five saves for Southern Indiana.