Aces head to Normal with repeat in mind

11/3/2016 12:10:00 PM

EVANSVILLE – The defending Missouri Valley Conference tournament champion University of Evansville women's soccer team will begin its quest for a second straight title on Friday afternoon as the Purple Aces will open play at the tournament with a showdown against Loyola.

The Aces, who finished the regular season with a 4-11-2 overall record, hit their stride near the end of the season, picking up three wins from five matches before concluding with a scoreless draw at Missouri State last Thursday. The late success mirrored the end of last season, which saw UE hold opponents scoreless for 200 minutes in the conference tournament before upending Loyola in penalties.

UE will be looking for more of the same in this year's edition, and head coach Krista McKendree will have plenty of postseason experience to choose from, beginning with goalkeeper Whitney Biggs, who earned the MVP of last year's tournament. The senior out of Bloomington, Ind., has enjoyed a strong final season in Evansville, posting four clean sheets in the process.

Also helping the defensive effort is senior Emily Richardson, who has played nearly every minute at the heart of the Aces backline. An all-conference defender a year ago, Richardson owns a pair of memorable postseason highlights, first scoring as a freshman in 2013 and then converting the winning penalty last season to send the Aces into the NCAA tournament.

Richardson isn't the only Ace with a postseason goal to her name either. Colleen Dierkes has scored in each of the past two tournaments to lead the pack, and Bronwyn Boswell, who finished off the regular season with a team-best six goals, also scored as a sophomore in 2014's run to the title game. Montana Portenier, who ranks second on the team this year with two goals and two assists, also scored in 2014, and she'll be looking to make her mark after missing out on last season's championship due to injury.

If the Aces are to get back to the title game for a third successive season, they'll have to go against their opponents from last year's championship in Loyola. UE dropped the encounter against the Ramblers earlier this season as the team saw 17 shots, including seven on goal, wiped out by a 78^th-minute winner from Loyola's Sienna Cruz. It was the only shot on target for Loyola on the night.

With a win, the Aces would go on to face either Indiana State or regular season champion Illinois State. The Aces earned a 2-1 win over the Sycamores last month before dropping a heartbreaker by the same score to the Redbirds that featured two goals in the final seven minutes.

Kickoff on Friday is slated for 3:30 p.m. at Adelaide Street Field. With a win, the Aces would advance to Sunday's final, which is slated for a 1 p.m. start. Both games will be broadcast live on The Valley on ESPN3.

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