Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Just thirty seconds into overtime, sophomore Stephanie Thompson drilled a free kick into the top left corner of the net, clinching a berth to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, as the University of Evansville women’s soccer team stunned Missouri State, 1-0, Thursday night at Arad McCutchan Stadium.

The victory gives the Purple Aces a 3-11-4 overall record and 2-4 mark in the Valley, good for a No. 4 seed in the tournament. Evansville, Drake, and Northern Iowa all end the regular season with a 2-4 record. UE will host Drake University Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT in the quarterfinals.

Missouri State entered the match looking to seal a regular season conference championship, but left with a 11-4-2 overall mark and 4-1-1 league record, seeding them second in the tournament behind Illinois State who topped Creighton, 8-1, tonight.
While Missouri State held an outstanding 26-10 shot advantage in the match, quality topped quantity, as Evansville made the most of its opportunities.

After a 0-0 stalemate through 90:00 minutes, sophomore Breana Beine led a breakaway down the middle of the field. As she entered the box, a flagrant foul resulted in a yellow card and free kick for the Aces. That’s when Thompson led UE to its sixth straight MVC tournament appearance.

Thompson piloted Evansville with four shots on the night, all on goal, followed by Kaitlin Robinett’s two shots.

Junior goalkeeper Chaviel Harrison recorded 14 saves and the shutout, breaking her own school record for saves in a season, set in 2010. Harrison had 116 last year and finished the 2011 regular season with 127.

The victory was especially sweet for the Aces, having Abby Guerra in attendance. Guerra, a starting midfielder for UE in 2009, made her first trip back to Evansville today since surviving a fatal car accident in July, 2010.