EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s soccer team will continue Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend, traveling to Illinois State Sunday to take on the Redbirds at 1:00 p.m. CT.
HISTORY
Illinois State leads the all-time series, 8-5-2, winning the last two meetings in the series that dates back to 1996. Last season, the Redbirds came away with a 3-2 win at UE’s Arad McCutchan Stadium. Evansville’s last victory in the series was September 27, 2008; a 4-1 home win.
CATCH THE ACTION
SCOUTING THE REDBIRDS (7-5-0, 2-1 MVC)
Already playing three conference contests this fall, Illinois State topped both Northern Iowa (10/4) and Drake (9/25) by a score of 2-0, while falling to Missouri State (9/30), 1-0. In the Redbirds’ most recent contest, Rachel Bostick and Rachel Tejada scored goals in the road victory at UNI. Goalkeeper Aryn Newsom recorded the shutout with five saves. On the season, Tejada, a freshman leads the squad with 13 goals, four assists, and 30 points. Jessica Carlson follows with three goals, six assists, and 12 points. Newsom leads the defense with a 4-4-0 record in net, playing 788:05 minutes and recording a 1.26 GAA, 39 saves, and a .780 save percentage. As a team, the Redbirds have outscored their opponents, 27-15, and outshot them 235-131.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES (1-8-4, 0-1 MVC)
Evansville comes off a tough 2-1 loss to the defending MVC champions Creighton last Saturday. In the 86th minute of play, UE fired back-to-back shots hoping to tie the match, but Creighton goalkeeper Alicia Montgomery made the save on the first and junior
Kristen Davis’ rebound went just inches left of the goal in the Aces’ late-match rally. On the season, sophomores
Kaitlin Robinett (3g, 2a, 8pts),
Stephanie Thompson (3g, 1a, 7pts), and
Tasha Prentice (2g, 3a, 7pts) lead the Aces’ offense. In goal, junior
Chaviel Harrison has played all 1250:00 minutes with a 1.94 GAA, 85 saves, .759 save percentage, and two shutouts.
TOP DRAWER PLAYERS
Kaitlin Robinett and
Tasha Prentice have been named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s
Top 20 Players to Watch in the MVC list. Robinett (3g, 2a, 8pts) and Prentice (2g, 3a, 7pts) have been an integral part of UE’s attack this season.
CLOSE CALLS
Nine of UE’s 12 matches this season have been decided by one or less goals, including the last six consecutive contests. In addition, Evansville has not lost nor won a match in overtime this year despite going beyond regulation four times.
HARRISON’S HIGH RANK
In this week’s rankings, goalkeeper
Chaviel Harrison ranked 13th in the nation for goalie minutes played. Harrison, who has played all 1250:00 minutes for the Aces, has not allowed a goal in four double overtime periods. Harrison also ranked eighth in the NCAA in total saves. She has made 85 this season, including six in the Aces’ 2-1 loss to Creighton. In 2010, Harrison broke UE’s single-season record with 116 saves.
TOUGH TEAMS
In the first two weeks of conference play, UE takes on the two top Missouri Valley Conference teams, in order, according to the preseason coaches poll. Evansville fell to Creighton, 2-1, Saturday and will travel to take on Illinois State this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CU earned 45 points in the preseason poll and Illinois State 39, as UE was picked sixth with 15 points.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Aces hit the road for three consecutive road matches, heading to Illinois State (10/9), Northern Iowa (10/15), and Indiana State (10/19). UE returns home on Oct. 23rd to face Drake at 1:00 p.m. CT.
