EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s soccer team will host Missouri Valley Conference opponent Indiana State Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. for its final home match of the regular season at Arad McCutchan Stadium.
 
The Purple Aces (3-7-3, 2-1-1 MVC) enter Wednesday’s tilt having lost just one match in their last six games, going 2-1-3 in that span.  UE will looking to keep itself in the MVC regular-season championship hunt, as it trails only Drake, who sits atop the league standings at 3-0-1. 
 
Evansville earned a key conference win Saturday by defeating Northern Iowa, 2-0, on its home pitch, holding the Panthers to just six shots and only one shot on goal.  Freshman Kayla Smith gave the Aces a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute, finishing a through ball from sophomore defender Tatiana Pagan, who earned MVC Defensive Player of the Week honors for her efforts.  Junior Stephanie Thompson scored her third goal of the season by bending a free kick into the upper, right corner of the goal in the 75th minute to seal the win and give UE a 2-0 victory.
 
Freshman Abby Springer leads Evansville with nine points on four goals and an assist, while Thompson and Smith rank second on the squad with eight points and seven points, respectively.  Only three other UE players have recorded a point, as the Smith, Springer, Thompson trio has combined for 10 of the Aces’ 11 goals this year.  In goal, Simone Busby recorded her third shutout of the season in the win over UNI and owns a 2-1-3 record with a league-best 0.40 goals against average.
 
Indiana State (6-8-1, 1-2-0 MVC) enters Wednesday’s tilt have won two of its last three games, as the Sycamores ending a three-game losing skid with a 3-0 shutout of Green Bay on Sept. 30.  ISU followed up the victory over the Phoenix with it’s first-ever win over Creighton, a 3-1 triumph in Terre Haute, Ind.  However, Indiana State was routed by Illinois State Sunday in Normal, Ill., as the Redbirds scored nine goals in a 9-2 Sycamore loss.
 
Shelby Troyer has been the top scorer for ISU this season, posting nine points on three goals and a trio of assists.  Taylor Reed and Marisa Windisch are tied for second on the team with seven points each.  In addition to Reed, Troyer and Windisch, 11 other Sycamores have recorded points this season.  Erin Mitchell has been the primary keeper for ISU this season, logging all but 17 minutes in goal.  Mitchell is 6-8-1 on the year with a 1.61 goals against average and 55 saves.
 
Evansville leads the all-time series with Indiana State, 8-6-1, but the Sycamores claimed victory in the last meeting, topping the Aces, 1-0, last season in Terre Haute.  UE has posted a 6-1-0 record against ISU in matches conducted at McCutchan Stadium.