GAME NOTES

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s soccer team will open Missouri Valley Conference Tournament play Friday afternoon in Omaha, Neb., when it takes on fifth-seeded Indiana State in the semifinals at 3:30 p.m.
 
The Purple Aces (5-7-3) enters Friday’s match as the top seed in the MVC Tournament after claiming their first MVC regular-season championship since 2008 by finishing 4-1-1 in league play.  UE has had a long layoff since its last contest, as Evansville will have 12 days between its last regular-season match with Creighton and Friday’s semifinal match against the Sycamores.  The Aces have been outscored this season, 17-15, but they have posted stellar numbers in league play, allowing just two goals in six Valley tilts, while scoring 10 of their own.
 
Freshman Abby Springer leads Evansville offensively with 12 points on five goals and a pair of assists, including four goals in conference play.  Junior Stephanie Thompson ranks second on the team with 10 points, while freshman Kayla Smith has recorded nine points on the year.  The trip of Smith, Springer and Thompson have accounted for 31 of UE’s 37 points this season.  In goal, freshman Simone Busby has posted a 4-1-3 record and leads the nation with a .940 save percentage.  In addition, the Chattanooga, Tenn., native ranks third in the nation with a 0.318 goals against average.  Busby has recorded shutouts in her last three outings and posted four clean sheets in six Valley matches this season.
 
Indiana State (7-9-3) advanced to the MVC Tournament semifinals by defeating fourth-seeded Northern Iowa, 4-3, on penalty kicks in quarterfinal action last Sunday.  Prior to their win over the Panthers, the Sycamores downed Missouri State, 1-0, in Springfield, Mo., to earn a spot in the MVC Tournament, as a loss to the Bears would have made MSU the sixth and final team in the tournament field.  ISU was outscored, 30-18, this season and allowed 14 goals in conference matches, while scoring just six.
 
Taylor Reed and Shelby Troyer lead Indiana State with nine points each, as Reed has tallied a team-high four goals with an assist, and Troyer has scored three goals and is one of three ISU players with three assists on the year.  Erin Mitchell has been the primary keeper for the Sycamores this season and enters Friday’s match with a 7-9-3 record, 1.39 goals against average, 71 saves and seven shutouts.
 
Evansville is 17-7-3 in its 27 previous MVC Tournament matches and will be looking for its first MVC Tournament title since 2008.  The Aces’ last trip to the MVC Tournament semifinals came last season, when UE fell to top-seeded Illinois State, 6-0, in Springfield, Mo.
 
In the all-time series with Indiana State, Evansville owns a 9-6-1 advantage and defeated the Sycamores, 3-0, in this season’s regular-season match in Evansville.  In MVC Tournament play, the Aces are 2-0 against ISU, defeating the Sycamores in 2000 and 2006.