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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women's soccer team will host top-seeded Illinois State Friday night at Arad McCutchan Stadium in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Championship at 6:05 p.m.
 
Evansville (9-5-4) will look to continue its quest for its first MVC Tournament crown since 2008, as the Aces advanced to the semifinal round by topping Missouri State in penalty kicks Sunday night.  Sophomore Emily Richardson scored the lone goal for UE in the 81st minute on an assist from senior Stephanie Thompson, and sophomore goalkeeper Simone Busby made seven saves during the match and two more in the shootout to send Evansville through to the semifinals.
 
Individually, sophomore Kayla Smith leads the Aces with 14 points on five goals and four assists, but the Evansville native has not seen action since suffering a season-ending injury in the regular-season meeting with Missouri State (Oct. 12).  Senior Lauren Tiernan ranks second on the team with three goals and two assists for eight points, while Thompson and sophomore Abby Springer have each scored three times and notched an assist for seven points.  In goal, Busby owns a 0.80 goals against average with an .844 save percentage, 81 saves and six shutouts.
 
As a team, UE has outscored its opponents, 21-15, but has scored just one goal in its last six matches, as Richardson's goal in Sunday's quarterfinal tilt ended an over 570-minute scoring drought.  Evansville leads the MVC with 307 total shots this season, putting 140 attempts on goal for a .456 shot on goal percentage.  The Aces' back line has conceded just 15 goals this season and limited opponents to just five second-half tallies.  UE's defense has posted seven shutouts on the year to go with a stellar 0.79 goals against average.
 
Illinois State (12-6-0) claimed the top seed in the MVC Tournament by winning the MVC regular-season title with a perfect 6-0-0 record in Valley play, marking the first perfect conference record by a league team since 2004.  The Redbirds closed their regular season Oct. 31 with a 3-1 victory over Missouri State in Springfield, Mo., getting goals from Rachel Tejada, Kyla Cross and Hannah Leinert.
 
 ISU led the Valley by scoring 42 goals this season, while holding its opponents to 27 and posting an 18-2 scoring advantage in league play.  Illinois State has attempted 265 shots this season and put 125 on frame for a .472 shot on goal percentage.  ISU earned 100 corner kicks this season, while conceding 69, including a 56-23 advantage in the first half.
 
Tejada leads the Redbirds and the conference with 36 points and a league-best 14 goals and eight assists.  The two-time MVC Player of the Year also leads the Valley with 72 shots and 35 shots on goal.  Leinert has bolstered the ISU offense with 26 points on 10 goals and six assists, while Cross has added 18 points on five goals and eight helpers.  Dagny Olson has also reached double figures in the point column, by scoring six goals and tallying three assists for 15 points.  Goalkeeper Aryn Newsom has allowed 23 goals in 1516:40 this season for a 1.36 goals against average, .739 save percentage and six shutouts.  Newsom has surrendered just two goals and registered four clean sheets in league matches.
 
In the regular-season contest between the two sides, Illinois State defeated Evansville, 4-0, Oct. 20 in Normal, Ill., which marked the first time this season that the Aces conceded multiple goals in a match.  The Redbirds outshot UE, 28-8, and Leinert led ISU with two goals, while Tejada and Cross recorded the other two.