LIVE VIDEO  |  LIVE STATS

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women's soccer team will begin its defense of its 2012 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title Sunday afternoon, when the Purple Aces host Drake for their MVC opener at 1 p.m.
 
Evansville (7-2-1) enters Sunday's match on a four-match winning streak and is unbeaten in its last six contests.  The Aces picked up a pair of road wins last weekend by topping Eastern Kentucky, 3-0, Friday night, before downing Bowling Green, 2-1, in overtime. 
 
Sophomore Kayla Smith led UE with six points on two goals and a pair of assists on the weekend, including the game-winner in Sunday's victory over the Falcons.  Fellow sophomore Simone Busby picked up her third solo shutout of the year in goal Friday by making a season-high nine saves.  Junior Tatiana Pagan led the Evansville defense, as the Aces' back line posted a shutout at EKU and held BGSU to just two shots on goal.  For their efforts, the trio swept the weekly MVC awards by being named MVC Offensive Player of the Week, MVC Goalkeeper of the Week and MVC Defensive Player of the Week, respectively.
 
Smith leads Evansville with 14 points on five goals and four assists this season.  The sophomore forward also ranks second on the team with 35 shots and is one of five Aces to score multiple goals this year.  Sophomore Abby Springer ranks second on the squad with seven points on three goals and an assist, while senior Stephanie Thompson has bolstered the UE attack with a trio of goals and a team-best 19 shots on goal.  In goal, Busby has allowed just six goals in 906:16 for a league-best 0.60 goals against average and .857 save percentage. 
 
As a team, the Aces rank second in the Valley with 17 goals and have fired a league-best 199 shots, matching their total from the entire 2012 season.  UE has put 47.2 percent of its shots on frame and have earned a MVC-leading 49 corner kicks.  Defensively, Evansville has allowed just six goals, seven fewer than any other Valley team, for a league-best 0.58 goals against average.  The Aces' back line has surrendered just one second-half goal this season and has conceded just 42 shots on goal.
 
Drake (2-6-2) enters Sunday's MVC opener having won its last two matches, as the Bulldogs defeated both Eastern Illinois, 3-0, and South Dakota State, 3-2, on the road.  Ashlie Stokes led DU with a pair of goals and an assist in the win over the Panthers and netted the game-winner against the Jackrabbits.  Goalkeeper Andrea Swanson made a pair of saves in the shutout of EIU and turned away three more shots against SDSU.
 
Paige Dusek leads Drake with 11 points on the year, as she has scored a team-high five goals to go with an assist.  Dusek also leads the team with 30 shots and 17 shots on goal.  Stokes ranks second on the team with three goals and a pair of assists for eight points, while Rebecca Rodgers and Brittany Schuling have each recorded six points for the Bulldogs offensively.  Swanson has played every minute in goal for DU and enters Sunday's match with a 1.89 goals against average, .677 save percentage, 42 saves and a shutout.
 
As a team, Drake has been outscored, 20-14, but has found the back of the net six times in its last two matches.  The Bulldogs have also been outshot, 166-147, and have allowed 69 corner kicks, while taking 38. 
 
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with Evansville, 9-6, and handed the Aces their lone loss in Valley play last season by topping UE, 1-0, in overtime in Des Moines, Iowa.