EVANSVILLE – For the second consecutive match, the University of Evansville women's soccer team found itself in double-overtime, but neither side could find that decisive goal at Arad McCutchan Stadium on Sunday evening as the showdown between the Purple Aces and Southeast Missouri ended in a scoreless draw.
"We talked about shoring up some things defensively after Friday, and I'm pleased that we were able to do that tonight," UE head coach Krista McKendree said. "We had to make a few personnel changes, and they were effective. The team played their hearts out today, and that's always hard to do when you're playing in a second overtime game in a weekend."
Offensively, the Aces (1-4-1) seemed to have the better opportunities at times in the game, and perhaps none as dangerous as the pair that freshman Emily Rickett found herself involved in on either side of the half, but SEMO goalkeeper Kindra Lierz was up to the task each time, ultimately finishing with five saves.
On the other end of the pitch, the Redhawks (4-0-1) saw their best chances come from distance, with Whitney Biggs getting the better end of each, notching six stops on the night to record her second shutout of the season.
Sunday's match wasn't just about soccer though as UE celebrated its partnership with Field of Dreams Uganda, a Missouri-based charity that uses soccer as an outlet to provide hope and education to the orphaned or otherwise vulnerable children of Uganda. Members of the organization were on hand throughout the night, raising over $1,000 in the process.
"It's been an awesome partnership for us," McKendree said. "That group made a huge impact on the 12 girls and staff that went over with them last year, and it was great to have them back here. It's nice to see the community rally around the cause in donating money and buying some of the goods that they brought over from Africa. We're happy to have them here and excited about the changes that they have been making in Uganda."
UE will return to action later this week with a Thursday night showdown against Saint Louis at McCutchan Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
NOTES: UE is 3-4-4 against Southeast Missouri … Each team picked up a 1-0 victory over the past two seasons … Aside from one meeting in the series, neither team has scored more than one goal in a contest … UE is 24-17-10 against Missouri schools … With 18 career goals, Bronwyn Boswell is one away from moving into a tie for ninth on the all-time UE scoring list.
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