CHICAGO, Ill. - After a thrilling upset in penalties against Indiana State, the University of Evansville rides a wave of momentum into a Missouri Valley Conference Championship semifinal match with No. 2 seed Valparaiso on Friday afternoon at 3 PM at Loyola Soccer Park in Chicago, Ill.
 

Evansville vs. Valparaiso | Fri., Nov. 5 | 3 PM
Location	Chicago, Ill.
Follow Along	Live Stats | ESPN+
Evansville	Women's Soccer Home Page | Twitter | Game Notes

Last Match: Evansville 1, Indiana State 1 (2OT) (Evansville advances 5-3 on PKs)

• Turning-in a complete performance, the University of Evansville women's soccer team overcame an early deficit, forcing penalty kicks before finishing with a 5-3 advantage over Indiana State to advance in the MVC Championship on Sunday afternoon in Terre Haute, Ind.
• In goal, redshirt senior Michaela Till was stellar again, making nine saves and allowing one goal in the draw. On the attack for Evansville, sophomore Rachel Rosborough picked the best time to score her first career goal, finding the back of the net to equalize the match.
• After going back-and-forth for the first minutes of the match, Indiana State jumped in front first. In the 15th minute, the Sycamores' Anna Holcombe recorded a shot from the top of the box that skipped across the turf and deflected off the post and in to give ISU a 1-0 lead, an advantage it would hold at the half.
• Despite trailing at the break, Evansville wasted little time equalizing the match in the second half. In the 47th minute, fifth-year senior Jayme-Lee Hunter slipped a ball to Rosborough, who went to the far post, past a diving Sycamore keeper to tie the match at one. Over the rest of the second half, Evansville was tasked with holding-off a surging Sycamore attack. In all, Indiana State recorded 17 shots in the second 45-minute period, but the Aces were up to it. The best chance of the half for ISU came in the final minutes of regulation. With less than two minutes remaining, a ball was deflected into the 18-yard box that Till chased after, once the ball hit, it spun back towards the Indiana State forward, forcing Till to make a tough play, subsequently colliding with the Sycamores forward in the process, earning ISU a penalty. On the penalty, Indiana State's CeCe Wahlberg went to Till's right, but the Avon, Ind. native was not fooled, picking correctly and punching the attempt away to preserve the tie and force overtime.
• Another 20 minutes was not enough as the Aces allowed just one shot on-goal, coming in the second OT, that Till saved, sending the match into PKs.
• In the first round of penalties, Evansville's Abby Phelps converted and the Sycamores' Maddie Alexander answered. In the second round, Emily Ormson converted and then Till showed up when it counted most again. As Isabella Hunter attempted her try, Till again made a save on a PK, giving Evansville the advantage. Down the stretch, Evansville was true again and again. Following conversions by Emilie Hill and Morgan Blair, the pressure fell on the shoulders of Jayme-Lee Hunter. The New Zealand native approached the ball and perfectly placed it into the top left corner, ending the match and sending the Aces to the MVC Championship semifinals.

Previewing the Matchup

• Friday's matchup marks the 19th all-time meeting between the two sides with Evansville owning a 10-4-4 advantage in the series. The Aces and Beacons met less than two weeks ago in Valparaiso, Ind. with Valpo grabbing a 2-1 win. 
• This will mark just the second time the two teams have met in the postseason, last meeting in the quarterfinals of the 2020-211 MVC Championship with the Beacons advancing on PKs. 
• The Aces win over Indiana State was the fifth time since 2013 that Evansville advanced on PKs in the MVC Championship. 
• In five of its last seven MVC Championship appearances, Evansville has advanced past its opening match. 
• Goalkeeper Michaela Till continued to increase her program record save count, adding nine saves against Indiana State, to bring her career total to 370. Till is currently tied for sixth all-time in MVC history. 
• Over the last three seasons, fifth-year senior defender Morgan Blair has missed just 52 minutes over 3,936 minutes of match time, including just 22 minutes this season. 
• An intimidating force at any time of the season, Michaela Till has put in her best performances when they matter the most. In her career, Till has a 1.42 goals-against average. In five postseason matches, Till's goals-against average drops to an incredible .52, allowing just four goals in 522 minutes between the posts. 
• In matches that have gone to PKs, Jayme-Lee Hunter is 2-for-2 in coverting heer attempts, including the match winner on Sunday at Indiana State.

Using its Defense

• Evansville's goal against the Sycamores on Sunday was the first goal the Aces scored in the MVC Championship since a 2-1 loss to Illinois State on Nov. 6, 2016.
• Despite the lack of scoring, Evansville still held a 1-3 record over that span, advancing on PKs against UNI on Oct. 28, 2018 and limiting its opponents to one goal or less in all four matches.

 

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