EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women's soccer team will play its final road match of the 2022 season on Sunday afternoon, as the Purple Aces will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to battle the Bruins of Belmont. Kick-off is set for 2:05 p.m. and Sunday's match can be seen live on ESPN3.
Evansville will be trying to stay alive in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament race on Sunday. Only the top eight teams in the league will make the tournament this year, and Evansville currently finds itself five points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Valley. It is still mathematically possible for Evansville to clinch a spot in the tournament, but it would involve the Purple Aces picking up two wins in their final two Valley matches, and UE getting help around the league.
The Purple Aces (1-8-5 overall, 0-5-3 MVC) are coming off of Thursday night's 2-2 draw with Drake at Arad McCutchan Stadium. Senior Monique Landrum (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual) and sophomore Ryleigh Anslinger (Evansville, Ind./Memorial) both scored their first goals of the year on Thursday night to spark the UE offense. The Purple Aces produced 10 shots in the match, including holding a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal over the visiting Bulldogs. Landrum and Anslinger had two shots each to help lead UE.
Belmont, meanwhile, is in the mix of teams directly ahead of Evansville in the Valley standings, fighting to solidify a spot in the conference tournament this weekend. The Bruins are currently in a three-team tie for sixth in the Valley with eight points (4-4-5 overall, 2-3-2 MVC) after suffering a 2-1 loss to Valparaiso on Thursday night. Belmont is anchored by senior goalkeeper Sarah Doyle, who currently leads the MVC in goals against average (0.785), save percentage (.865), and saves per game (4.92). Juniors Maci Pekmezian and Anna Sweeney both have three goals on the year to lead the Belmont offense.
Evansville leads the all-time series over Belmont, 7-3-1, including posting a 3-0 victory at Arad McCutchan Stadium last August behind a two-goal game from senior defender Emilie Hill.
