EVANSVILLE - For the first time since 1995, the University of Evansville men's soccer team earned a result against in-state foe Indiana, battling to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night at Arad McCutchan Stadium in Evansville.

Senior winger Nkosi Graham opened his account for the 2022 campaign, scoring in the second half to go along with his team-best four assists on the season. Named the Missouri Valley Conference's Offensive Player of the Week earlier in the day, freshman forward Nacho Diaz contributed again to the Aces attack, recording his second assist in as many matches to aid Evansville. In goal, graduate goalkeeper Alex Vidizzoni marked his 10th match of the season allowing one goal or less, making a pair of saves in the draw.

Indiana got the scoring started early in the match, finding the back of the net in the third minute on a goal from Tommy Mihalic off an assist from Ryan Wittenbrink. After settling in following the early IU tally, Evansville held possession for much of the following 42 minutes, generating a chance in the 43rd minute off the foot of freshman Tancredi Fadda that was barely tipped off targert by the Hoosiers as the visitors maintained their goal advantage at the break.

The early portions of the second half saw Evansville as the aggressor, but it was IU who recorded the first chance of the second period. Indiana's Herbert Endeley put a shot on target in the 53rd minute, but Vidizzoni made the save to keep it a one-goal deficit and that would payoff quickly. In the next minute, Evansville quickly moved the ball up the pitch, getting Graham loose and pushing the ball forward. Nacho Diaz played a through bal in the path of Graham and with IU's keeper well out of goal, Graham dribbled past the keeper and finished into the back of the net to tie the match at one. Not long after the initial goal, Evansville nearly grabbed the lead as senior Ethan Garvey found the ball at his feet with space and attempted a rocket from 40-yards out that dipped and ricocheted off the crossbar and out. The Aces worked a 6-4 advantage in shots in the second half, including four Evansville shots on-goal to just one for the Hoosiers as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Evansville returns to MVC action on Saturday night at 7 PM against UIC in Chicago, Ill.
 

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