EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Fresh off its first win of the 2022 season, the University of Evansville women's soccer team will now play its first road contest of the year on Thursday night, as the Purple Aces will travel to Edwardsville, Illinois to take on the Cougars of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Kick-off is set for 7:05 p.m. and Thursday's match can be seen live on ESPN+.
Evansville will enter Thursday's contest at 1-1-1 overall after picking up a 2-1 victory over Morehead State on Sunday at Arad McCutchan Stadium in Evansville. Fifth-year forward Emily Ormson (Folsom, Calif./Vista del Lago) paced the UE attack with four shots, including three on goal, and netted her second goal of the season on her way to earning Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday. Overall, Ormson leads UE with two goals and seven shots, including six shots on goal, and she ranks in the MVC's top 10 in all three categories.
Senior Sophia Rodil (San Francisco, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) added the match-winner on Sunday against Morehead State for her first goal since her freshman year. Rodil has missed the past two seasons while recovering from an ACL injury suffered at the end of her freshman campaign at UE, but she headed home a cross from freshman Chrysta Vasquez (Las Vegas, Nev./Coronado) in the 68th minute to give Evansville the 2-1 victory.
"I thought that we came out a little flat in the first half on Sunday against Morehead State, but after they scored, we showed the type of team that we can be and I thought we really played well," said UE head coach Chris Pfau. "Hopefully, we can build on the momentum from the last 30 minutes of Sunday's match on Thursday night."
SIUE will enter Thursday's contest at 1-3-0 overall after dropping a 2-0 decision to Loyola of Chicago on Sunday. The Cougars are the preseason favorite to win the Ohio Valley Conference, and have played in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. Reigning all-OVC forward Lily Schnieders leads the SIUE attack with eight shots this year, and she is one of four Cougars with a goal on the season. Schnieders scored a goal last year in SIUE's 2-0 victory over UE in Evansville, as the Cougars handed Evansville its first loss of the 2021 season. All-time, the series is tied 1-1.
