EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women's soccer team did not get the result it wanted on the field on Sunday, but thanks to another result around the Missouri Valley Conference, the Purple Aces will advance on to the 2023 MVC Tournament.  UE will face fifth-seeded Murray State on Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Chicago, Illinois in the first round.

Missouri State, which finished second in the MVC regular-season standings, used a 24th minute goal by Gracie English on Sunday to grab control of the match at Evansville, and the Bears tacked on two goals in the second half to spoil UE's 'Senior Day.'  Evansville honored squad members Maria Alexopoulos, Nicole Benati, Myia Danek, Jasmine Hauser, Georgia Katsonouri, Josie Kremzar, Abbi Lenk, Rachel Rosborough and Emily Wiebe in pre-game festivities prior to Sunday's match.

The Purple Aces were still able to finish in the eighth and final playoff spot on Sunday, thanks to a 1-1 draw between Indiana State and Murray State in Terre Haute.  With both results, Evansville finished the regular-season with nine points in the Valley standings, while Indiana State finished with eight.

Evansville will now face a Murray State squad on Thursday which it played to a 0-0 draw against in Murray, Kentucky on September 24.  In that match, Murray State held a slight 12-10 advantage in shots on Evansville, but Danek recorded six saves to help Evansville post one of its five shutouts on the season.  The winner of Thursday's match between Evansville and Murray State will advance on to face fourth-seeded UIC in Chicago on Sunday for the right to advance on to the MVC semifinals.

All matches of the 2023 MVC Tournament can be seen live on ESPN+.