EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women's soccer team will return home briefly on Thursday night to host reigning Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion Valparaiso on "Girl Scout Night at UE." Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. and anyone involved in the Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana can get $3.00 tickets, with the chance of purchasing special scout patches for just $2.00.
For Evansville, Thursday's match will be the only home match in UE's first four Valley games, as the Purple Aces opened MVC play last Friday with a 1-1 draw at Illinois State. Sophomore forward Amy Velazquez (Avon, Ind./Avon) scored her first career goal in the 82nd minute last Friday, and the UE defense limited Illinois State to just four shots on goal to earn the draw. Defense has been UE's calling card so far this year, as the Purple Aces have surrendered just seven goals through the first seven matches, and they have limited the opposition to just a 37.6 percent shot accuracy so far.
Valparaiso will play its first Valley match of the year on Thursday night, after going 4-2-2 in non-conference play. Junior forward Addy Joiner currently leads the Beacons' attack with five goals, as she ranks second in the MVC in goals scored. Joiner earned first-team all-MVC honors a year ago at striker, and she helped Valparaiso earn the regular-season Valley crown with a league-best seven regular-season goals.
All-time, Evansville leads the series 11-5-4 over Valparaiso. All-time in MVC play, UE leads the series 6-3-2. Evansville and Valparaiso have played just twice in Evansville since the Beacons returned to the MVC in the sport of women's soccer in 2017, with the Purple Aces posting a 1-0 win in 2018 and the two teams playing to a 0-0 draw in the COVID spring season of 2021. Valparaiso has not won in Evansville since the 2004 season.
Thursday's match can be seen live on ESPN+.
