CARBONDALE, Ill. – Evansville natives Ryleigh Anslinger (Evansville, Ind./Memorial) and Kaylee Woosley (Evansville, Ind./North) teamed up when it mattered the most on Thursday night to help the University of Evansville women's soccer team keep its unbeaten streak alive with a 1-1 tie at Southern Illinois.
Anslinger took a feed from Woosley in the 86th minute on Thursday night and buried a shot into the bottom-right corner of the goal to knot the match at 1-1. For Anslinger, it marked her first goal of the season, and second in her second season as a Purple Ace. For Woosley, the assist marked her first career point as a Purple Ace.
The late goal was needed to keep the unbeaten streak alive, after the Salukis scored a goal early in the 12th minute. SIU forward Emma Spotak, who netted an 89th minute goal last season to beat Evansville, found the back of the net again in the 12th minute with a right-footed shot to give the Salukis a 1-0 lead.
SIU maintained a majority of possession for the first half, until the final five minutes, when Evansville caught fire, and nearly tied the match on a shot by sixth-year midfielder Nicole Benati in the 43rd minute. UE out-shot SIU, 3-0, in the final five minutes of the first half, but it would just be the start of the attack for the Purple Aces.
In the second half, Evansville pressed forward, beginning the half firing seven shots in the first 15 minutes to put the Salukis under constant pressure. SIU would find its footing over the next 15 minutes, before Evansville would once again put pressure on and finally break through with Anslinger's goal in the 86th minute. Overall, Evansville held an 18-11 advantage in shots for the night, including a 15-4 edge from the 40th minute on.
With the draw, Evansville's record moves to 0-3-7 and 0-0-4 in the MVC. UE's seven ties equal the most in program history, and is the second-highest mark in MVC history. SIU, meanwhile, now stands at 1-6-4 overall and 0-3-1 in the MVC with the tie. The Purple Aces will return home on Sunday afternoon to host Belmont (1-6-5, 0-1-3 MVC) at Arad McCutchan Stadium. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. and Sunday's match can be seen live on ESPN+.
