EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men's soccer team returns home to Arad McCutchan Stadium on Tuesday to renew an in-state rivalry, playing host to Butler. Kick-off is set for 6 PM CT.
Last Time Out
The Purple Aces earned a strong road result on Wednesday evening, playing the Dayton Flyers to a 1-1 draw.
Evansville posted their second shutout in a row, with goalkeeper Michal Mroz (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove) making a season-high five saves, including two highlight-worthy stops in the final ten minutes to preserve his second clean sheet of the year.
Despite neither side being able to put together a goal in the first half of play, Evansville controlled the pace of the game for much of the first period. Mroz made the lone save of the half in the second minute, while the Aces' defense prevented the Flyers from putting another shot on goal for the remainder of the half. Andres Escudero (San Sebastián de los Reyes/Spain IES Joan Miro) had Evansville's only shot of the half in the fourth minute, but the Aces could not find a goal as the score went into halftime at 0-0.
Despite a lack of scoring chances in the first half, the second half saw a plethora of opportunities for both the Aces and Flyers. Dayton began the half on the attack, tallying seven shots in the first 20 minutes of the half, but the Evansville defense held strong.
In the 70
th minute, Chase Ricker (Albuquerque, N.M. La Cueva) saw Evansville's best chance of the night to that point, as he was able to get a foot on a loose ball in the box. However, a great save from Dayton keeper Gavin Krenecki denied UE of the night's first goal.
Another great scoring chance for the Aces came in the 76
th minute off a dangerous corner kick from Ricker, but a header by Pablo Calvete (Ponferrada, Spain UNIR) went just wide of the post and the match remained scoreless.
Mroz made the first of two fantastic late-game saves in the 81
st minute, leaping to get a fingertip on a Dayton header and lift it over the post to deny the Flyers. Tancredi Fadda (Monza, Italy/University of Milan) had the next near scoring chance for Evansville a minute and a half later, but his shot went wide of the post as the Aces just missed the winner. In the 89
th minute, Mroz made another game-saving stop, diving to his right to make his fifth save of the night and help the Aces secure a road result.
Series History
Tuesday marks the 29th meeting between the Aces and Bulldogs. The two sides were conference foes from 1990-1993, playing in the MCC, and met annually from 1990-2000. Butler leads the all-time series 15-12-1, but Evansville holds an 8-4-1 advantage in the River City. The two sides met last season in Indianapolis, with Butler taking a 4-1 win.
Scouting Butler
Butler brings a 2-6 record into Tuesday's match, having most recently lost their Big East opener to Georgetown. The Bulldogs have faced a rugged schedule thus far, including matches against perennial powers Ohio State and Pittsburgh. Both of Butler's wins have come against MVC opponents, defeating Bowling Green 1-0 and Western Michigan 2-1.
Follow Along
Tuesday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats are available at GoPurpleAces.com.
