The Indiana State women's soccer team will look to get back on a winning streak when they host in-state rival Valparaiso on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. before opening up Missouri Valley Conference action against the Creighton Bluejays on Sunday at Noon out at Memorial Stadium. Fans that can't make it to Terre Haute for Sunday's match with Creighton can log on to GoSycamores.com and watch a live stream of the contest through SycamoreVision.

Even though the Sycamores saw their six-game winning streak come to an end last Sunday against Bowling Green, the squad still carries a 6-3 record into the weekend with the Crusaders and Bluejays, their best start through nine matches.

Valparaiso enters the match with a 4-3-2 record this season, falling in their last two matches by 1-0 scores at Vanderbilt last Friday before falling to Austin Peay on Sunday. Creighton enters the weekend on a five-game winning streak and overall at 7-2-2 on the season, topping UMKC, 3-0, in their match on Wednesday in Omaha.

Head Coach Erika True

Head coach Erika True begins her second season in charge of the Indiana State women's soccer program with the beginning of the 2010 season. Head coach True has led the Sycamores to their best start in the program history this season, as the team is out to a 6-3 record through nine matches.

ISU set or tied several program records on the pitch in the first year under head coach True, including: most MVC Player of the Week selections (four), most road results in a single season (five), most MVC First Team Scholar-Athlete selections (three), most overall MVC Scholar-Athlete selections (four) and most goals in a game (two -- by seniors Katlin Owens and Erin Bianchi).

True came to Indiana State after spending four seasons as the assistant coach at Indiana University when she was hired on February 10, 2009. During her tenure at IU, True held numerous responsibilities, including: head goalkeepers coach, organizer of recruiting visits and all on-campus team activities.

True concluded her time as a student-athlete in 2002 after spending four seasons as a goalkeeper at Bowling Green State University. As team captain at Bowling Green in 2002, True finished her career holding every goalkeeping record (single-match, season, and career) in school history. She was the second player in school history to earn First Team All-MAC honors, while also setting conference career records for minutes played and saves.

A Little History

The Sycamores and Crusaders have met every season since 2000, with Valparaiso holding a 7-2-1 advantage in the series. ISU last defeated VU back in 2003, when ISU won 2-0 in Terre Haute. Overall, the Sycamores are 2-3 against the Crusaders in Terre Haute since 2000. Indiana State and Creighton have also met every season since 2000, with the Bluejays holding a perfect 12-0 record against the Sycamores. ISU and CU opened up their MVC schedule against each other last season as well, with ISU falling 1-0 in Omaha.

Scouting The Crusaders

Valparaiso carries a 4-3-2 record into Friday's nonconference matchup, dropping their last two results. VU was picked third out of nine in the Horizon League before the season and currently sit in a tie for first place with preseason favorite Milwaukee. Sophomore Luisa Desario leads the Crusaders in points, tallying three goals and two assists this season, while freshman Kristen Manski has played every minute in goal this season, totaling 30 saves and 1.15 GAA.

Scouting The Bluejays

Creighton enters Sunday's match at an MVC best 7-2-2 on the season, including five straight wins since September 9. CU was picked to finish second in the MVC during the preseason vote and tied Illinois State and Missouri State with three preseason all-conference selections, in senior Emily Orbell (2 G, 6 A), junior Kelly Connolly (1 G, 0 A), and sophomore Brittney Neumann (4 G, 3 A). Junior Andrea Zuniga leads the Bluejays in points, with 12 on five goals and two assists, while junior goalkeeper Alicia Montgomery carries a 0.55 GAA.

Gasparovich Named MVC Player Of The Week

Alison Gasparovich scored all three ISU goals last weekend, recording the game-winner in a 1-0 win on Friday over IUPUI and a pair on Sunday in a 3-2 defeat against Bowling Green. The Sycamore midfielder scored the only goal Friday on a PK before giving ISU both 1-0 and 2-1 leads against the Falcons. Gasparovich leads the MVC in points (13), goals (five) and is fourth in assists (three) this season while also leading ISU in minutes played (825 of a possible 840). On Sunday, Gasparovich became the 12th player in ISU history to score a pair of goals in a game, as the Sycamores have never seen one player complete a hat trick. She is the third Sycamore to earn a Player of the Week selection this season, joining junior Emily Lahay and sophomore Kourtney Vassar.

Midseason Report

The Sycamores sit at 6-3 at the halfway point of their 2010 regular season schedule, a mark that puts them well ahead of pace for the team's best win-loss record in school history. ISU has only eclipsed six wins three times in their 11-year history, topping out with a 9-10 record in the 2004 season. The 2004 squad sat one game under the .500 mark after nine matches, at 4-5.

Indiana State is also just above its normal pace for goals scored, as ISU has netted 14 goals through nine games. Through ISU's first ten seasons, the Sycamores averaged 12.1 goals through their first nine matches.

Just One

Eight out of ISU's nine matches this season have been decided by just a single goal. ISU is currently 5-3 this season in matches decided by one goal, their most wins in one-goal matches since they won six in 2004. The only match this season that was not decided by one goal was Indiana State's 2-0 win over IPFW on August 29.

Halftime Adjustments

Whatever head coach Erika True has been saying during the halftime break has caused the Sycamores to come out firing in the second half of matches. ISU holds a slim 53-44 advantage in shots over the first 45 minutes of their matches, but have doubled up their opposition in the second half and overtimes this season, to a tune of a 79-37 edge.

Record Setters

With the 2010 team setting the record for the best start in school history, several individual performances have made their way into the Indiana State record. Below is a quick snapshot of records set this season.

Goals (Single Match)                                    

T1. Casey Clark (2 on Sept. 5) / Alison Gasparovich (2 on Sept. 19)

Shots (Single Match)                                     Points (Single Season)

3. Seyma Erenli (8 on Sept. 5)                       T10. Alison Gasparovich (13)

Goals (Single Season)                                   Goals Against Avg. (Single Season)

T10. Alison Gasparovich (5)                          1. Emily Lahay (0.79)

2010 MVC Standings (as of September 22, 2010)

                                    MVC       Overall     Streak    This Weekend

1. Creighton                  0-0-0       7-2-2         W5       at Indiana State (9/26)

2. Indiana State         0-0-0      6-3-0         L1       vs. Valpo (9/24); vs. CU (9/26)

3. Drake                       0-0-0       5-2-2         W2       vs. NDSU (9/23); vs. UE (9/26)

4. Missouri State            0-0-0       4-4-1         L1       at UNI (9/24); at UMKC (9/26)

5. Illinois State              0-0-0       4-5-0         L3       No Matches

6. Evansville                 0-0-0       2-6-1         L1       at Drake (9/26)

7. Northern Iowa           0-0-0       1-6-1         W1       vs. Missouri State (9/24)

Around The Conference

Shots (Team)          Total    Avg/G                    Points (Team)         Total    Avg/G

1. Creighton             164      14.9                     1. Creighton              68        6.2

2. Indiana State    132      14.7                     2. Missouri State        41        4.6

3. Drake                  116      12.9                     3. Indiana State     38        4.2

4. Missouri State       112      12.4                     4. Drake                   33        3.7

5. Illinois State          95       10.6                     5. Evansville             20        2.2

6. Northern Iowa       73        8.1                      6. Illinois State          19        2.1

7. Evansville             67        7.4                      7. Northern Iowa        6         1.0

Goals (Team)          Total    Avg/G                    Assists (Team)        Total    Avg/G

1. Creighton              26        2.4                      1. Creighton              16        1.5

2. Missouri State        15        1.7                      2. Missouri State        11        1.2

3. Indiana State     14        1.6                      3. Indiana State     10        1.1

4. Drake                   13        1.4                      T4. Illinois State         7         0.8

T5. Evansville            7         0.8                      T4. Drake                  7         0.8

T5. Northern Iowa      7         0.8                      6. Evansville              6         0.7

7. Illinois State           6         0.7                      7. Northern Iowa        2         0.2

Points (Ind.)            Total     G / A                    Goals (Ind.)            Total      GP

1. Gasparovich, INS      13      5 / 3                    T1. Gasparovich, INS     5          9

2. Zuniga, CU            12       5 / 2                     T1. Zuniga, CU           5         11

3. Neumann, CU        11       4 / 3                     T3. Gunther, CU         4         11

T4. Orbell, CU           10       2 / 6                     T3. Neumann, CU       4         11

T4. Gunther, CU        10       4 / 2                     T5. Collins, INS         3          9

6. Schuling, DU          8        2 / 4

Promotional Nights At Memorial Stadium

The Indiana State women's soccer team will be hosting numerous events and promotional nights out at Memorial Stadium this season. Below is a schedule of the events planned during several home matches this season.

Parents and Alumni Weekend - Sept. 10 vs. UMKC, Sept. 12 vs. Belmont

The Sycamores will welcome in alumni of the soccer team, as well as parents of players in the program for a weekend in Terre Haute.

Bark in the Park Night - Sept. 10 vs. UMKC

Fans are invited to bring their favorite pet out to Memorial Stadium on Friday night when the team takes on UMKC.

High School Day - Sept. 19 vs. Bowling Green

The women's soccer team welcomes each of the soccer teams from the Wabash Valley on Sunday afternoon when ISU takes on Bowling Green.

Youth Soccer Day - Sept. 26 vs. Creighton

All youth soccer teams from the area are invited to attend ISU's Missouri Valley Conference opener against perennial power Creighton.

Think Pink Night - Oct. 8 vs. Drake

The Sycamores take on the Drake Bulldogs while also assisting in the fight against breast cancer with the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Senior Night - Oct. 15 vs. SIU Edwardsville

Come join ISU in honoring Casey Clark, the team's lone senior on the 2010 roster, before the Sycamores kick off against SIU Edwardsville.

Blue/White Day - Oct. 17 vs. Northern Iowa

Pack the stadium in blue and white for ISU's final home contest of the 2010 season against MVC foe Northern Iowa.