The Indiana State women's soccer team looks to improve their 2-2 record this season when they host the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Sunday, September 5 at Memorial Stadium. ISU will look to extend their current winning streak to three games when the match begins at 1:00 p.m. ET.

The Sycamores began their winning streak with a 1-0 shutout win in Indianapolis over Butler last Friday before recording another clean sheet with a 2-0 win at home over IPFW last Sunday. The last time that Indiana State recorded back-to-back shutout victories was back in 2008, when ISU made their run to the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game by defeating both Drake and Illinois State by 1-0 scores in Omaha, Neb.

Eastern Illinois also enters the weekend with an even 2-2 record, but has fallen in each of their last two contests by 1-0 scores, at Valparaiso last Friday and to Eastern Michigan at home last Sunday. EIU plays at Green Bay this Friday, before taking on the Sycamores on Sunday.

The Coach

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 led the Sycamores to a 5-10-3 overall record and a 2-3-1 record in Missouri Valley Conference in 2009, good for fifth place in the conference.

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 Panthers have played every season since the beginning of Indiana State's program in 2000, with Eastern Illinois being one of just eight schools that ISU has played every year. EIU currently holds a 6-2-2 advantage in the series, including a 3-2 record in Terre Haute. Last season, the Sycamores and Panthers battled to a 1-1 draw in Charleston, with Alison Gasparovich scoring for ISU. The last time the Panthers came to Terre Haute, the Sycamores won 1-0 in overtime on a goal by Katie Geyman.

Scouting The Panthers

Eastern Illinois began the 2010 season with a pair of shutout victories at home, with a 2-0 win over IUPUI on August 20 and a 1-0 overtime win over Evansville on August 22. The Panthers were picked sixth out of nine in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll after they finished the 2009 season in a tie for fourth place with a 3-3-2 record. Three players have scored for the Panthers this season, with sophomore Ashley Streid, sophomore Kristin Germann and senior Kaitlin Sullivan all tallying one goal in 2010.

Lahay Named MVC Player Of The Week

After tallying back-to-back shutouts in goal for ISU in their wins over Butler and IPFW, junior goalkeeper Emily Lahay was named the Defensive Player of the Week for the Missouri Valley Conference. Lahay made five saves in goal over the pair of games, including a save on penalty kick in the opening minutes of the match against Butler. This is the first Player of the Week selection for ISU this season, who tied a program record with four selections last season.

Clean Sheets

Indiana State recorded back-to-back clean sheets this past weekend for the first time since the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in 2008. That season, the Sycamores defeated both Drake and Illinois State by 1-0 scores en route to a trip to the MVC championship game against Evansville. ISU has recorded back-to-back shutouts only five times in their history, with   consecutive shutouts in 2010, 2008, 2004, 2003 and 2001. The Sycamores have never tallied three clean sheets in a row.

Scoring Machine

Junior Ashley Collins picked up right where she left off when she joined the Sycamores for the 2010 season, scoring twice so far in the regular season and twice in the preseason for ISU. Collins spent her first two seasons at the College of DuPage, where she was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association Division III All-American. Collins' offensive numbers were staggering during her time with the Chaparrals, as she totaled 142 points over her two seasons, with 30 goals and 20 assists as a freshman and 15 goals and 32 assists as a sophomore. In both seasons, Collins led the NJCAA in total points.

No Shots (On Goal) For You!

In ISU's 2-0 win over IPFW on Sunday, the Sycamores did not allow a shot on goal to the Mastodons. The Sycamore backline, consisting of juniors Katie Geyman and Morgan Wendlandt, sophomore Casey Allbright and freshmen Autumn Jacobs and Shelby Troyer consistently turned away attacking plays by IPFW and forced the majority of IPFW's eight shots to come from beyond 25 yards from goal. ISU had held an opponent without a shot on goal just once before, on October 12, 2008, in their 9-0 win over Oakland City.

Home Cooking

During the month of September the Sycamores play seven matches, leaving the friendly turf at Memorial Stadium just one time. ISU hosts Eastern Illinois (9/5), UMKC (9/10), Belmont (9/12), Bowling Green (9/19), Valparaiso (9/24) and Creighton (9/26) at home during September, while making just one short trip up I-70 to face IUPUI in Indianapolis (9/17).

Sycamore Snippets

Junior Morgan Wendlandt returns for her second season of a running blog, in Sycamore Snippets: Season II. Morgan will post frequently during the 2010 season with an inside look at the Indiana State women's soccer program. To check out Morgan's blog, click here.

ISU Soccer Across The Web

The Indiana State women's soccer team is all over the Internet this season. Check out postgame recaps and live broadcasts of selected matches on GoSycamores.com, live in-game updates on twitter.com/ISUsoccer, plus highlight videos and photos on facebook.com/SycamoreSoccer.

2010 MVC Standings (as of September 2, 2010)

                                    MVC       Overall     Streak       This Weekend

1. Drake                       0-0-0       2-0-2         W2          vs. UNLV (9/4)

2. Missouri State            0-0-0       2-1-0         W2          @ ORU (9/3); @ Tulsa (9/5)

3. Creighton                  0-0-0       2-1-1         W2          vs. Iowa St. (9/3)

T4. Illinois State            0-0-0       2-2-0         W1          vs. Kansas (9/5)

T4. Indiana State       0-0-0      2-2-0        W2         vs. EIU (9/5)

6. Evansville                  0-0-0       0-2-1         T1          @ WKU (9/3); @ MTSU (9/5)

7. Northern Iowa           0-0-0       0-3-0          L3          vs. Iowa (9/5)

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.