TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Sycamore Soccer welcomes the Evansville Purple Aces to Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 14th. Wednesday night is also Domestic Violence Awareness night at Memorial Stadium. ISU will be hosting a silent auction as well as accepting donations with all proceeds going to our local Council on Domestic Abuse (CODA).
Indiana State enters the contest with a 5-8 record and are currently 0-2 in the Valley. In its last time out, ISU suffered a 2-1 loss to Missouri State at Memorial Stadium. Indiana State fell to Evansville 2-0 in the only meeting between the teams last season. Erika True is 4-3-0 against the Purple Aces.
Evansville enters the match with a 2-9-2 record and are currently 0-2-1 in the Valley. The preseason MVC favorites have struggled to score, with a 0.85 goals per game average. Evansville is currently on a five-match winless streak, going 0-4-1 in that time.
Sycamores' Status
Indiana State enters Wednesday's match with a 5-8 record and are currently 0-2 in Valley play. In ISU's last time out, the Sycamores suffered a 2-1 loss to Missouri State. Indiana State's goal was scored by senior Kate Johnson. Johnson has scored goals in the last two MVC matches.
A Little History -- Evansville
The Purple Aces and the Sycamores have met on the pitch 18 times with Evansville holding a 10-7-1 advantage. Evansville took two of the first three meetings before ISU won the next four (2002-2005). The Purple Aces then defeated the Sycamores in five-straight matches from 2006-2008, including two Missouri Valley Conference Tournament matches. Over the last six seasons, ISU and UE have alternated wins with ISU winning in '09, '11, and '13. Evansville earned the wins in the '10, '12 and '14 seasons.
Scouting the Purple Aces
Evansville began the 2015 season as the MVC favorites, earning five of the seven first place votes in the preseason poll. The Purple Aces have earned a 2-9-2 record this season, and are currently 0-2-1 in the Valley. Evansville has taken on Butler at the Butler bowl, suffering a 2-1 loss. Other familiar opponents include a 0-0 tie with Belmont, and a 2-1 victory over IUPUI. This last weekend, Evansville suffered a 2-1 loss in Evansville to the conference-leading Drake Bulldogs.
Offensively, the Purple Aces are led by preseason All-MVC midfielder Bronwyn Boswell. Boswell has scored three goals on a team-leading 38 shots. Boswell, Allie Arguello, and Molly Lear have earned two assists each during the season. Sara Osinski, and Olivia Shafer have netted two goals each while combining for 39 shots. Lear is second on the team with 26 shots to go with her two assists.
Defensively, Evansville is led by goalkeeper Simone Busby. Busby was tabbed the preseason All-MVC honoree after a 2014 campaign where she earned 72 saves while allowing only 12 goals per game, good for a 0.62 goals against average. During the 2015 season, Busby has earned 34 saves in her 940 minutes of action.
Series History -- Evansville
Here's a quick look at the series history with Evansville (7-10-1)
10/08/00 - at Evansville - L, 0-8 10/09/00 - at Evansville - L, 0-8 *
11/01/01 - vs. Evansville - T, 1-1 10/31/02 - at Evansville - W, 1-0
09/07/03 - vs. Evansville - W, 2-1 10/28/04 - vs. Evansville - W, 1-0
10/23/05 - vs. Evansville - W, 3-1 10/13/06 - at Evansville - L, 1-2
10/26/06 - at Evansville - L, 1-3 * 10/12/07 - vs. Evansville - L, 1-2
10/01/08 - at Evansville - L, 0-4 11/09/08 - vs. Evansville - L, 0-2 %
10/14/09 - vs. Evansville - W, 2-1 10/20/10 - at Evansville - L, 0-1
10/19/11 - vs. Evansville - W, 1-0 10/17/12 - at Evansville - L, 0-3
10/16/13 - vs. Evansville - W, 1-0 10/15/14 - at Evansville - L, 0-2
*Denotes MVC Tournament match in Evansville
% Denotes MVC Tournament match at a neutral site
MVC In Action
There are no other Valley teams competing on Wednesday night. Illinois State will take on Missouri State, while Loyola and Drake will face off with both matches being played on Saturday.
Deja Vu
During the 2013 season, ISU was 5-8, and 0-2 in the Valley entering the match with Evansville. The Sycamores suffered 2-1 losses in both Valley matches. ISU rattled off six straight wins to earn the second seed in the Valley tournament and earn a place in the MVC Championship match with Illinois State. This season, ISU is currently 5-8, and 0-2 in the Valley and has dropped the first two Valley matches by 2-1 scores.
Sparkling Senior
Kate Johnson scored the first goal in ISU's senior day match with Missouri State (Oct. 10). Johnson fired a shot from long distance to give the Sycamores a 1-0 lead in the 51st minute of action. The goal is Johnson's 14th of her career, placing her fifth all-time at Indiana State.
Sparks from the Subs
Elly Freesmeier came in off the bench against Western Illinois (Oct. 4) and had her most productive day at Indiana State. The sophomore forward earned an assist on the first goal of the match that gave ISU an early lead. Freesmeier then finished on a pass from Sydney Lovelace to give the Sycamores a 2-0 lead. The Sycamores took the match 2-1 over Western Illinois.
Brilliant Brittany
Brittany San Roman has saved 75 shots during the 2015 season. San Roman earned 12 saves in back-to-back performances against Tulsa and Oral Roberts in early September. The 71 saves are tied for 41st in the nation in that category. San Roman has earned 258 career saves, placing her third in school history in that category.
Isn't That Lovely
Sydney Lovelace is in her final year in ISU blue in 2015. The Franklin, Ohio native already ranks in the top five all-time of most offensive categories. Lovelace had a successful season her freshman year, scoring four goals on 58 shots and earning MVC Second Team honors as well as All-Freshman honors. Her 2013 season was cut short due to injury, but during her 12 matches played, Lovelace scored two goals and assisted five others. Last season, Lovelace scored four goals and assisted five more as she was second on the team with 13 offensive points. Her 14 career assists are good for second all-time at ISU. Lovelace has is now tied at second in career offensive points (48 -- 17 G, 14 A) in school history.
Lovelace has had a stellar senior season, netting seven goals and four assists as she leads the team in offensive points. Against Chicago State (09/18), she set a school record for goals scored in a match (three) and offensive points (seven). Lovelace has also earned MVC Offensive Player of the Week twice (09/08, 09/22), and MVC Scholar-Athlete (08/24).
MVC Honors
The Missouri Valley Conference awarded Sydney Lovelace and Kasey Wallace as Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their performances during the week of Aug. 31st-Sept. 6th.
Sydney Lovelace tallied five offensive points on Friday evening in a historical victory over the Butler Bulldogs. ISU went into halftime trailing 1-0. Lovelace scored goals in the 60th and 67th minute to give the Sycamores the lead. After giving up a goal in the 85th minute, ISU battled back and Lovelace assisted the game-winning goal that was scored by Maddie Orf in the 87th minute of action. It was the first victory over Butler since 2010, as ISU is now 4-10 against the Bulldogs. The match was Lovelace's third multi-goal effort in her career. She is now fourth all-time with 40 offensive points, fifth all-time with 14 goals scored. It's the second time that Lovelace has received the award this season.
Kasey Wallace continues to dominate in the defending third of the pitch in the 2015 season. Wallace played 180 minutes of the two matches against Butler and Eastern Illinois, both resulting in Sycamore victories. Against Butler, Wallace played an integral role in helping defeat the Bulldogs for the first time since 2010. Wallace also added an assist in the 3-2 victory over Butler. On Sunday afternoon against Eastern Illinois, Indiana State's defense allowed only nine shots, with just one being on frame.
Historical Comeback
Against Montana on Aug. 23rd, ISU went down 3-0 in the 50th minute. The Sycamores were able to rally back and tie the game up in the 65th minute. Although ISU lost the game in double overtime, the three-goal deficit is the largest deficit a Sycamore team has comeback from in school history.
Fresh Faces
Indiana State has 13 newcomers to the 2015 squad. A group of 12 freshman look to make a major impact on Sycamore Soccer this season. Brice Bement, Andrea Brown, Ashley Gibbons, Kim Gleason, Sydney Hamker, Julia Kist, Julia Linton, Kelly Polacek, Kayla Schrubb, Katie Sullivan, Reilly Teal and Katie Wells will be starting their first season as collegiate athletes. The Sycamores have one sophomore transfer joining for the 2015 season. Casidy Simonis played one season with Carson-Newman of the South Atlantic Conference prior to joining ISU. With the Eagles, Simonis appeared in 11 matches while starting four. She also scored one goal on seven shots.
Preseason Honors
The Sycamores were picked to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference in a preseason poll conducted by the league's head coaches. ISU placed two players on the preseason all-conference team. Junior Maddie Orf earned preseason All-Conference honors while senior Sydney Lovelace earned a place on the Honorable Mention squad. Orf finished the 2014 season with 16 offensive points after leading ISU with seven goals. Lovelace finished with 13 points, netting four goals and assisting five more.
Senior Stars
Four seniors are on the roster for the 2015 season. Sydney Lovelace, Sydney Loesing, Kate Johnson, and Elle Steele make up this year's senior class. All four are currently ranked in the top five of active stat leaders. Lovelace has the most career points with 48 (17 G, 14A), Kate Johnson has racked up 38 (14G, 10A) points. Sydney Loesing has been no stranger to scoring goals, netting six in her three seasons, and earning three assists. Elle Steele has also scored three times in her career.
Johnson was a member of the 2013 MVC First Team after scoring eight goals and five assists. In 2014, Lovelace, Johnson and Steele appeared in all 17 matches. Loesing missed three matches due to injury but all logged significant playing time and all will be counted on to provide leadership and production during the 2015 campaign.
Outstanding Orf
Junior Maddie Orf, a preseason All-MVC selection, is coming off of her most productive offensive season. 2014 saw Orf score seven goals and two assists. Orf took 52 shots during the season, fifth-most in single-season history at ISU. Orf also assisted two others while earning MVC First Team honors as well as MVC Scholar-Athlete honors. The seven goals in the 2014 season are fifth-most in single-season history at Indiana State. Orf has scored five goals and assisted three more in 2015.
Overtime
Indiana State has played 44 overtime matches in their program history, holding a 15-13-17 record when the match goes longer than 90 minutes. In the seven years under head coach Erika True, the Sycamores have played 25 overtime matches, posting a 9-6-10 record.
Return to Action
The Sycamores return to action on Sunday, Oct. 18th as they travel to Northern Iowa to take on the Panthers. Northern Iowa is 5-6-3, and 1-2 in the Valley.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Soccer team, make sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and snapchat (indianastsoccer).
