TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State plays host to the Butler Bulldogs on Bark in the Park night. ISU welcomes Butler on Thursday, Sept. 3rd at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday's match with Butler is Bark in the Park night. Fans are welcome to bring their dogs with them to the game. Donations of any dog or cat-related items will also be accepted. Fans who donate will be eligible to receive a reduced ticket price for donating two or more items. There will be a half time raffle along with adoptable dogs shown during that time.
In 2014, the two teams met at the Butler Bowl, with the Bulldogs defeating the Sycamores 1-0. Butler's Sophia Maccagnone put Butler up in the 74th minute. The Sycamores registered six shots in the contest. Brittany San Roman earned 10 saves in the contest.
A Little History -- Butler
The Sycamores and Bulldogs will add a new chapter to their rivalry in 2015. During the last 15 seasons, ISU has faced Butler 13 times, missing only the 2000, and 2001 seasons. The Bulldogs have held the advantage in the series, with ISU trailing 3-10. In 2014, the Sycamores fell 1-0 at the Butler Bowl.
Scouting The Bulldogs
Butler comes to Terre Haute after playing in two matches already this week. The Bulldogs played against UW-Milwaukee on Sunday, where they won 1-0 after scoring on a penalty kick in the 15th minute. UW-Milwaukee didn't register a shot in the contest. Against IUPUI on Tuesday night, the Bulldogs defeated the Jaguars 2-0. The Butler defense held the Jaguars to one shot in the contest.
Offensively, the Bulldogs are led my Sophia Maccagnone. Maccagnone has registered two goals and assisted one other in the four games in 2015, while also leading the team with 17 shots. Paige Monaghan has also registered five points, scoring twice and assisting one more. Monaghan has 10 shots on the season.
On the defensive side of the pitch, the Bulldogs have dominated the 2015 season. During the four matches, Butler has given up just 12 shots, with eight on frame. They have also dominated corner kicks, leading opponents 25-6 in that category. Madison Card has logged 315 minutes in net, recording four saves while not allowing a goal.
Series History
Here's a look at the series between the Bulldogs and Sycamores. ISU is 3-10 against the Bulldogs.
at Butler - L, 1-4 (10/2/02) vs. Butler - W, 3-2 (9/26/03)
at Butler - L, 0-1 (9/5/04) vs. Butler - L, 0-1 (9/9/05)
at Butler - W, 4-0 (10/25/06) vs. Butler - L, 3-7 (9/11/07)
at Butler - L, 1-3 (10/21/08) vs. Butler - L, 1-3 (9/13/09)
at Butler - W, 1-0 (8/27/10) vs. Butler - L, 0-1 (8/26/11)
at Butler - L, 0-3 (8/24/12) vs. Butler - L, 0-3 (2/25/13)
at Butler - L, 0-1 (9/11/14)
Missouri Valley in Action
Below is a quick look at the other MVC teams playing during the week. (all times are in Eastern)
9/4
Evansville at Purdue, 7 p.m. Eastern Michigan at Illinois State, 8 p.m.
Loyola at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. Tulsa at Missouri State, 8 p.m.
Drake at Northern Colorado, 9 p.m.
Spreading the Wealth
ISU scored two goals over the weekend, with four different Sycamores earning offensive points. Maddie Schaak recorded her first collegiate goal, giving Indiana State the early lead against Belmont. She was assisted by 2014's point leader Maddie Orf on the play. ISU's second goal was scored by forward Kate Johnson who was assisted by Sydney Lovelace and Orf. The last time the Sycamores had four offensive contributors was on Sept. 28, 2014, a 2-0 win over IPFW.
Sydney the Scholar
Senior forward Sydney Lovelace earned MVC Scholar-Athlete of the week honors for the week prior to Aug. 24th. Lovelace led the team with seven shots, three shots on goal and scored twice in her 189 minutes of action in the two matches of opening weekend. Lovelace tallied one shot in a 3-1 loss to Idaho before bringing the Sycamores back against Montana. ISU went down 3-0 to the Grizzlies in the 50th minute prior to forcing double overtime. Lovelace scored in the 53rd and 57th minutes to bring the Sycamores back into the match. Lovelace has earned a 3.94 GPA in athletic training.
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.
Well Isn't That Lovely
Sydney Lovelace is entering 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 eleven career assists are tied for third all-time at ISU. Lovelace has scored the fifth-most offensive points (35 -- 12 G, 11 A) in school history during her career.
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 35 (12 G, 11A), Kate Johnson has racked up 31 (12G, 7A) points. Sydney Loesing has been no stranger to scoring goals, netting six in her three seasons. 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 assisting
five more. 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 will be counted on to make a big impact during the 2015 season. The preseason All-MVC selection is coming off of her most productive offensive season. 2014 saw Orf score seven goals and assist two others. 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.
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.
MVC History
Indiana State holds a 6-9-1 all-time record in the MVC Tournament, picking up wins in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2013. The Sycamores earned a quarterfinals win at home over Northern Iowa in 2004 before making a run to the championship match in 2008 after tallying wins over Drake and Illinois State in Omaha, Neb. 2012, ISU earned the fifth-seed and were able to defeat UNI in penalty kicks before taking down Evansville to advance to the Championship Match where they fell to eventual champion Illinois State. In 2013, the Sycamores were the second-seeded team in the MVC tournament and reached the championship game by defeating Drake 4-0. ISU then lost to Illinois State 5-0.
MVC Championships
Indiana State has made three appearances into the MVC tournament championship. In 2013, the Sycamores won seven of their last eight games before eventually falling to MVC-tournament champion Illinois State. During the 2012 campaign, the Sycamores entered the tournament as the fifth seed. ISU defeated UNI, and Evansville before falling to Illinois State in the Championship match. In 2008, Indiana State fell 2-0 to Evansville in the championship match. Illinois State has won the MVC tournament the past four seasons as well as the regular season title the past two seasons.
Looking To Make History
Indiana State has only had two women's team across all of their athletic programs earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament one went to the 2008 women's tennis team, while the 2015 ISU Softball team won the MVC tournament to clinch a spot in the NCAA softball tournament.
Return to Action
Indiana State returns to action when it hosts Eastern Illinois on Sunday, Sept. 6th at 1:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
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 and Instagram.
