OPENING WHISTLE
Indiana State continues its season opening road trip on Friday, August 31 at 7 pm (ET) when they travel to Akron. The match will be held at First Energy Stadium -- Cub Cadet Field and will be streamed online by the Zips Digital Network.
Head coach Julie Hanley, in her third season at the helm, led ISU to their first conference tournament appearance since 2013 after a fourth place finish in the 2016 campaign. She then led the Sycamores to a nail biting penalty kick win over the Drake Bulldogs in the MVC Tournament to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Katie Wells is in the midst of her senior season for the Sycamores. She was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Team after taking home second team all-league honors one year ago and first team plaudits as a sophomore. Last season she led the team with six goals scored and 14 points recorded after notching a pair of goals against both Chicago State and Purdue Fort Wayne. She is a two-time MVC Scholar-Athlete Team selection.
Indiana State enjoyed a breakout performance on August 24 at SIU Edwardsville as the Sycamores tallied three first half goals. It was the first time the Sycamores have scored three goals in a half since they did it in both halves last season at Chicago State.
Junior goalkeeper Hannah Sullivan held opponents scoreless for nearly 199 total minutes between the second half of the opener at Northern Kentucky, the entire match at Purdue Fort Wayne and most of the opening stanza against SIU Edwardsville.
Sophomore Camryn DeGrafft took her first career shot on August 29 at Illinois-Chicago and made it count as she scored from 20 yards out for the game-winning goal against the Flames.
The Valley on ESPN, part of the Missouri Valley Conference's media rights agreement with ESPN, will feature most home soccer matches from all eight MVC institutions on the ESPN+ and the ESPN3 streaming platforms. The HD-quality telecasts are available on the ESPN app. Seven Sycamore games will be featured on ESPN+ while four will be shown live world wide on ESPN3.
MATCH PREVIEWÂ
Indiana State travels to Akron on Friday night for their sixth consecutive road match to open the season.
This is the first time the Sycamores will face the Zips in program history.
Indiana State is 2-17 against the Mid-American Conference, with the most recent victory coming on Sept. 11, 2009 at home against Ohio.
ISU is traveling to the state of Ohio for the first time since Sept. 18, 2016 when they lost 3-0 at Toledo. The Sycamores last win in Ohio came on Sept. 22, 2006 -- a 2-1 victory at Cleveland State.
What A First Collegiate Shot!
Indiana State sophomore Camryn DeGrafft entered Wednesday night's game at Illinois-Chicago having played 113 career minutes and never taken a shot in nine matches played. That all changed in the blink of an eye in the 32nd minute against the Flames. DeGrafft was the recipient of a cross field pass at the 20 yard mark and instead of making a pass into the large group in front of the net, she took a shot which dropped right over the Flames goalkeeper and into the back of the net. It was DeGrafft's first career shot and she found the back of the net for the game winner against UIC!
Ready Eddy
Indiana State senior Caitlyn Eddy provided a quick strike for the Sycamore offense on August 24 as ISU used a trio of first half goals to own a 3-1 victory over SIU Edwardsville. Eddy's goal was the first of the year for the Sycamores and the first for her personally at Indiana State. It also came in quick fashion as she scored with just 2:24 elapsed off the clock. It was the fourth fastest goal scored in the 18-year history of the ISU women's soccer program and the fastest since Leah Galton found the back of the net against Hofstra in just 84 seconds on September 7, 2014. The fastest goal scored ever at ISU was Alison Gasparovich who scored in a 1:20 against Valparaiso on September 24, 2010.
Fastest Goals Scored In ISU Women's Soccer History
1:20 Alison Gasparovich vs. Valparaiso (09/24/10)
1:24 Leah Galton vs. Hofstra (09/07/14)
1:30 Lauren Podolski vs. Northern Iowa (09/29/06)
2:24 Caitlyn Eddy at SIU Edwardsville (08/24/18)
3:00 Sarah Whiteley vs. Eastern Kentucky (09/07/07)
Thrice Is Nice!
Indiana State, who entered the SIU Edwardsville match without a goal scored during the opening weekend, tallied three in the first half against the Cougars. Caitlyn Eddy scored the fourth fastest goal in program history and was followed by Alina Steffen as well as Katie Wells as ISU eventually took a 3-1 lead into the half. It was the first time that the Sycamores have scored three goals in a half since they did it in both the first and second halves on September 24, 2017 at Chicago State.
Sycamores Hannah Sullivan Concludes Impressive Scoreless Streak
Hannah Sullivan owned a 199 minute scoreless streak earlier in the year and on Wednesday night at Illinois-Chicago she recorded her second shutout of the season and the fourth of her career. On the season, Sullivan has recorded 20 saves and has faced 52 shots. She has twice tied her career high with six saves against both Purdue Fort Wayne and Iowa.
Varner The Defensive Stopper
Indiana State sophomore Danielle Varner was fantastic for the Sycamores as they split a weekend road series against SIU Edwardsville and Iowa. Varner continuously manned the back line for the Sycamores providing defensive support for goalkeeper Hannah Sullivan. Varner's defensive tactics allowed just 12 shots on goal out of 24 total shots. She continuously stopped opponent's offensive threats but intercepting passes and stopping dribbles in the box. Several offensive threats were thwarted in both matches before a shot was able to be attempted as she stole the ball and led ISU on a counter attack.
Katie Wells -- Owning The Sycamore Record Book
Senior Katie Wells, an Indianapolis (Warren Central HS) native currently ranks seventh best in school history with 38 career points scored and third all-time with 0.69 points scored per match. Her 13 career goals are the seventh most in school history. She is tied with Alison Gasparovich (2008-11) for seventh on the career points list with 38 and needs three more to catch Kate Johnson for sixth. Wells took sole possession of eighth place on the ISU goal chart with her late first half score at SIU Edwardsville and two more to tie Gasparovich and Kate Johnson for sixth with 15. She also needs just three more assists to tie Sydney Lovelace for second on the ISU career chart.
Fancy Clancy
Indiana State freshman Sarah Clancy was solid in just her second week as a Sycamore. She provided support on the Sycamore back line and was charged with beginning the offensive attacks. Clancy twice had the first strike on an offensive attack against SIU Edwardsville which resulted in goals scored for the Sycamores.
The Great Sycamore Road Show
Indiana State exhibition contest at Purdue on August 8 began a nine-match road trip that concludes on September 7 at Eastern Illinois. That puts each of the Sycamores' first eight regular season contests at the road leading up to the home opener on September 9 against Rose-Hulman. ISU travels to Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Iowa over the eight-match swing. The Sycamores are 1-2-1 so far with a big win coming on August 24 at SIU Edwardsville.
New SurfaceÂ
Memorial Stadium, the first collegiate stadium in the world to use artificial turf in an outdoor setting, was resurfaced in the Spring of 2018 with Revolution 360, the leader in high-performance sports turf. The replacement of the FieldTurf surface at Memorial Stadium is a major part of Elevate -- The Campaign For Sycamore Athletics. Since its introduction in 2015, FieldTurf's elite monofilament fiber, Revolution 360, has been the choice of over 300 programs, quickly becoming one of the most popular systems in North America. Named after the concept of completeness, FieldTurf's Revolution 360 fiber features optimal durability, resilience and feel. Quickly becoming the most popular surface in North America, Indiana State University will join an impressive list of current users, which includes CenturyLink Field, home of the Seahawks & Sounders; Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Falcons and United; Providence Park, home of the Portland Timbers; as well as several NCAA D1 university programs including the University of California - Berkeley, University of Iowa, Toledo University, University of Texas at El Paso and over 200 High School and community fields.
UP NEXTÂ
Indiana State concludes continues their season opening road swing when they head to Wright State on Sunday, September 2 for a 1 pm (ET) match with the Raiders. The game will air live on the Zips Digital Network.
