OPENING WHISTLE
Indiana State continues its five-game homestand when they face Belmont on Sunday, September 15. Kick-off is set for 1:00 pm (ET) and will be televised nationally on ESPN+. Live stats will be available on GoSycamores.com.
Head coach Julie Hanley, in her fourth 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. In 2018, she led the Sycamores to four road wins for the first time since 2013 as well as a four match undefeated streak in road games for the first time in the history of the program.
Of Indiana State's six victories last season, four came on the road. The Sycamores saw a string of five consecutive matches undefeated end on September 14 against Western Michigan. It marked the first time since 2013 that Indiana State has enjoyed a streak of success that long. Indiana State enjoyed undefeated streaks of six matches three times (in 2006, 2010 & 2013) which is a record for the program.
Indiana State's 6-3-2 non-conference record was the best among the league membership outside of MVC play one year ago.
MATCH PREVIEW
Indiana State leads the all-time series against Belmont by a 4-1-1 margin.
The Sycamores are a perfect 4-0 against the Bruins at home, including a 2-1 victory in the last matchup. That win came on August 28, 2015 in Terre Haute.
THE VALLEY ON ESPN
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.
Danielle Varner Named To Preseason All-MVC Team
Indiana State junior Danielle Varner was named to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Team as part of a summer time vote of the league's head coaches. Varner was named in 2018 to the All-MVC Second Team as well as an honorable mention Valley Scholar-Athlete. She played and started in all 18 matches for the Sycamores and scored a pair of goals while adding an assist for a total of five points on the season. Varner fired off 15 shots, including five shots on goal. She scored her first goal at Akron as she had three shots in the contest. Varner then added another goal as part of the eight goal outburst against Chicago State. She tallied an assist in conference play at Missouri State. Varner was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week after the Sycamores completed a busy three-game road swing around the Labor Day weekend undefeated. It was her first career MVC Weekly honor.
Wahlberg Breaks Through!
Indiana State freshman Celeste Wahlberg scored her first career goal as part of a 1-0 victory over Dayton on September 8. Wahlberg found the back of the net in the 37th minute and the defense made the score hold up as ISU entered the win column for the first time this year. She led the way with five shots in the contest, including three on goal. It was Wahlberg's first career game-winning goal. For the week, Wahlberg tallied eight shots, including four goal and the goal at Dayton.
Tara Hoffman Keeps Sheet Clean In Starting Debut
Thrust into her first career start just moments before the Dayton contest, freshman Tara Hoffman enjoyed the finest day in goal for the Sycamores this season by producing the first shutout of the campaign – and thus the first victory. She played all 90 minutes in the 1-0 victory over the Flyers in keeping the clean sheet and recording four saves in the process. Those four saves are a career-high and it was her first career shutout and goalkeeping victory.
Young Strikers Making Their Mark Early
The Sycamores have recorded 78 shots this season, including 37 of which have come on goal. Of those 78, 64 have been by players that are either in their first or second season with the program. Of the 37 on goal, 30 have come by that same group. So 82.1 percent of the team's shots have been by underclassmen while 81.0 percent of the shots on goal have come from that same group.
Sidney Ewing Posts 5th Quickest Goal In Program History At Central Michigan
Sidney Ewing (off the assist from Danielle Varner) lit the scoreboard in just 2:28 of game time on Friday night at Central Michigan. It was the fifth fastest goal scored in the 19-year history of the ISU women's soccer program and the fastest since Caitlyn Eddy found the back of the net at SIU Edwardsville in just 2:24 last season. Ewing also scored quickly against Chicago State on September 16, 2018 when she stole the ball and scored from 25 yards out just 2:40 into the match. That goal proved to be the sixth-fastest goal scored in ISU history. Ewing now owns both the 5th and 6th fastest scored goals in program history. In the last two seasons, the Sycamores have scored three of the six fastest goals in the history of the program.
Sycamores Pick Up First Ever Win Over Atlantic 10
Indiana State's 1-0 victory over Dayton was the first for the program against the current membership of the Atlantic 10. ISU fell earlier to Saint Louis by the score of 2-1 on August 25 of this season and the only other previous meeting was in 2008 against Rhode Island.
Hannah Sullivan Sets Career High At Saint Louis, Matches At Central Michigan
Sycamore goalkeeper Hannah Sullivan set a new career high with eight saves in the 2-1 loss at Saint Louis on August 25. In the rain, Sullivan recorded eight saves against 10 shots on goal. The Billikens recorded 20 shots to the Sycamores' 3 in the contest. She tied that mark with eight more saves in a 2-1 defeat at Central Michigan. Sullivan now has 138 career saves which ranks fifth-best in the history of the program.
Katie Sidloski Posts First Goal Of The Season
Indiana State senior Katie Sidloski scored the match's only goal for the Sycamores at Saint Louis on Sunday. She found a loose ball outside of the penalty box and took advantage of the SLU goalkeeper who had fallen on the wet turf for her first goal of the season. It was her only shot on goal of the weekend.
8-0 Win Over Chicago State Was Most Goals Ever Scored Versus A NCAA Division I School
Indiana State's 8-0 offensive outburst against Chicago State proved to be the most goals scored for the Sycamores since they tallied nine on October 12, 2008 against Oakland City. ISU's eight goals against the Cougars are the most ever for the program against a NCAA Division I team. ISU improved to 5-0 all-time against Chicago State, and have beaten them by a cumulative score of 34-2.
Up Next
Indiana State stays at home on Sunday, September 22 to face off against Purdue Fort Wayne. Kickoff is set for 3 pm (ET) from Memorial Stadium.
