TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – It's the start of Missouri Valley play this weekend as Indiana State makes the trip to Nashville, Tenn. for a Sunday afternoon contest against Belmont University. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Bruins at E.S. Rose Park is set for 3 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+.
 
The Sycamores (1-2-5) battled through a tough preseason slate that featured season-opening back-to-back shutout draws at both Louisville and Miami (Ohio) as ISU took on tough competition out of the gates. The remainder of the nonconference slate featured draws against Marshall, Eastern Illinois, and UT Martin, before Indiana State picked up its first win of the year this past Sunday against SIU Edwardsville.
 
Indiana State put the first win in the column in front of the home fans at Memorial Stadium behind goals from Mackenzie Kent and Lina Fasquelle against visiting SIUE in the Sycamores' 2-1 win. ISU picked up its first win in the Paul Lawrence coaching era on Sunday afternoon despite SIUE holding a 12-9 edge in shots and a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks on the year.
 
Fasquelle broke open a scoreless tie late in the first half as the junior midfielder collected a ricochet off a free kick near the 30-yard line at Memorial Stadium. The Lille, France native took two touches before launching a shot from 25 yards out past a leaping Taylor Spiller and into the upper left corner of the net in the 42nd minute to give Indiana State the 1-0 lead.
 
SIUE battled back in the second half with several opportunities before Mackenzie Hayes provided the equalizer in the 64th minute of the contest. Hayes took the ball from Kelsey Kehoe and fired her first goal of the 2023 season into the upper left on target to tie the match back up at 1-1.
 
The Sycamores continued to press in the second half as Brooklyn Woods collected a SIUE clearance attempt near midfield. The sophomore defender spotted Kent open in the upper right portion of the goal box and crossed the ball on target. Kent took a touch before uncorking a shot over Spiller and under the crossbar for her first goal of the season in the 75th minute to give the Sycamores the lead for good in the 2-1 win.
 
The two-goal contest against SIUE marked Indiana State's first multi-goal game since September 22, 2022 when ISU topped Evansville, 2-1.
 
Fasquelle and Kent became the fourth and fifth Sycamores to score goals in the 2023 season joining Maddie Helling (2), Chloe Tesny (1), and Adelaide Wolfe (1). Brooklyn Woods became the fourth player to record an assist on the season following her pass to Kent for the game-winner.
 
Kent continues to lead the Indiana State offense on the season with a team-high 17 shots and eight shots on goal. Woods is second on the squad with seven shots, while Woods, Alexa Mackey, and Helling all have five shots on target apiece.
 
Maddie Alexander remains the Sycamores' primary in goal this season as the senior keeper boasts a 1.07 goals-against-average over eight matches. She's posted an 81.4% save percentage on the year with a pair of shutouts over 101 shots faced.
 
Belmont (1-5-2) was selected seventh overall in the MVC preseason women's soccer poll as announced by the conference office in mid-August. The Bruins received 41 total points after finishing tied for sixth overall in the standings in 2022.
 
Belmont opened the season with a 1-0 win over North Alabama, but the Bruins have struggled to match the result since the opening with an 0-5-2 record over their last seven matches. Belmont posted ties against Eastern Kentucky (1-1) and Western Kentucky (0-0), while playing top quality competition against Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
 
Maci Pekmezian is the team's scoring leader with two goals and an assist on the season, while Avery Nowak has distributed the offense with a trio of assists on the year. Overall, four Belmont players have scored in 2023 with the Bruins being outshot 39-139 on the season.
 
Sarah Doyle has lined up every minute in goal for the Bruins this season. The graduate student boasts a 1.75 goals-against-average with 54 saves on the year, while adding a 79.4% saves percentage.
 
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