MOREHEAD – The Morehead State women's soccer team's quest to repeat as Ohio Valley Conference Tournament champions will require a rematch, as the Eagles will look to avenge their earlier loss to Southern Indiana, in a game they felt they let get away from them, when the two sides meet on Sunday in the second round of the tournament at USI's Strassweg Field in Evansville at 2 p.m. ET.
The first meeting took place in Morehead. This time MSU will need to win on the road. However, that is good news for the Blue and Gold since it sports a 6-3-3 mark this season, which is its most wins away from home since 2013.
"They've really kicked on since beating us at our place on Homecoming and are unbeaten in four (straight games)," MSU head coach Paul Cox said. "We need to give absolutely everything and execute the game plan. This is a game we've spoken about that we wanted back during the regular season and we are looking forward to another crack at USI. It's gonna be tense, as all tournament games are."
As the No. 5-seed, Morehead State (8-6-5/4-3-2) enters Sunday boasting a couple of streaks. The team is 2-0-2 in its last four contests and 3-0-1 in its last four away games. It defeated No. 8-seed UT Martin on Thursday in the tournament's opening round. Prior to that, it tied SIUE 1-1 at home last Sunday; topped Southeast Missouri 1-0 in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on October 20; tied Lindenwood 1-1 in St. Charles, Mo., on October 17; fell to Southern Indiana 1-0 at home on October 13; and beat UT Martin 1-0 in Martin, Tenn., on October 6.
It has scored one goal in each of its last four outings and 10 times this fall. Overall, it has recorded at least one point in 14 games.
One more victory will match last year's total of nine, which the Eagles also recorded in 2015.
In Thursday's 1-0 win, sophomore forward
Hedda Ornberg moved into a tie for 10th on the school's single-season goals' list with eight and a tie for fifth on the single-season game-winning goals' list with four, while freshman goalkeeper
Lilly Bailey slid into a tie for 10th on the single-season shutouts' list with her fourth of the year.
Ornberg also became the first Eagle to score in three consecutive games since Macy Cobb tallied goals in the final four matches of the 2014 campaign.
Morehead State also continues to chase its single-season record for fewest goals. It has surrendered 18 to date and the top all-time mark is 21, which was set in 2022. It also is on pace to break the mark for best goals against average of 1.15, which it achieved in 2022. It currently has a 0.95 gaa.
As the defending conference tournament champions, the second-seeded Eagles have the longest active OVC Tournament win streak, which now sits at three games. Last fall, MSU defeated No. 7-seed Southeast Missouri and top-seed Tennessee Tech by 1-0 scores. The latter contest went to two overtimes.
This is the fourth consecutive season the Blue and Gold has made the field. It has qualified for 17 OVC post-season tournaments in its history and is 15-12-2 all-time in those games. Morehead State is the No. 5 seed for the fifth time and is 4-4 holding that position.
MSU has advanced to the second round of the event 11 times, with the most recent (obviously) coming last season. Although the format has changed over the years, it is 5-4-2 in those contests and is 4-5-1 in its second game of the tournament (in some years the Eagles earned an early-round bye).
For the season, Morehead State is averaging 1.11 goals per game, 12.3 shots per game, 4.21 corner kicks per game, 8.63 fouls per game, 2.37 offside violations per game and 4.32 saves per game. Eagle opponents are averaging 0.95 gpg, 12.7 shots per game, 4.37 ckpg, 8.21 fpg, 2.69 offside violations per game and 4.42 saves per game.
Ornberg continues to distance herself from her teammates in the scoring column. She now has eight goals, two assists, 18 points and 43 shots, including 30 shots on goal. Freshmen forwards
Ava Peck and
Carlie Thurmond are second with three goals, two assists and eight points apiece. Peck has taken 20 shots. Thurmond has taken 16. Junior midfielder
Kennedy Baquero adds three goals, one assist, seven points and 25 shots.
Bailey has allowed just one score in the last three games and three goals in the last six. She is continuing to assault the record books with a 5-4-4 record, a 0.94 gaa, 56 saves, a 0.824 save percentage and four shutouts. Her goals against average and shutouts are on the top-10 single season lists. There are no records for save percentage, although she ranks in the top 100 nationally this year.
No. 4-seed Southern Indiana (5-8-5/4-2-3) began its current four-game unbeaten stretch with a 1-0 win at MSU nearly a month ago. It is the team's lone road victory this fall. Since then, it has a 1-0 home win over Little Rock, a 1-1 road tie at SIUE and a 3-0 home win over Western Illinois.
The Screaming Eagles are 4-3-2 at home this season, having won their last two games there.
Junior midfielder Emerson Grafton is the reigning co-OVC Offensive Player of the Week, while junior defender Charli Grafton is the reigning Defensive Player of the Week. Although they hail from different states (Washington and Oregon, respectively), the two are sisters. The pair also were named to the All-OVC Second Team, as the Screaming Eagles' lone all-conference representatives. Emerson was also tabbed as an OVC All-Newcomer selection.
USI is averaging 1.06 gpg, 11.1 shots per game, 5.22 ckpg, 10.56 fpg, 1.61 offside violations per game and 4.78 saves per game. Its opponents are averaging 1.56 gpg, 13.9 shots per game, 5.78 ckpg, 9.17 fpg, 0.78 offside violations per game and 3.61 saves per game.
Emerson Grafton leads the squad with three goals, six assists, 12 points and 24 shots. Sophomore midfielder Pilar Torres contributes two goals, five assists, nine points and 26 shots. Junior forward Payton Seymore has chipped in two goals, three assists, seven points and 18 shots. Junior midfielder Peyton Murphy has tallied two goals, two assists, six points and 22 shots; while redshirt freshman forward Eva Boer adds two goals, one assist, five points and 12 shots.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Anna Markland has a 4-8-4 record, a 1.53 gaa, 71 saves, a .747 save percentage and has been a part of four shutouts.
Only Charli Grafton and senior midfielder Maggie Duggan have started every game.
Eric Schoenstein is in his ninth year leading the USI program. He is 79-60-30 during that time.
Southern Indiana has qualified for the OVC Tournament in each of its three seasons in the league. The club has a 0-2 record. The last two years it has been the No. 4 seed. It also hosted a second-round game last fall and fell to No. 8 seed Little Rock 3-1. In 2022, as the No. 8 seed, it dropped a 2-1 decision to Lindenwood.
With its victory in October, USI now leads the all-time series 2-1, having won the last two meetings. It beat the Eagles 2-1 at home last October, with MSU claiming a taking a 1-0 decision at home in 2022.
Torres had the goal in the game earlier this year. She was assisted by Boer and Emerson Grafton. The Eagles led in shots (10-8), corner kicks (8-6) and saves (5-1). The Screaming Eagles had 19 of the afternoon's 27 fouls and two of the three offside flags.
Emerson Grafton led all players with four shots. Junior defender
Gracen Houck and Baquero each had two to lead the hosts. Bailey had five saves in the Eagles' net, while Markland was credited with two for Southern Indiana.
ESPN+ will broadcast the game at
https://shorturl.at/1uVc2. Live stats are available at
https://shorturl.at/zqnty.
The winner will advance to face league champion Tennessee Tech in the semifinals in Cookeville, Tenn., on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. The championship match will be played on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. ET, also in Cookeville. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11. The 64-team tournament will begin that week.
