SUNDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 1, @Central Michigan 1
@Cincinnati 3,
Morehead State 0
Southern Illinois 1,
@Southeast Missouri 0
Grambling 1,
@Little Rock 0
@Saint Loius 3,
SIUE 0
@Purdue Fort Wayne 1,
Southern Indiana 0
@Murry State 3,
Lindenwood 1
EASTERN ILLINOIS 1, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 1
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -Serra Pizano scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute on Sunday afternoon for Eastern Illinois as the Panthers collected a 1-1 tie on the road at Central Michigan.
After a scoreless first half, CMU took a 1-0 lead in the match in the 52nd minute on a goal by Matilda Melin. The goal was assisted by Elizabeth Chylstun.
EIU continued to force the offensive pressure in the match with EIU holding a 14-4 shots advantage in the match. Pizano would score the equalizer for EIU in the 82nd minute on an assist by Michaela Danyo. It was Pizano's first goal of the season.
Pizano had one of EIU's six shots on goal in the match. Ella Onstott led EIU with two shots on goal.
EIU moved to 2-1-4 on the season. CMU is now 1-5-1.
CINCINNATI 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Morehead State soccer team struggled to contain the Cincinnati attack on Sunday, falling behind early in the 3-0 loss. Morehead State fell to 3-1-4 on the season, finishing conference play just under .500.
In the 12th minute, goalkeeper Michelle Jerantowski thought she had punched a ball out of danger, but Vanessa DiNardo found herself in the right place at the right time and fired a shot past the Eagle keeper and into the back of the net, giving the Bearcats the lead. Not long after, UC went up 2-0 on a goal from Maddie Swingle.
The Eagles had a chance to cut into the deficit in the 16th minute, as Hadley Cytron fired a shot towards the bottom left corner. but Anna Rexford made a diving save and kept the Eagles off the board. UC struck again with another goal from DiNardo in the 26th minute.
In the second half, Morehead State subbed Erin Gibbs in at goalkeeper, marking her first collegiate action. Gibbs kept Cincinnati off the board in the second half with four saves. Gibbs made three spectacular saves, including a diving stop on a header in close by the Bearcats.
Cincinnati led the way in shots 24-3, with 14 shots in the first half. Only eight of those shots were on target.
The Eagles get six days off before opening OVC play at home versus Southern Indiana on September 18.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 1, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri women's soccer (4-4) fell to Southern Illinois (3-2-1), 1-0, Sunday afternoon at Houck Field to wrap its non-conference schedule.
SEMO next enters its 2022 Ohio Valley Conference slate with a .500 mark (4-4) in non-conference play and will host SIUE, the 2021 OVC Tournament Champions and Regular-Season Champions, Sunday, Sept. 18 at Houck Field.
Emma Spotak registered the game winner for Southern Illinois with a goal in the 30th minute Sunday. She paced SIU with two shots on goal.
SEMO led the Salukis, 7-2 (5-1 SOG) in shots through the opening 45 minutes and ramped up its opportunities in the second half, finishing with a 17-6 (11-4) advantage.
Maddie Paulson paced the Redhawks with a career-best three shots on goal, competing in the full 90 minutes Sunday. The junior midfielder from Jackson, Wisconsin, has now played in the full 90 each of the past two games.
Faith Liljegren added three shots and Zoey Memmel posted a pair of shots on goal as a sub.
Kiana Khedoo looked to bring the Redhawks level with a prime opportunity in the 74th minute but Maddy Alaluf was there for the stop.
Sophia Elfrink made three saves for the Redhawks.
Alaluf tallied 11 saves in the win.
Alyssa Fallon was assessed a yellow card at 41:15.
Emma Brune and Natalie Jackson also both played in the full regulation Sunday. For Jackson, it was her eighth-straight full regulation game of the season while it was Brune's sixth consecutive 90-minute game (seventh in 2022).
Brune registered a shot in the 54th minute that just missed the mark high.
Paris Walsh notched two shots (1 SOG) for the Salukis.
SEMO will next open OVC play Sunday, Sept. 18 against SIUE. First kick is scheduled for 1 p.m., CT at Houck Field.
GRAMBLING 1, LITTLE ROCK 0
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Little Rock endured another physical match Sunday with Grambling issued three yellow cards but the visiting Tigers were able to disrupt things enough to squeak a goal in a 1-0 upset of the host Trojans Sunday afternoon at the Coleman Sports Complex.
The Trojans (2-3-2) were also issued three yellow cards in the match, bringing the total number of cards issued the weekend's action to 13 cards over two matches. Grambling (3-5) scored in the 14th minute and spent the remaining 76 minutes thwarting Little Rock's attack.
Freshman goalkeeper Peyton Urban collected five saves in the game for the fourth consecutive match but saw her scoreless streak get snapped just shy of 382 1/2 minutes as a bid for a new school-record fifth consecutive shutout was foiled by Grambling.
Karlyn Judge netted the lone goal of the game, sending it past Urban in a surprising turn of events.
After that, Little Rock was unable to capitalize on a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks while outshooting the Tigers in the second half, 6-1.
Little Rock's defense stepped up in the second half, limiting Grambling to just one shot attempt and controlling possession for a majority of the final 30 minutes of the match.
The Trojans will now get back on the road, bound for Huntsville, Ala. to face Alabama A&M in a match on Wednesday. This will be the final game for Little Rock before beginning OVC play next Sunday at Lindenwood. The team will not return home to play at the Coleman Complex until September 22, when they host the Skyhawks of UT Martin for Pride Weekend celebrations.
SAINT LOUIS 3, SIUE 0
St. Loius, Mo. - SIUE women's soccer dropped its nonconference season finale Sunday, falling to No. 15-ranked Saint Louis 3-0 at Hermann Stadium.
The Cougars, 1-4-2, now look forward to the beginning of the Ohio Valley Conference season next Sunday at Southeast Missouri.
Burton expressed his confidence that the Cougars will be ready for OVC competition.
Saint Louis, 7-1, picked up goals from Caroline Kelly, Abbie Miller and Hannah Friedrich.
The Cougars were held to shots by Taylor Dolt and Mary Fetter.
Taylor Spiller made eight saves for the Cougars in goal. Emily Puricelli was credited with no saves for the Billikens.
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 1, SOUTHERN INDIANA 0
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer concluded their weekend road trip Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 loss to Purdue University Fort Wayne in soggy conditions.
On a wet, rainy afternoon in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the elements made it a tough day to find the right footing on the field. The wet conditions also made it difficult to control the soccer ball and to make long kicks.
Unfortunately, for the Screaming Eagles (3-2-2), the Mastodons (4-2-2) scored their goal within the first few minutes. Junior midfielder Zoe Greenhalge struck a sinking line drive from outside the box that bounced in front of USI's senior goalkeeper Maya Etienne (Midland, Michigan), who blocked the shot off the bounce, but the deflected ball spun backward and into the net. The early goal left plenty of time on the clock for USI to fight back.
Southern Indiana had two shots on goal in the first, both coming on free kicks. Junior midfielder Alexis Schone (Galena, Ohio) took the first in the 26th minute from about 25 to 30 yards out, but the low kick was saved and covered by Purdue Fort Wayne's senior goalkeeper Samantha Castaneda. Freshman midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) took the second in the 33rd minute from about 22 yards out and to the left, bending the shot down the middle and into the gloves of Castaneda.
The Mastodons took a 1-0 lead into halftime, outshooting the Screaming Eagles 8-2 and 4-2 in shots on goal in the first half.
10 minutes into the second half, the Screaming Eagles had a good look at the goal when freshman defender Charli Grafton (Sunriver, Oregon) took a strong shot with the left foot, forcing Castaneda to make a one-handed, diving save to her right and giving USI a corner kick. Unable to find an equalizing goal at the time, Southern Indiana fought on.
For a lengthy span, Etienne made multiple saves, while her defensive line battled and cleared away attempts by Purdue Fort Wayne to keep the match a one-goal contest.
USI strung together three shots from three different players in a stretch of about seven minutes between the 70th to the 77th minute. Murphy placed one on goal that was saved by Castaneda, and freshman forward Deklan Larring (Franklin, Tennessee) and sophomore midfielder Maggie Duggan (Defiance, Missouri) each fired a shot away.
Southern Indiana continued to apply pressure on Purdue Fort Wayne, earning numerous set pieces and corner kicks in the last ten minutes. Junior midfielder Avery Schone (Galena, Ohio) had the last shot on goal for the Screaming Eagles that went to the low right, but once again, Castaneda made the save for the Mastodons.
For the match, Southern Indiana had seven shots with five on goal, while Purdue Fort Wayne had 17 shots with seven on goal. USI earned six corner kicks to the Mastodons' four.
Individually, Murphy led USI's offense with two shots, both on goal. Avery Schone, Alexis Schone, and Grafton each had a shot on goal. Between the posts, Etienne made six saves, continuing to have played every minute in goal for the Screaming Eagles this season.
USI will prepare this week for their Ohio Valley Conference opener next Sunday on the road against the Morehead State Eagles at noon CT. The match will be available to watch with an ESPN+ subscription.
MURRAY STATE 3, LINDENWOOD 1
MURRAY, Ky. - The Lindenwood women's soccer team (3-4-1, 0-0-0 OVC) fell by a score of 3-1 to Murray State (1-5-1, 0-0-0 MVC) on Sunday afternoon from Murray, Ky.
Murray State opened the game with the first three shots, but it would be Lindenwood who would get on the board first as Lauren Tyson found the back of the net in the 21st minute for the first time this season, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead. Lily Sutter picked up an assist on the goal. The Racers answered quickly scoring two goals in less than nine minutes, giving them a 2-1 lead at the 29-minute mark of the opening half. Lindenwood earned a pair of corner kicks near the end of the half but were unable to convert.
Murray State extended its lead in the 63rd minute as the Racers took a 3-1 lead. Lindenwood was unable to close the gap throughout the remainder of the match, as Murray state would pick up the victory on Sunday afternoon.
Lindenwood will close out non-conference play on Thursday as the Lions take on DePaul. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. from Chicago, Ill.