EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer concluded its non-conference schedule with a tough 2-0 loss against Xavier University on Sunday at Strassweg Field.
 
Facing a Big East Conference team for the second straight match to wrap up the non-conference slate, USI Women's Soccer (1-7-3) went toe-to-toe with Xavier (6-2-0) and battled hard in what was a one-goal game for 70-plus minutes in the middle of the match.
 
USI totaled six shots in the contest, two on goal, with graduate forward Payton Seymour leading the team with two attempts. Sophomore goalkeeper Merrick Schwalbach matched her career high with six saves while facing 23 total shots and eight on goal from the Musketeers. Xavier also earned eight corner kicks.
 
Sunday's match kicked off earlier than usual at Strassweg Field to beat the extreme heat forecast for the afternoon. After kickoff, Xavier strung together a handful of shots in the early minutes, but USI's defense thwarted them. However, the Musketeers broke through to take a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute on a rebound attempt. Schwalbach and the Screaming Eagles' defense made multiple stops in the rest of the first half to keep the deficit at 1-0 going into halftime.
 
Schwalbach and the USI defense were nails again to begin the second half, with multiple blocks and saves. The Screaming Eagles' offense got a pair of decent looks inside the box in the 60th minute, with shots by Seymour and freshman midfielder Shea Krakowski that were blocked as USI sought an equalizer. USI had another pair of chances later in the half, with shots by junior forward Josie Pochocki and sophomore midfielder Olivia Hass, but Xavier's sophomore goalkeeper Sami Lipcon saved them. Despite USI's push and efforts to find the equalizer, Xavier doubled its lead to 2-0 on a penalty kick in the 87th minuten.
 

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BELLARMINE 2, MOREHEAD STATE 1
LOUISVILLE - Morehead State struck first in Sunday's contest but surrendered two quick goals, ultimately falling to Bellarmine, 2-1, in Louisville, Ky. at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.  

Morehead State kicked off against Kentucky foe, Bellarmine, today at 1:00 P.M. for its final non-conference match of the season.

The Eagles came out on the attack early, recording two shots on goal in the first five minutes from Jade Walton and Charlotte Lee, both of which were saved by Knights goalkeeper Anna Jenkins.

Bellarmine followed close behind, with Katie Paulakonis attempting two shots, both of which were saved by Eagles' keeper Allie Lammers. 

MSU had another offensive spurt in the 18th minute, tallying four shots, two from Ashton Lynam and two from Walton.

The Eagles and Knights continued to trade shots throughout the opening half, but neither side could find the back of the net as the teams entered halftime knotted at 0-0.

The teams combined for 16 shots in the first half, with Morehead State recording nine and Bellarmine seven. Of those 16 shots, nine were saved, with the Knights making five saves and the Eagles recording four.
Just one minute and one second into the second half, Gaia Fubelli delivered a pass to Ashton Lynam just inside the penalty box, where Lynam fired a strike into the right side of the net to put the Eagles ahead, 2-1.

Fubelli's assist to Lynam marked the second consecutive game in which the duo has connected for a goal.

Just two minutes later, in the 48th minute, Bellarmine's Paulakonis broke free in front of the goal and fired a shot that was blocked by senior Hannah Carter. Paulakonis collected the rebound and slipped it past Lammers to even the score at 1-1.

In the 64th minute, the Knights capitalized on an Eagle turnover, as Nora Dimmitt stole the ball and played a pass to Paulakonis, who finished the opportunity for her second goal of the game and third of the season, putting the Knights up 2-1. 

Bellarmine held MSU in check as the Eagles searched for the equalizer, allowing just four shots following the Knights' second goal, three of which were off target, to secure the 2-1 victory.

The Knights improved to 2-4-1 on the season, while Morehead State dropped to 5-6. 

Bellarmine led in shots, 16-14, and corner kicks, 5-4, while MSU held the advantage in saves, 8-6.
 

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MISSOURI STATE 6, SIUE 1
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - SIUE women's soccer finished nonconference play Sunday, dropping a 6-1 contest at Missouri State.

The Cougars, 2-3-3, start Ohio Valley Conference play next Sunday at Korte Stadium against Eastern Illinois. SIUE will be playing the contest as the 66ers and the event serves as Alumni Day and Girl Scouts Day.

Game time is slated for 1 p.m.

SIUE's final nonconference contest featured the fourth goal of the season for sophomore Claire Nieroda. At the 48:24 mark on the contest, She scored just 13 seconds after Missouri State had scored. Nieroda used crisp passes from Ashley Molinari and Amanda Dean.

Missouri State outshot the Cougars 12-6 overall, led by a pair of goals from Lillie Rasmussen.
 

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LINDENWOOD 0, WESTERN KENTUCKY 0
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Lindenwood women's soccer team (4-4-2) earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw on the road at unbeaten Western Kentucky (6-0-4) on Sunday afternoon. The result extends Lindenwood's unbeaten streak to three matches heading into conference play next week.

Neither team managed to gain control in the first half, as the match entered the break tied at zero. Both teams recorded only one shot on goal through the first 45, with the Hilltoppers taking a total of seven shots compared to five total attempts for the Lions.

Both teams earned a pair of corner kick opportunities, with both of Lindenwood's coming in the half's final 15 minutes, including one at 32:56 and another at 40:25.

WKU came out of the break on the front foot, taking the first four shots and drawing the first three corner kicks of the second half. However, the Lindenwood defense stayed connected and kept the shutout intact heading into the game's final 10 minutes.

Mackenzie Compton recorded the first Lions shot of the second half in the 80th minute, with Tasneem Dizdarevic putting a shot on goal two minutes later than resulted in their first since the 41st minute. The Lions were unable to convert the opportunity, and after a second Dizdarevic shot was saved in the 84th minute, Lindenwood were unable to create another scoring opportunity.

The Hilltoppers would make one more push in the match's final five minutes with a pair of shots and one more set piece from the corner, but they were unable to turn any of their chances into scores as the Lions were able to grind out an impressive result to conclude nonconference play.
 

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SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri tied Central Ark. 1-1 on Sunday at Houck Stadium. Southeast Missouri generated a late push while the match was tied, recording seven shots and four corner kicks from 70:15 to 80:07 but not finding a second goal. The Redhawks remain undefeated at home after today's match.

Southeast Missouri generated more shot volume than Central Ark., finishing with 16 shots to the visitors' 11, but Central Ark. put five shots on goal compared with four for Southeast Missouri. A late tied stretch reflected the opportunity-versus-finish pattern, as Southeast Missouri recorded seven shots and six corner kicks without adding a goal. Natalie Allison finished with four saves for Southeast Missouri State while facing 11 shots.

The Redhawks struck first in the first half, with Riley Henderson scoring in the sixth minute off assists from Maya Domian and Maci Hatzenbuehler. Allison made a save during a Central Ark. push, but Liza Dugan scored for the visitors in the 32nd minute to make it 1-1. Southeast Missouri answered with two corner kicks and shots from Jasmine Barney and Laia Amat Garrido before the half ended tied 1-1.

SEMO pressed for a go-ahead goal late in the second half, generating seven shots and six corner kicks from the 70th through 83rd minutes while the score remained 1-1. Olivia Klinkhardt put a shot on goal in the 81st minute that was turned away by a team save, and Allison made a late stop at 86:50 to keep Central Ark. off the board. The second half finished scoreless, leaving the match tied 1-1.
 

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UT MARTIN 1, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0
MARTIN, Tenn. - With 22 seconds left in the University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team's non-conference finale Sunday at Skyhawk Soccer Field, Addy McCleary finally broke through for the Skyhawks to give them a 1-0 win over Jacksonville State.

UT Martin peppered the Gamecocks all game, finishing with 19 total shots and 10 on target. Then, with under a minute to play, Gi Verdi sent the ball from midfield to the left side of the box, where Peyton Cook found Nasti Tanninen in front of the goal. Tanninen tapped the ball to McCleary, who sent it into the back of the net for the game-winner.

The Skyhawk backline clamped down on a Jax State offense that entered the game averaging 13.8 total shots and 6.4 on goal by limiting the Gamecocks to just two total shots and none on target. Mac Titus picked up her third clean sheet of the season, and while she ended the night with no saves, she had two booming shots on goal from around midfield.