CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois women's soccer team (4-8-4, 3-4-2 OVC) defeated Southern Indiana 2-1 in its final conference match before the playoffs begin next week.
Espi Logan and
Zenaya Barnes with a goal each to give EIU the triumph. With the win, the Panthers picked up sixth place in the final OVC standings with the same eleven points as UT Martin, but lost to the Skyhawks in the tiebreaker.
Before the first whistle, both teams were already qualified for the tournament, therefore, the Panthers and the Screaming Eagles entered the match looking for a better qualifying spot. The match started at a slower pace, with both teams studying each other. The first shot did not come until the tenth minute, when
Avery Richardson was stopped by USI's goalkeeper. Eight minutes later,
Espi Logan picked up the rebound from a ball crossed into the box, the sophomore defender did not hesitate to take a low left diagonal shot to put the Panthers up on the scoreboard, 1-0. The Screaming Eagles responded with Payton Seymour, scoring USI's equalizing goal just before halftime, 1-1.
The second half had more offensive action from both teams, and EIU did not take long to get back up on the scoreboard. In the 54th minute,
Alex Tetteh had a shot that forced USI's goalkeeper to give a rebound. Following the rebound, Barnes was in the right spot to conclude the play by tapping it in. It was Barne's third goal of the season, as she is now sharing the lead with Tetteh and
Abby Reinl. After the goal, the Screaming Eagles tried to pressure EIU in search of the equalizer once again, but the Panthers were able to neutralize all USI's attempts.
Goalkeeper
Ashlyn Hoover posted six saves in net for the Panthers.
Up next: The Panthers will be traveling to Edwardsville, Ill., to take on Southeast Missouri during the first round of playoffs on Friday, Oct. 27th.
