MOREHEAD, Ky. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer concluded the regular season Sunday with a 1-0 road victory at Morehead State University to secure a first-round home match in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament later this week.
USI Women’s Soccer (3-9-6, 2-2-3 OVC) earned the three points to move to nine points in the conference standings and be the No. 6 seed in the upcoming OVC Tournament.
The Screaming Eagles got the job done on the road Sunday behind a game-winning goal by junior forward Josie Pochocki in the 65th minute, her first of the season, off a corner kick served in by freshman midfielder Shea Krakowski for her second assist of the season.
Overall, USI fired 12 shots and placed seven on goal, while Morehead State took 18 shots with nine on target. Pochocki led USI in shots, placing all three of her attempts on frame. USI sophomore goalkeeper Merrick Schwalbach recorded nine saves, once again setting a new career best for the Screaming Eagles’ netminder.
Both sides were kept off the scoreboard in the first half, with neither getting many quality looks at the goal. Pochocki had USI’s lone shot on goal in the first half in the early opening minutes. After an initial save just over a minute into the contest by Schwalbach, the sophomore made two key lunging saves inside the final 10 minutes of the opening half to keep the game tied at zero going into halftime.
Following an exchange of shots in the first 20 minutes of the second half, USI kept its pressure on through a series of corner kicks. The Screaming Eagles capitalized on their set-piece opportunity just past the 64-minute mark when Pochocki redirected Krakowski’s service to put USI ahead 1-0. USI nearly doubled its lead with a couple of chances over the next few minutes, but Morehead State’s goalkeeper saved both. While the Screaming Eagles had a few more shots the rest of the second half, Morehead State ramped up its attack down the stretch. Schwalbach tallied five saves in the final 15 minutes, and USI’s defense blocked Morehead State’s final shot attempt in the final seconds to seal the road victory.
With USI Women’s Soccer grabbing the sixth seed and the postseason bracket set, the Screaming Eagles will host seventh-seeded Western Illinois University Thursday at 7 p.m. from Strassweg Field in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament. Admission will be free courtesy of ProRehab. All tournament games will stream on ESPN+ with additional coverage on USIScreamingEagles.com.
