October 23, 2005
Women’s Soccer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SYCAMORES CLINCH FIFTH IN CONFERENCE WITH WIN OVER EVANSVILLE

Box Score

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State women’s soccer team played Evansville to a 3-1 win on Sunday in a game that was closer than what the score indicated. With the win, the Sycamores secured the fifth spot in conference and set up a regular season rematch with the Illinois State Redbirds in Normal, Illinois October 30 for the first round of the conference tournament.

It was ironic that on “Senior Day”, honoring the out-going seniors of Elaine Carlier, Megan Morris, Regan Smith and Nichole Tiggs that the Sycamores found most of their scoring from their freshmen.

Freshman Rachel Gordon had a game-high three points in the win, while fellow freshman Amanda Gogel scored her third goal of the year less than seven minutes in the game.

“[Gordon] and I always talk in practice that we are going to get that one goal,” Gogel said as she recounted the score. “I saw the opening, caught her eye and yelled and she fed me a great pass.”

Indiana State would score again at the 19:45 mark when sophomore Lauren Podolski crossed a ball through the box that was hit off an Evansville defender for an own goal that turned out to be the game winner. However, the Purple Aces didn’t falter and found their attack when leading-conference-goal-scorer Kayla Lambert received a pass from Julie Winkler and buried her shot in the back of the net to trim the lead to one at the 24:10 mark.

The teams would battle back and forth during the rest of the game with both teams having their chances to put goals on the scoreboard. The Sycamores came out strong in the second half with four shots in the first two minutes of the half. Later in the half Evansville could not capitalize on six corner kicks in a six minute span.

Indiana State wouldn’t add the final goal until a minute and a half remaining, when Gordon got her foot on a corner kick set from junior Beth Wagenhoffer to tally her third point of the game.

“I was just thinking, oh man I hope I kick this ball,” Gordon recalled as she talked about the goal that sealed the victory.

Despite the win, the Sycamores were not able to get any help from the other teams in the conference and will not host a second consecutive conference play-in game. However, following the game with Western Illinois on Oct. 27 the Sycamores will travel to Illinois State on Oct. 30 for a chance to travel to Omaha for the conference championship Nov. 4 & 6.