Women's Soccer Squares Off with Valparaiso on Thursday for 'Play With Pride' Game

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's soccer team (1-8-5) will play its final home game of the season on Thursday night against Valparaiso in the 'Play With Pride' game.

Details
Who: Valparaiso University (5-3-6)
Time: 6 p.m.
Date: Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023
Where: Lew Hartzog Track & Field Complex - Carbondale, Ill.
What: 'Play With Pride' Game
Live Stats: Here

Quick Hits

The Salukis enter Thursday's match with a 1-8-5 overall record and a 0-5-2 Missouri Valley Conference record.
Southern Illinois earned a point in its last match on Sunday against Indiana State, drawing 0-0 against the Sycamores. SIU out-shot Indiana State, 18-3, overall and 5-0 in terms of shots-on-goal in the game.
This will be the final game the Salukis will play at home this season. In Carbondale, Southern has a record of 1-3-3 on the year.
McKensey Bunch's four goals lead the way for SIU, with Kaitlin DuCharme's two being the second most. Dana Cruz and Emma Spotak have also found the back-of-the-net for the Salukis.
Spotak is second all-time in goals for the Salukis, posting seven during her SIU career. This only trails Liz Brechtel's 10 for the most in program history.
DuCharme now has six goals and three assists as a Saluki, making her third all-time in goals behind Brechtel and Spotak.
Goalkeeper Chantelle Symes has made 12 starts for SIU, allowing 15 goals and making 44 saves in those matches.
Bunch's 21 shots and 10 shots-on-goal are the most on the team.
Freshman Veronica Gonzalez is the team leader in minutes played (1245), followed by fellow freshman Molly Tapak's 1224.

Head Coach Graeme Orr

Graeme Orr is in his first season as head coach of the women's soccer program. Assistant coaches Carley Kandel and Ash Phillips are also in their first year with the Salukis, while Jake Edwards returns for his second season as a graduate assistant on the coaching staff.
Orr comes to SIU after spending the previous 12 seasons as the head coach at Division II West Alabama. He was announced as the Salukis' head coach on May 30, 2023.
The Eaglesham, Scotland native, was the first head coach in West Alabama women's soccer history, starting the program in 2011. During his 12 years with the program, Orr posted an overall record of 115-78-19 and conference record of 79-44-9.
UWA recorded 10-consecutive and had 11-straight postseason appearances under Orr.
Orr was previously an assistant coach at North Alabama before arriving at West Alabama.

Looking at Valparaiso

The Beacons are 5-3-6 overall and 1-1-4 in MVC play going into Thursday's match.
Valpo suffered its first Valley loss in its last match on Sunday, falling at Drake, 2-1. Peyton Evans scored the lone goal in the defeat.
Valparaiso is looking for its first win since taking down Indiana State, 2-0, on the road on Sept. 24.
Addy Joiner leads the team in goals with seven on the year. Joiner also has the most shots-on-goal with 16.
Lindsey Dusatko has paced Valpo in assists with four, while also tallying two goals.
Goalkeeper Nikki Coryell has made 14 starts, allowing 14 goals and making 54 saves throughout the season.
The Beacons are led by head coach John Marovich, who is in his 16th season with the program.

Series History

Southern Illinois is 0-1-2 against Valparaiso all-time.
Last season, the Salukis drew at Valpo, 1-1, on Oct. 20, 2022.
This will be the second meeting to take place in Carbondale, and the first since Feb. 28, 2021.

Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Soccer, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiSoccer and on Instagram at @SIU_Soccer. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.

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