Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
2-0-0, 0-0-0
Southern Indiana
0-1-1, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Tennessee | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Southern Indiana | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Phillips and Carroll help Women’s Soccer to 2-0 Road Victory at Southern Indiana
8/16/2026 9:46:00 PM | Women's Soccer
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Second-half goals from Hailey Phillips and Megan Carroll lifted Middle Tennessee Women's Soccer past Southern Indiana at Strassweg Field on Sunday night, 2-0.
Although the Screaming Eagles were difficult to break down, Phillips managed to divert Saachi Bureau's cross into the net following a pass from Carroll in the 55th minute. Just 10 minutes later, the provider turned into the goalscorer when Carroll directed a ball in the box from a corner into the net.
The result is the second consecutive 2-0 victory for the Blue Raiders, and marks the second time in as many seasons that they have won their first two games of the fall slate. It also represents the first time since 2015 that the Blue and White have not conceded a goal in their first two games, when they went three matches without surrendering a point.
For us to be able to get [a win] on the road against a strong USI team and come away with a shutout, I'm really proud of how the whole team worked together to get that done, Head Coach Aston Rhoden said. They always find a way to finish things and that's something we've talked about, just finishing the job.
Despite four water breaks from persistent temperatures that moved kickoff back four hours to 5 p.m., MTSU had no problem finding the scoresheet when it needed to.
The first-half storyline foreshadowed what was to come, as Carroll took one shot on frame and Bureau had two that were not far off. Jess Gray and Liza Miller also pitched in with one shot each as the Blue Raiders forced two saves out of USI goalkeeper Merrick Schwalbach.
Once again, Phillips stepped up for her team after the halftime break, this time on the scoring end of affairs. 10 minutes after the halftime restart, Carroll sent a pass towards the outside of the 18-yard box towards Bureau, who did well to bypass her defender and send a cross inside. Phillips then muscled past her defender and broke the deadlock with a clever one-time finish, giving Schwalbach no chance to recover.
Middle Tennessee then found a second just 14 minutes later, when Hannah Murphy's well-placed corner kick found defender Scottie Newton, who directed it towards Carroll. Before the team captain could react, the ball bounced off her shoulder and into the roof of the net for MTSU's second goal of the night. Carroll's four points in Evansville are a single-game career high for the graduate captain.
On the defensive end of the pitch, goalkeeper Ella Sellers left no doubt as she made five saves to keep the Blue Raiders perfect in her first start of the year. Four of her saves came in the second half, as she stymied any sort of Southern Indiana comeback with her efforts. Sunday's clean sheet marks her sixth clean sheet in seven starts, improving upon her own program-record goals-against average (.28)
The Blue and White's Sunday victory improves its all-time series record with the Screaming Eagles to a perfect 1-0-0, as it marked the program's first-ever meeting. Middle Tennessee now holds an undefeated series record over 25 different Division I programs.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee will continue its three-match road trip on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. against in-state opposition UT Martin, before concluding its travels at West Georgia on Sunday, Aug. 23 at noon.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with Middle Tennessee Soccer on Instagram (@mt_wsoccer), X (@MT_Soccer), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Soccer).
Team Stats
Hailey Phillips (1)
Assisted By: Megan Carroll , Saachi Bureau
GOAL by MTSU Phillips, Hailey Assist by Carroll, Megan and Bureau, Saachi.
54:07
Megan Carroll (1)
Assisted By: Scottie Newton
GOAL by MTSU Carroll, Megan Assist by Newton, Scottie.
68:46
