Completing a sweep of their Illinois road trip, the University of the Incarnate Word men's soccer team (5-6-2, 4-2-1) shut out Western Illinois (4-8-3, 2-4-1) on the road, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon. Victor Salmeron recorded six saves to secure the Cardinals' first shutout of the season and extend their unbeaten streak to five.
The match was a defensive battle through the first half, with both teams recording just one shot in the opening 15 minutes. The Leathernecks found more opportunities before halftime, finishing the half with six shots, while Incarnate Word managed two from Reagan Gyedu and Evan Kraenzel, both of which were blocked.
Twelve minutes into the second half, Diego Robles recorded the Cardinals' first shot on goal before finding the back of the net in the 57th minute. Assisted by a cross from Andres Riera, Robles scored his ninth goal of the season and fourth game-winner, continuing to lead the conference in both categories.
Salmeron and the Cardinals' defense kept Western Illinois scoreless despite being outshot 14-to-4, including 6-to-2 in shots on goal. Incarnate Word is now 4-0-1 in its last five matches and has more than tripled its conference win total from last season with three games remaining.
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois men's soccer team earned a 3-1 victory over Houston Christian on Senior Day Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Field, using two first-half goals and a second-half score to secure its fourth win of the season.
With the win, the Panthers improve to 4-7-3 overall and 3-3-1 in conference play, while the Huskies fall to 4-6-4 overall and 2-2-2 in conference action.
Eastern Illinois opened the scoring in the 25th minute when senior forward Sergej Misic found the back of the net for his eighth goal of the season. Bernardo Hanel and Andre Ecker assisted on the goal, giving the Panthers an early 1-0 advantage.
The Panthers continued to apply pressure throughout the first half, outshooting Houston Christian 10-6. EIU added to its lead just before halftime when Marcos Ayelo scored an unassisted goal in the 44th minute, putting Eastern Illinois ahead 2-0 heading into the break.
Eastern Illinois maintained its momentum in the second half, extending its lead to 3-0 in the 71st minute. Adam Boykin scored his second goal of the season off an assist from Shuto Ishikawa, giving the Panthers a comfortable three-goal cushion.
Houston Christian responded in the 80th minute when Ryan Okerayi scored an unassisted goal to cut the deficit to 3-1. However, the Panthers held off the Huskies for the remainder of the match to secure the home victory.
Misic led the Panthers offensively with six shots, including four on goal, and one goal. Boykin added two shots, both on target, while Ayelo recorded two shots and his third goal of the season. Ishikawa contributed an assist, while Hanel finished with an assist of his own.
Eastern Illinois goalkeeper Kai Odagiri played all 90 minutes in goal, recording one save while earning the victory. The Panthers finished with 15 shots, including eight on goal, compared to Houston Christian's 14 shots and two shots on target.
The Panthers also held an advantage in shots on goal and capitalized on their scoring opportunities, finding the net three times to earn the 3-1 result.
SIUE 3, UTRGV 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE men's soccer scored twice in the first eight minutes and went on to a 3-0 win in the first-ever meeting with UTRGV Sunday at Korte Stadium.
The win coupled with a Lindenwood loss at USI Sunday moved the Cougars back into a tie for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference at 4-2-1. SIUE improved to 6-6-2 overall.
UTRGV fell to 3-5-3 overall and 1-3-2 in the OVC.
Ben Perkins scored the eventual game-winner just 51 seconds after the opening kick, when he got his head to a corner kick from Grant Locker.
Locker got his own goal, the first of his SIUE career, when he blasted a one-timer past UTRGV goalkeeper Alberto Yanez in the eighth minute. Locker's goal came after Amos Boum Nlend slid a pass across the top of the box.
The Cougars took the 2-0 lead into the break and made it 3-0 in the 68th minute.
Ryley Gibbs netted his team-leading sixth of the season to seal the win. Mikey Lay slid a through ball into the right side of the box, and Gibbs buried a shot far post for the three-goal advantage.
UTRGV outshot SIUE 18-16 overall. The Cougars put eight shots on target, compared to five for the Vaqueros.
SIUE goalkeeper Louis Krueger made a career-high eight saves on his way to his first career shutout.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 1, LINDENWOOD 0
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Recap coming soon.