The men’s soccer team hosted its home finale on Saturday against Lindenwood University Lions. The Screaming Eagles looked to rally from a 2-0 defeat to Eastern Illinois University, which snapped their run of five straight matches without a defeat. Before the match, the university honored seniors Garrett Morris, senior midfielder, Jackson Mitchell, redshirt junior forward, and Will Kirchofer, redshirt junior midfielder.
Lindenwood would be a tough opponent, as they currently held a 6-1-1 record in conference play, the best in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Lions looked to continue their run for a first-round bye in the OVC tournament. The USI men’s soccer team looked to keep fighting for a chance to qualify for the tournament, with a record of 1-3-4.
To open the match, The Screaming Eagles looked composed and ready for the opponent, splitting possession relatively evenly with the Lions. In fact, the Screaming Eagles attempted the first shot of the match, just before 10 minutes had passed. Ian Graham, junior defender, took a shot on target, but was saved by Lindenwood’s goalkeeper.
The Screaming Eagles were able to get numbers up the pitch, as they utilized a back four, with a twist, as Ahiro Nakamae, sophomore midfielder, played at left back. Early on, he made a difference, looking for attacking opportunities through a number of methods. He inverted into midfield often, crossed the ball into the box and made some forward runs. Naturally, as a midfielder, his defending was a bit hit or miss, but that’s the gamble you take when you want to play with some aggressiveness. Credit to him, he was composed defensively, staying in front of his opponents.
However, the Lions started to get into the match and forced USI’s Jacob English, freshman goalkeeper, to make some key saves. English also had a bit of luck, as on one occasion, when the Screaming Eagles were dispossessed and attempting to track back, he was forced to leave the goal. The shot got past him, but banged off the uprights.
It seemed as though Lindenwood was going to score any minute, which proved correct, as they scored off a cross from the left wing at 13:49, Lions up 1-0.
Following the goal, Screaming Eagles started to get back into the game. The team was able to get forward up the pitch through some solid link-up play, moving the ball around. However, it was to no avail, as they couldn’t get the ball within the box and were eventually dispossessed. The Lions eventually got the ball into midfield and got past the Screaming Eagles’ central defense. English was forced to make a play once again, but this time Nakamae made a good clearance, keeping the Screaming Eagles within one. USI’s defense needed to help out English, as Lindenwood was getting very close to a second goal.
The Lions almost scored a second goal when a Lindenwood opponent was fouled in the box and awarded a penalty. The call came in quite late, which the USI fans were far from pleased with. With the game on the line, the Lions penalty taker skied the kick above the uprights, firing the ball with too much power.
Despite the miss, the Lions didn’t lose any confidence and momentum and kept pushing the ball into USI’s box. This spelled danger for the Screaming Eagles, and danger came when the ball entered the net in a fury of confusion, an own goal for USI, giving Lindenwood a 2-0 lead at 33:22.
This error left the Screaming Eagles distraught and lacking confidence for the rest of the half. With that being said, they had come back from 2-0 deficits in the past to rescue a point from the jaws of defeat. This was a different affair, as Lindenwood was leaps and bounds better than USI, which they utilized to great effect. With five minutes to go in the half, the Lions crossed the ball into the box and scored a third goal off an aerial header, giving the Lions a 3-0 lead going into the half.
In the second half, the Screaming Eagles came out a bit stronger and with aggression. Graham made a hard play on the ball and was awarded a yellow card in an attempt to inspire his teammates. The Screaming Eagles were able to get more scoring opportunities, as Edin Cvorovic, freshman forward, attempted two shots by the 51st minute, but both missed. David Davila, sophomore forward, also took a shot, this time on target at 56:37, but was saved by Lindenwood’s keeper. Perhaps the Screaming Eagles were in contention to make this match a bit closer in the second half.
USI’s defense also played with a bit of confidence after giving up three goals in the first half. They also played a bit of a higher line, which helped the Screaming Eagles to get more opportunities in the midfield. At this point in the game, conceding another goal is not a significant concern. This allowed for some opportunities in the midfield, as Sam McConnell, junior midfielder, made a solid cross into the box at the 68th minute and headed the ball for Tony Murphy, freshman midfielder, who made some solid forward runs, but ultimately was thwarted by the Lions’ defense.
As the game began to wind down, the Lions started to go goal hunting, getting five shots after the 70th, two of which were saved by Anthony Martinez, junior goalkeeper, who had been subbed in for English. The other three didn’t require the goalkeeper to make any plays on the ball. It seemed as if the Screaming Eagles wouldn’t concede a second-half goal, but that was ultimately a false statement, as the Lions scored a last-minute goal at 89:14, putting the final touches on a remarkable performance.
USI 0 Lindenwood 4
The USI men’s soccer team travels to Texas for two final road matches against the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX Thursday, and Houston Christian University in Houston, TX. They have two more opportunities to qualify for the OVC tournament.
