Game #3
Lindenwood (0-0-2, 0-0-0 OVC)
vs. Southwest Baptist (0-0-0, 0-0-0 GLVC)
Match Information:
Date: Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023
Location: Saint Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hunter Stadium
First Kick: 7:00 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: 16-1, Lindenwood
Last Meeting: 10/1/21, W 3-1 at Southwest Baptist
Live Stats: Stats
Live Video: ESPN+

Matchup
Lindenwood men's soccer will host Southwest Baptist University for their 2023 home opener. Head coach Kris Bertsch will lead the Lions at Hunter Stadium for the first time in his career. This also marks the first match fo Southwest Baptist this season.

The Ohio Valley Conference will began their inaugural season of men's soccer as Lindenwood was picked to finish fourth out of eight teams. Loyola Chicago was picked to finished third in the A-10 after going 9-2-7 last season.

GLVC Connection
The Bearcats of Southwest Baptist will return to play Lindenwood for the first time since the Lions made the jump to Division I. Southwest Baptist remain in the GLVC as they have played Lindenwood 17 times in the past.

Lindenwood holds the advantage over the Bearcats with a 16-1 record. The lone lost came on March 14, 2021 when the GLVC played their men's soccer schedule in the spring due to COVID-19. LU had won the previous 15 meetings prior to that.

Previous Match Recap
Over the past week, the Lions ended their trip to the Chicago area as they played Loyola Chicago on Sunday. The Ramblers defeated the Lions by a final score of 2-0 after Loyola scored two goals within 40 seconds of each other.

For the second match in a row, the Lions held their opponent scoreless in the first half of play. Goalkeeper Enzo Gil had four saves in the first half on 10 shots by the Ramblers. Lindenwood's Parker Smith had one shot on goal in the first half but was saved by Loyola's Aidan Crawford.

Head Coach: Kris Bertsch
Bertsch enters his first season as the head coach of Lindenwood men's soccer during the 2023 fall season. He comes to Lindenwood after spending five seasons at Saint Louis University as the top assistant coach where he helped guide the Billikens to an impressive 53-22-14 record.  Individually, Bertsch has been recognized as one of the Top Assistant Coaches in the country four different times. 

Saint Louis captured back-to-back Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season and tournament titles in 2021 and 2022, resulting in two-straight NCAA Men's Soccer Championship appearances.  In 2022, Bertsch and the SLU staff earned the honor as the NCAA Division I Southeast Region Staff of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches.

Up Next
The Lions will be back on the road on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 5:00 p.m. CT as they travel to Macomb, Ill. to take on the Leathernecks of Western Illinois. After the 2023, Western Ill. will be joining the OVC in men's soccer. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.