Game #8
Lindenwood (2-3-2, 0-0-0 OVC)
vs. UHSP (2-3-1, 0-0-0 AMC)
Match Information:
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2023
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hunter Stadium
First Kick: 7:00 a.m. CT
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Live Stats: Stats
Live Video: ESPN+

Matchup
Lindenwood men's soccer returns home for their final non-conference game of the season before Ohio Valley Conference play as they take on the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis at Hunter Stadium.

Last week results saw the Lions pick up their first win against a Division I opponent as they defeated Le Moyne College 2-1 on Sunday. They also picked up a 2-2 tie at Evansville during a midweek match. UHSP also has two wins on the season including scoring five goals in back-to-back matches.

The Ohio Valley Conference began their inaugural season of men's soccer as Lindenwood was picked to finish fourth out of eight teams.

Previous Match Recap
The Lions took down non-conference opponent Le Moyne College on the road in Syracuse, N.Y. by a final score of 2-1. It marked head coach Kris Bertsch's first win against a Division I opponent.
 
Le Moyne in the first half had four shots compared to just two for the Lions, but Lindenwood jumped out to the early lead with a Nathan Baker goal at the 35 minute mark. It was Baker's first goal of the season.
 
Goal keeper Enzo Gil had two saves in net in the first half. Lindenwood was aggressive on offense in the first half despite two shots. LU was called offside four times during the first 45 minutes of play.
 
Lindenwood extended their lead midway through the second half with Jermaine Mentoor's first goal of the season at the 75^th minute. Mentoor was assisted by forward Andrew Harper to give LU a 2-0 lead.
 
The Dolphins scored late in the match with under three minutes to play after a penalty kick by Felix Ludemann. Mentoor caused the foul that led to the goal on Gil.

Lindenwood Leaders
Parker Smith holds the lead for the Lions in goals scored after his two goal performance last Wednesday. Smith has two goals on the season which is tied for sixth in the OVC. His four points are also tied for ninth in the conference.

Cole Hutson and Josh Francombe currently lead the team in total shots with six each. Hutson is also one of six Lions to score this season. Four Lindenwood players also have an assists this season including Andrew Harper who earned one on Sunday.

Enzo Gil is one of two goalies in the OVC to record multiple shutouts this season. He has a total of nine saves this season while Gavin Roberts has recorded five in net.

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 hit to road to start conference play as they head to Charleston, Ill. to take on the Panthers of Eastern Illinois. The match is set for Thursday, Sept. 28 at 4:00 p.m. at Lakeside Field. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.