Game #5
Lindenwood (1-2-1, 0-0-0 OVC)
vs. Utah Tech (1-2-0, 0-0-0 WAC)
Match Information:
Date: Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hunter Stadium
First Kick: 1:00 p.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 second home match of the season as they take on WAC opponent the Utah Tech Trailblazers. Earlier this week, the Lions were able to capture their first tie of the season when they tied 0-0 at Western Illinois.

The Ohio Valley Conference began their inaugural season of men's soccer as Lindenwood was picked to finish fourth out of eight teams. Utah Tech is currently in fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference with a 1-2-0 record.

Previous Match Recap
Lindenwood men's soccer earned their first draw of the season as they tied 0-0 against future OVC men's soccer opponent Western Illinois (0-3-1). Defense was key in the match with just seven total shots by both teams combined.

Defenders Noe Bijou and Luke Neely played all 90 minutes of the match on Tuesday during the draw, helping the Lions keep the Leathernecks off the board. The only shot on goal was by WIU's Jimmy Baars during the second minute of the match, but goalie Enzo Gil made his lone save.

Lindenwood managed just two shots on the afternoon with both of them coming in the second half. Midfielder Josh Francombe missed his shot high during the 51st minute from the top of the box. Defender Jermaine Mentoor also had a shot from the top of the box that was too high at the 86th minute.

The Leathernecks had a chance late within the final minute of the match to break the tie after a foul by LU which gave Western a free kick. Liam Gainey (three shots) shot just before the 90th minute, but missed high of the crossbar.

Lions were able to earn four corners compared to just three by the Leathernecks. Western Ill. also had just nine fouls compared to 11 by Lindenwood.

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 travel to Evansville, Ind. for a midweek match against the Aces of Evansville. The match will start at 7:00 p.m. at Arad McCutchan Stadium. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.