Game #13
Lindenwood (6-5-1, 2-2-0 OVC)
vs. Western Illinois (6-6-1, 1-3-0 OVC)
Match Information:
Date: Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hunter Stadium
First Kick: 3:00 p.m. CT 
All-Time Series: 0-1-1
Last Meeting: 0-0, Tie
Live Stats: Stats
Watch: Link

Matchup
Lindenwood men's soccer ends their three game home stretch this Sunday, Oct. 13th when they play host to fellow Ohio Valley Conference member Western Illinois. The Lions are looking to even the all-time series with the Leathernecks with a win at Hunter Stadium.

The Lions fell on Thursday to the defending OVC Champions SIUE by a final score of 2-0. SIUE scored their two goals during the last ten minutes of the match after a penalty was called in the box resulting a game-winning penalty kick. LU was 2-0 in OVC matches before that with a pair of shutout victories.

Western Illinois is currently 1-3-0 in conference play with their lone win coming against Liberty on Thursday by a score of 1-0. The Leathernecks are one of four OVC schools to have at least six wins including Lindenwood.

Last Match Recap
Men's soccer fell on Thursday to the defending Ohio Valley Conference Champions SIUE Cougars by a final score of 2-0. The Lions battled SIUE to the end, surrendering both goals within the final 10 minutes of the match.

It was a tough task on Thursday going against one of the best offenses in the conference, but the Lions stood their ground for the majority of the match. Lindenwood allowed 27 shots against SIUE with Enzo Gil making six saves and Mekhi Wright making another save as a defender.

Lindenwood went blow for blow in the first half at Hunter Stadium with the score knotted up at 0-0 heading into the break. Lindenwood was held to just four shots with three coming on net. SIUE posted 14 shots landing five on goal.

Wright, Henrique Perestrelo and Noe Bijou played the majority of minutes on defense for the Lions. Parker Smith and Salomon Oniangue led the Lions in shots with three each and both landed a shot on goal.

Going down to the wire, SIUE's Nacho Abeal was fouled inside the box by Jermaine Mentoor with 9:02 left in the match. Abeal nailed the bottom left of the box as Gil dove right for the first goal of the match. 

Abeal would later score during the 89th minute of action with a shot in the bottom right of the net. He was assisted by Stephan Moreira. Lindenwood doubled their shots from the first half to eight, but fell short. The Lions are currently 1-1 during their three match home stand.

Stats To Know

• Lindenwood averages 1.91 goals per game, the second best in the OVC
• They are just one of three teams in the OVC to have a positive scoring margin (0.42), Lindenwood's offense also has the most corner kicks (66)
• Lindenwood's 179 shots and 90 shots on goal are both the top mark in the OVC, they average 7.50 shots on goal per match
• Ethan Blake is second in points so far this season in the OVC with 15 averaging 1.25 per game
• John Gates also ranks seventh in points this season with 11 averaging 0.91 per game
• Blake also has seven assists this season which is the top mark in the conference
• Gates is second this season in shots on goal per game averaging 1.08
• Lindenwood has scored two game winning goals in the final two minutes of the season: Ethan Blake vs. Evansville and Jordan Matthews vs. Utah Tech

OVC Preseason Standings
The OVC released their yearly preseason standings earlier this offseason which saw Lindenwood finish fourth in the rankings. Defending OVC Champions SIUE was selected to win the conference after going 16-1-3 in 2023. OVC-affiliate members Liberty and Incarnate Word rounded out the top three.

Gates was tabbed as an OVC Player to Watch for the Lions in his first season in St. Charles. The Loyola Chicago transfer played three seasons for the Ramblers appearing in 48 matches with 39 starts.

He is originally from St. Louis, Mo. where he attended the John Burroughs School. Gates has seven career goals and 12 assists. He made the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team in 2021.

Returning Lions
Lindenwood returns a lot of their roster from the 2023 season including four all-conference selections. Blake was the Lions leading goal scorer with six which ranked sixth in the OVC. He was the lone OVC First-Team Selection for the Lions. Blake led the team in points with 14 (six goals, two assists) and shots on goal with 13.

Noe Bijou, Matteo Boasso and Gil were also selected to the OVC Second-Team last season. Bijou was a staple for the Lions defense leading the team in minutes played with 1770 and helped the Lions posted the second lowest goals allowed in the OVC (1.20 GA). Boasso was second on the team in goals last season with four posting a total of nine points. He appeared in 17 matches making 15 starts.

Gil was the Lions primary goalie in 2023 making 18 starts in net allowing 1.138 goals per contest which was the fourth fewest. He made 50 saves while allowing just 20 goals with a save percentage of 71.4%. Bijou, Boasso and Blake also made the All-OVC Newcomer Team.

Head Coach: Kris Bertsch
Bertsch enters his second season at the helm of Lindenwood men's soccer during the fall of 2024. He helped the Lions immediately improve from their first Division I season as he led them to a 7-7-6 record, a four match win improvement from the previous season.

Bertsch posted a 3-3-4 record in Ohio Valley Conference matches, good for fourth in the OVC. This marked the inaugural season for OVC men's soccer in 2023. Heading into the OVC quarterfinals match, Bertsch's squad defeated Chicago State 2-0 to advance to the semifinals before losing to eventual OVC champions SIUE.

During the season, Lindenwood was ranked four times in the United Soccer Coaches Top 10 Poll for the North Region. Through weeks 7-11, the Lions were ranked has high has nine. This also marked the first ever ranking for the program in the USC North Region Poll.

Up Next
Lindenwood goes back on the road on Thursday, Oct. 17th at 7:00 p.m. CT when they take on OVC-affiliate member Houston Christian. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.