Game #15
Lindenwood (7-5-2, 3-2-1 OVC)
at Incarnate Word (4-5-3, 2-2-2 OVC)
Match Information:
Date: Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Venue: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium
First Kick: 1:00 p.m. CT 
All-Time Series: 0-0-1
Last Meeting: 1-1, Tie
Live Stats: Stats
Watch: Link

Matchup
Lindenwood men's soccer continues their road trip in the Lone Star state as Lindenwood takes on Ohio Valley Conference affiliate-member Incarnate Word on Sunday. The Lions are looking for their first ever win against UIW after tying them last season in St. Charles.

Thursday men's soccer action saw the Lions tie Houston Christian in Houston, Texas by a score of 1-1. For the second season in a row, the Lions tied the Huskies by a score of 1-1. Ethan Blake scored the lone goal for Lindenwood.

Incarnate Word also is coming off a tie heading into Sunday's matchup. UIW hosted SIUE on Thursday by a score of 0-0. The Cardinals have a 2-2-2 OVC record and sit in fifth place in the conference, one spot behind the Lions.

Last Match Recap
Men's soccer settled for a 1-1 draw on Thursday night against Ohio Valley Conference affiliate-member Houston Christian University. This marks just the second tie this season for Lindenwood, first since the opening match at Milwaukee.

The Lions' were one of the top offensives coming into tonight's came, but were held to a season-low five shots with just two on goal. Houston Christian pushed the pace against the Lindenwood defense posting 14 shots with four on goal. HCU had a chance under a minute to steal the victory, but Ryan Okerayi's shot went wide of Enzo Gil.

Gil ws busy in net for Lindenwood especially during the final stretch of the match. The sophomore goalie made three saves in net while allowing the equalizer goal in the second half. HCU's 14 shots were the second most given up by Lindenwood in 2024.

Blake continued his hot streak in OVC play scoring the lone goal for the Lions. He has now scored a goal in his last two games and four out of his last five. Blake was first in total points in the OVC coming into Thursday's matchup and extended his total to 19 for the season.

Lindenwood's offense in the first half was slow to start posting only three total shots with Blake's landing in the top right of the net. Defense was the name of the game through the first 45 minutes as both teams had just one shot on goal each. Blake's goal in the 29th minute was assisted by John Gates and Josh Francombe.

The Huskies' offense kept the pressure on the Lions in the second half eventually scoring the tying goal during the 75th minute of action after a corner kick. Gil made the initial save on the goal before Morgan Worsfold-Gregg finished it off. HCU's offense had 10 shots in the second half (three on goal) to just two shots by the Lions.

Lindenwood's defense held off the Huskies attack late in the second half after HCU had multiple chances to steal the game within the final two minutes. The Lions blocked three shot attempts under a minute to play to help secure a tie. This marked the second straight year these two teams ended a match with a 1-1 tie.

Stats To Know

• Lindenwood averages 1.78 goals per game, the second best in the OVC
• They are just one of four teams in the OVC to have a positive scoring margin (0.43), Lindenwood's offense also has the second most corner kicks (71)
• Lindenwood's 193 shots and 97 shots on goal are both the top mark in the OVC, they average 6.93 shots on goal per match
• Blake is first in points so far this season in the OVC with 19 averaging 1.36 per game
• Gates also ranks sixth in points this season with 12 averaging 0.86 per game
• Blake also has seven assists this season which is the top mark in the conference, Gates is second with six
• Gates is second this season in shots on goal per game averaging 1.06
• Gil's four shutouts this season is the second most in the OVC, he has a save percentage of .695
• 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 returns to St. Charles, Mo. next Friday, October 25th at 7:00 p.m. CT. to face-off against Liberty. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.