Game #2
Lindenwood (0-0-1, 0-0-0 OVC)
vs. UTRGV (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WAC)
Match Information:
Date: Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hunter Stadium
First Kick: 1:00 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Live Stats: Stats
Live Video: ESPN+

Matchup
Lindenwood men's soccer will host The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Sunday, Aug. 25th for their first home match of the season. Starting at 1:00 p.m. CT, the Lions will take on the Vaqueros followed by the women's team at 4:30 p.m. CT.

This marks one of three home non-conference games for the Lions before they head into Ohio Valley Conference play. Lindenwood is led by second-year head coach Kris Bertsch who went 7-7-6 during his first season.

Last Match Recap
Lindenwood started their 2024 campaign with a 0-0 tie against Milwaukee on Thursday. Both teams had opportunities to put points on the board, but defense reigned supreme as LU started their season with a draw.

During this defensive match, the Lions were out shot 11-12 but had five shots on goal including two from returning First Team All-OVC selection Ethan Blake. John Gates, in his LU debut, made an impact early with a breakaway in the second minute but failed to convert. Blake shortly after tried from 20-yards away but was knocked away by Milwaukee's Daniel Ibarra.

Lindenwood came out looking for offense posting seven of their 11 shots in the first half. The Panthers were able to contain the Lions' forwards in the second half with just four shots. 

Goalie Enzo Gil was perfect on Thursday playing all 90 minutes making five saves. During the 64th minute of play, Gil made back-to-back diving effort saves to keep Milwaukee off the scoreboard. Luke Neely and Quinn Connolly played all 90 minutes for the Lions helping on the defensive side.

OVC Preseason Standings
The OVC released their yearly preseason standings last Thursday 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 next week as they travel to Wright State in Dayton, Ohio. The Lions will kickoff at 4:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, Aug. 29th. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.