CHICAGO, Ill.- Lindenwood Men's Soccer started off the season with a 7-0 shutout victory over Chicago State on Thursday afternoon with a big performance from Ethan Blake and the offense. With the win, it is the Lions' first season opening victory since 2017. The seven goals scored also ties for the most in the Division I era.

Lindenwood would set the tone early as Blake would open up the score in the 13th minute with a goal on an assist from Luca Bartoni. The Lions would take the one goal advantage into halftime finishing the half with seven shots. In the second half, the offense would explode for 15 shots and six goals.

In the 53rd minute, Leandro Haesler would execute a perfect pass from Lindenwood's goal line, hitting Ethan Blake in stride down the field as Blake would put it past the goalkeeper to put the Lions up by two early into the second half. Nine minutes later, Sebastia Cerda Tous would find the back of the net for his first goal as a Lion, receiving a pass from Ethan Blake across the right side of the field making it a 3-0 game. Blake would finish the contest with two goals and an assist, recording two shots on goal in 64 minutes played. 

The Lions would add on to their lead in the 72nd minute as Jarred Hendricks scored on a cross pass from Matteo Landais. Lindenwood put three more goals on the board in a span of 10 minutes as Gavin Csiszar would score two goals in the 76th and 79th minute on assists from Jozef Palushaj and Landais. The final goal of the contest would come in the 86th minute as Luka Slankamenac would score an unassisted goal to give the Lions a 7-0 lead. 

The newcomers for Lindenwood would contribute in a big way in the season opener as they combined for four assists and five goals. Matteo Landais finished the contest with two assists to lead the Lions in that category. The offense would record 22 shots in the contest with 13 of them being on goal. Defensively, the Lions allowed only five shots, with three saves coming from Quinn Closson. 

"Always great to kick off the season with a win, especially on the road. It was wonderful to have so many players play a role in the victory. We showed a lot of growth individually and collectively since we started in preseason. We hope to continue getting better with each week moving forward", said head coach Kris Bertsch. 

Lindenwood will return to action on Tuesday night for their home opener against Milwaukee. First kick is set for 5 p.m.