The Lindenwood Men's Soccer team (3-2-4, 0-0-1 OVC) earned its first point of the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference season with a 0-0 draw at UTRGV on Saturday night. Quinn Closson recorded his OVC-leading fourth clean sheet of the season, while Javaun Mills led the Lions with three shots against the Vaqueros.
Early in the first half, Philip Viberg Rasmussen recorded the game's first shot on goal in the second minute, but the UTRGV goalkeeper denied the scoring opportunity to keep the Lions off the scoreboard. Three of Closson's four saves came in the first half, with the fifth-year goalkeeper making his first save of the contest in the 10th minute. UTRGV recorded two more shots on goal in the opening frame, but both were handled by Closson in the 19th and 36th minutes as the first half ended scoreless. Viberg Rasmussen finished the half with two shots, while Mills and Jeremiah Trusty each recorded one shot as the Lions were outshot 6-4 overall in the first 45 minutes of play.
The Lindenwood defense settled in during the second half, allowing just two shots over the final 45 minutes. The lone shot on goal from UTRGV came in the 64th minute and was denied by Closson, who finished the contest with four saves. Lindenwood outshot UTRGV 4-2 in the second half, with two of the Lions' attempts finding the target, but both were turned away by the Vaqueros' goalkeeper. In the 89th minute, David Magalhaes recorded a shot on goal as one of the game's final scoring chances, but his attempt was denied as the contest ended in a scoreless draw. Mills led the Lions with three shots overall, while Viberg Rasmussen added two.
"Road games in college soccer are hard and conference road games can be even harder." said Head Coach Kris Bertsch. "It was a fairly even match overall and thought it was a competitive match for 90 minutes. We created enough chances to get on the scoreboard and potentially earn 3 points but we weren't able to find the back of the net in the end. However, we did well to earn a shutout which is a positive and I hope we continue to grow with each OVC match."
The Lions will return home on Thursday, October 1 for the first of four straight OVC home games. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PMÂ CT against Incarnate Word, with the contest streaming on ESPN+.
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