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Evansville MSoccer | Creighton MSoccer

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois men's soccer concludes its three-game Missouri Valley Conference road stretch this week, traveling to Evansville Wednesday for a rematch with the Purple Aces and making the long trip to Omaha for Saturday's game at Creighton.

 

Both games this week will be played under the lights and kickoff at 7 p.m. The Panthers (4-3-2, 1-1 MVC) have yet to play a true night game this year, with the 5 p.m. starts against Mercer and Stony Brook concluding in the twilight hours.

 

Eastern began its three-game road stretch Sunday with a 3-0 win at Missouri State. It was the program's first shutout victory on a Valley opponent's home field since a 1998 win at Evansville. The Panthers have won both of their first two true road games this season in shutout fashion. After this week's road trips, Eastern is slated to play five of its final seven regular-season games at home.

 

Evansville (7-3, 1-1 MVC) defeated EIU, 2-0, in the conference opener for both teams Sept. 30 in Charleston. The Purple Aces then had their six-game winning streak snapped Saturday night at Creighton (4-2-1, 1-1 MVC). The Bluejays were 2-1 winners Saturday and scored the game-winning goal in the 77th minute despite being a man down.

 

Wednesday, EIU will be search of its first win against the Aces in Evansville since 2005. The Panthers posted a win and a draw in their two games at McCutchan Stadium last month while playing in the four-team ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic.

 

Alex Harrison and Chris Pearson both accomplished a unique feat Sunday in the win at Missouri State. Harrison assisted on all three EIU goals, recording only the second three-assist effort of the program's Valley era (1996-present). Pearson scored EIU's second goal of the day, his first of the season and fifth career. The senior has now scored in each of his four collegiate seasons. He's believed to be only the sixth Panther in the MVC years to accomplish that feat. Current assistant coaches Brad Earl (2004-07) and Brad Peters (2005-08) also did it during their careers.

 

Goalkeeper Sean Molony made a season-high nine saves Sunday in Springfield, the highest single-game total by a Panther since 2004. With four shutouts this season, he has moved within one clean sheet of tying current assistant coach Mark Hansen's MVC era record (established in 2006). However, the team record for shutouts is eight.

 

Creighton plays Wednesday afternoon at Missouri State in a rematch of a Sept. 19 meeting in Omaha won by the Bears, 1-0.

 

The Jays were ranked sixth in the NSCAA preseason poll, but got off to a slow start and have played a league-low seven games entering the week. Creighton has only surrendered four goals in those seven games. Sophomore forward Ethan Finlay has accounted for three of his team's six goals.

 

Eastern's 2007 trip to Omaha to take on Creighton ended in heartbreak. The Jays scored the game-winning goal in the 2-1 final with four-tenths of a second remaining in double overtime. The Panthers are 0-7 vs. CU in Omaha, but did post a win over Drake at Morrison Stadium in the 2007 MVC Tournament.

 

Last year's EIU-CU game in Charleston was one of the high-scoring contests in the recent history of Lakeside Field. Eastern held the lead at one point in both the first and second halves. But the Jays scored the final three goals of the game and went on to win, 5-3. Harrison scored twice and Jonathan Hinds recorded his first collegiate goal. Entering that game, Creighton was leading the nation in goals against average, surrendering only four goals in its first 14 games of 2008. The eight goals scored were the most in a single-game at Lakeside Field since 2002.

Following Saturday's game, the Panthers will have seven days off before hosting Bradley Sunday, Oct. 18 at 2:30 p.m. in game two of an EIU soccer doubleheader to conclude Homecoming Weekend on campus.

More Info: Contact Ben Turner, Asst. SID