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CHARLESTON, ILL -- Eastern Illinois men's soccer was defeated 3-0 by the 17th-ranked Denver Pioneers in Summit League men's soccer action on Saturday morning at Lakeside Field.  With the loss, the Panthers fall to 1-11-3 overall and 0-6-1 in Summit League play.  

The Panthers were competitive with the nationally ranked Pioneers in the first half, as Chad Smith locked it down at goalkeeper, recording seven first half saves.  The Panthers were able to get penetration into Pioneer's side of the field early on, registering four shots in the first period, three of which were on target.  Sam Eccles got the best look for EIU in the period, but his shot sailed just left.  Denver broke through with a goal from Holger Olsson in the 41st minute to give the Pioneers a 1-0 halftime lead.  The Pioneers then added two more goals in the second half, with Olsson scoring again in the 49th minute and Kengo Ohira adding another goal six minutes later to seal the game.  

Along with Eccles, Trey Gora, Chad Hamler, and Jude Spallinger all also got off a shot, all of which came in the first half.  Chad Smith totaled eight saves in 42 minutes played, giving him 83 on the season.

EIU will play their final game of the regular season at Omaha on Saturday, November 5.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1 PM CT.

Prior to the start of the game, EIU honored six seniors who will be completing their education and receiving their degrees from EIU.  Those six seniors are as follows:

A native of Jefferson City, Missouri, Chad Hamler came to EIU in 2018.  He appeared in 55 games for the Panthers in his career.  He recorded his first career assist against Belmont in 2019.  He led the team in the spring of 2021 with two assists, including one in a win over Western Illinois.  He recorded a game-winning goal last season on the road at IUPUI.
 
A native of East Lansing, Michigan, Munir Sherali came to EIU in 2018.  He appeared in 46 games for the Panthers including 15 starts.  He recorded 12 shots, 4 shots on goal, and 2 assists for his career.  He was named to the Summit League Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence in both 2019 and the spring of 2021.
 
A native of Morris, Ill., Mac VanOudt came to EIU in 2018.  He appeared in eight games for the Panthers in his career and recorded 12 saves.  He was named to the Summit League Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence for 2019 and the spring of 2021.
 
A native of Normal, Illinois, Delphy Sabu came to EIU in 2019.  He appeared in 39 games for the Panthers, including 35 starts.  He scored a goal this season in EIU's 1-1 tie at Xavier.
 
A native of Cape Coral, Florida, Nikola Salopek came to EIU in 2020 by way of Jacksonville University.  He appeared in 34 games for the Panthers, including 20 starts.  He recorded 13 shots and 7 shots on goal in his career.
 
A native of Indianapolis, Maxwell Allen came to EIU in 2019.  He appeared in 43 games for the Panthers, including 24 starts.  He recorded four goals in his Panther career, including a game-winning goal against IUPUI as a freshman in 2019.  This season, he has recorded two assists.  He has 24 shots and 16 shots on goal for his career.  He was named to the Summit League Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence for the Spring of 2021.