CHARLESTON, Ill. - The EIU men's soccer team returned to action this Sunday afternoon, as the Panthers hosted SIUE in the second conference match of the year. The Panthers closed the day suffering a 1-0 loss to sit at a 1-1 OVC record, and 2-5-2 in the season. SIUE remains undefeated, as the Cougars moved to a 7-0-2 in the season, and 2-0 OVC.
The first half started with the Cougars taking the initiative of the game, as they were able to keep the ball most of the time throughout the initial half. EIU's defense held off SIUE well, as the Panthers did not allow the Cougar's offense to create a clear goal opportunity. Most of the visitor's actions came with long distance shots that did not offer much danger to goalkeeper
Whelan Joseph. The match went to a scoreless halftime.
Both teams came back to play a second half that was similar to what happened in the first. SIUE kept trying to take control of the match through possession while the Panthers showed strong organization defensively to keep the Cougars away from the scoreboard. In the 75th minute, a handball inside the box was called against the Panthers, and Ignacio Abeal Pou converted the penalty kick with a low left shot to give SIUE the 1-0 win.
Joseph ended the match totaling seven saves in goal for the Panthers and EIU had a total of five shots.
Up next: EIU will travel to Texas for a sequence of two matches on the road. First up is Incarnate Word on Thursday, Oct 5th. Then, the Panthers will take on Houston Christian on Sunday, Oct. 8th.
