St. CHARLES, Mo. - With only one more game left to play, Eastern Illinois and Lindenwood entered tonight's match with a lot on their plate. Before the first whistle was blown, only nine points separated the third from the last place in the OVC standings. Therefore, to stay in the fight for a spot in the tournament, both teams not only needed the win, but also could not afford to lose.
With that in mind, the Panthers started the match firing up early. In the 3rd minute,
Cam Korhorn hit the left post with a shot that was deflected by the Lions goalkeeper beforehand. As both teams were aware of the importance of the match, the game settled with a lot of room for physical battles, and not so much for offensive plays. EIU's last opportunity of the half came in the 41st minute, when
Zenaya Barnes turned with the ball almost inside the six yard box, but could place the shot on target. At halftime, the Panthers and the Lions were tied at nil.
The second half started just like the first ended, with physical battles everywhere on the field. In the 62nd minute,
Abby Reinl got fouled inside the box, and senior midfielder
Cami Lummus did not miss the penalty kick opportunity, putting the Panthers up 1-0. With only six minutes left,
Alex Tetteh broke through the Lion's defense to double EIU's lead with a low right shot. EIU then held the 2-0 lead up to the final whistle.
Goalkeeper
Ella Kratochvil posted four saves in net to help EIU secure its fourth clean sheet of the season. It was also the third shutout for Kratochvi in the year.
EIU outshot Lindenwood 11-8.
With the win, EIU secured a spot in the OVC tournament at the end of the month, as Lindenwood and Western Illinois are no longer capable of reaching the same eight points as the Panthers with one game left to play.
Up next: The Panthers will close conference play at home, hosting Southern Indiana on Sunday, Oct. 22nd.,as the match will determine the qualifying position for EIU, and the opponent in the first stage of playoffs. Kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
