SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Eastern Illinois men's soccer team falls 4-2 during its first conference match on the road by a sequence of late goals. EIU is now 2-6-2 in the season and 1-1 in the OVC. UIW improves to 2-0-1 in the OVC and 4-4-3 in the season.
The match started with EIU once again showing what seems to be the team identity in the 2023 season, its strong defensive organization. The Panthers did well in closing up the spaces in its defending half, as UIW took the initiative of the game trying to find the scoreboard first. The few opportunities in which the Cardinals were able to take shots, they found
Whelan Joseph in goal to stop them. Beside that, set pieces played a vital role for an exciting first half in San Antonio, as all three goals were scored from a referee call. In the 22nd minute,
Casey Welage scored from a free kick that had a deflection in the wall before rolling into the low right corner of the goal, EIU leads 1-0. Within five minutes left to halftime, two penalty kicks were called, one for UIW and one for EIU, respectively. Miles Merritt tied the game and
Felipe Kerr Lourenco gave the lead back to EIU, 2-1 at halftime.
EIU came back for the second half with the mission of stopping UIW's attack, as the Cardinals went strong in the search of the equalizing goal again. Although the defense held off UIW's attack well for most of the time, the Panthers could not resist in the last ten minutes of the match, as the Cardinals scored three times to end the night up on the scoreboard, 4-2.
UIW goals by Francisco Segura, Sello Diphoko, and Cesaz Elizalde.
Both Lourenco and Welage found themselves scoring their first goal of the season. Joseph ended the night with a season high of the twelve saves in net for the Panthers.
Up next: EIU will travel to Houston to take on Houston Christian in its final match in the Lone Star State on Sunday, Oct 8th. Kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
