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#6 Seed Eastern Illinois (4-9-5, 3-5-2 OVC) vs. #2 Incarnate Word (6-7-5, 4-3-3 OVC) 
Wednesday, November 8
3PM - Ralph Korte Stadium, Edwardsville, Ill.
Watch | Live Stats

Championship Game 
Saturday, November 11
6PM - Ralph Korte Stadium, Edwardsville, Ill.    
Watch | Live Stats

ON-TAP: The Eastern Illinois men's soccer team advanced to play in the 2023 OVC Tournament semifinals against No. 2 seed Incarnate Word on Wednesday afternoon. The Panthers enter the match following a 3-1 penalty kick triumph over Liberty to knock the Flames out of the competition. This will be the first time that Panthers and Cardinals battle in the OVC tournament, as the 2023 season marks the inaugural OVC Men's Soccer Championship. The first and last contest between schools was during the group stage of conference play earlier this season, when the Panthers suffered a 4-2 away loss.

A WIN TO REMEMBER: After battling to a scoreless draw over 120 minutes, the Panthers clinched a spot in the OVC semifinals by defeating Liberty University, 3-1 in penalty kicks. The match marked the first-ever Ohio Valley Men's Soccer Quarterfinal game as well as the first conference tournament win for the Panthers since 2007.
  
During the shootout phase, the Panthers converted the first kick with Sam Eccles, the third with Felipe Kerr Lourenco, and the fourth with Maxwell Allen.

Goalkeeper Chad Smith stopped Liberty's first and fourth attempts to help EIU secure the win.
 
OVC TOURNAMENT: The OVC league officials announced the 2023 Men's Soccer Championship bracket with the SIUE earning the No. 1 seed after clinching the OVC regular season championship. Eastern Illinois earned the No. 6 seed in the tournament field, as the Panthers are advancing to the OVC Tournament semifinals.

Eastern Illinois plays in the OVC Tournament for the first time in program history, as the conference announced the addition of EIU men's soccer as its 19th-sponsored sport this year. The Ohio Valley Conference became the 24th Division I Conference to sponsor men's soccer and will receive an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship. Before moving to the OVC in 2023, the Panthers played in The Summit League from 1983-95 and 2011-22 with the last tournament appearance being in 2018.

LEADERS IN POINTS: Sam Eccles finished as the Eastern Illinois point leader during the regular season, as the senior forward totaled eleven points with four goals and three assists. Eccles was one of three players with multiple goals this season, as he is joined by Maxwell Allen and Kyle Kimberling with two goals apiece. In the race for points, Eccles is followed by Casey Welage and Felipe Kerr Lourenco, with six and five points respectively.
  
TOP SCORER: EIU opened the lid to postseason play with Sam Eccles leading the team in numbers of goals (4). He has scored in the matches against IUPUI, Wright State, Lindenwood, and the away contest with Southern Indiana.
 
THE PLAYMAKERS: Casey Welage leads the way with most assists for the Panthers, as the sophomore forward picked up four during the regular season play. He is followed by Sam Eccles and Felipe Kerr Lourenco with three apiece. Kyle Ward and Julian Smith concluded the season with two assists each.
 
SMITH RECEIVES OVC WEEKLY HONOR: Chad Smith was recognized as the Ohio Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Week (Oct. 24th). At the time, Smith had posted his third shutout of the season against Southern Indiana to help EIU secure the road win. The junior goalkeeper also had a tremendous performance during the 1-1 tie against Lindenwood, posting four saves in net for Panthers, including a penalty kick. He walks into postseason play with four shutouts, 32 saves, and a .727 save rate.
 
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Incarnate Word advanced to the tournament holding the second place in the OVC standings with 15 points and a 4-3-3 conference record. During the preseason poll, the Cardinals were picked to finish fifth in the inaugural season of the OVC by votes of coaches and communication directors.
 
Last time out: UIW heads into the OVC semifinals with a 1-0-1 record, as the Cardinals come off a scoreless draw with Chicago State and a 2-0 win over Liberty in their last two matches.
 
On the offensive side, Liberty netted 29 goals in the 2023 season, as seven of them came from sophomore forward Sello Diphoko to become the team top scorer. He is followed by Peleg Armendariz with five and Francisco Segura with four goals. Freshman midfielder Erick Rios leads in assists with four.
 
Defensively, the Cardinals also suffered 29 goals. Goalkeeper Hugo Constant started in 17 out of 18 matches for Incarnate Word for three shutouts, 55 saves, and a .679 save rate.

Hello old friends: EIU will once again meet former head coach Kiki Lara and former assistant coach Carlos Sendin Castelao, as they both currently lead the men's soccer program at UIW. Lara coached EIU men's soccer from 2015-19, and was responsible for three straight Summit League Tournament Appearances (2016, 2017, 2018). Sendin-Castelao served as an assistant coach from 2018-20. While at EIU, he helped the men's team to reach No.1 Summit League Conference in goals against and save percentages. Out of Panthers' current roster, defender Maxwell Allen is the only player coached by Lara and Sendin-Castelao, as Allen was part of Lara's recruiting class of 2019.
 
OVC OPENER WIN: The 2-1 win over Lindenwood marked the first time EIU opened conference play with a win since 2021. At the time, the Panthers participated in the The Summit League, and defeated St. Thomas, 1-0.

CLEAN SHEET TO OPEN THE SEASON: Chad Smith posted three saves against Governors State to give EIU the first shutout of the season. Last time EIU opened the season with a shutout was also in 2018, against Cincinnati.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Illinois and Incarnate Word will meet for the second time in history. Earlier in the season, the Cardinals defeated the Panthers, 4-2.
   
HEAD COACH: Josh Oakley enters his second season as the head coach of the Eastern Illinois men's soccer team. Oakley was hired as the 11th head coach in the history of the program. A native of Mattoon, Ill., Oakley previously served as an assistant coach at EIU from 2000-02 and returned to Charleston after a successful stint at Lansing Common FC in the Midwest Premier League. He is assisted by Chris DeVito.

NEXT UP: The winner of the match between EIU and UIW will face the winner of the match between SIUE and Lindenwood in the OVC Championship game. The final match is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 11th. Kickoff at 6 p.m.