The Eastern Illinois men's soccer team earned a 3-1 victory over Houston Christian on Senior Day Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Field, using two first-half goals and a second-half score to secure its fourth win of the season.
With the win, the Panthers improve to 4-7-3 overall and 3-3-1 in conference play, while the Huskies fall to 4-6-4 overall and 2-2-2 in conference action.
Eastern Illinois opened the scoring in the 25th minute when senior forward Sergej Misic found the back of the net for his eighth goal of the season. Bernardo Hanel and Andre Ecker assisted on the goal, giving the Panthers an early 1-0 advantage.
The Panthers continued to apply pressure throughout the first half, outshooting Houston Christian 10-6. EIU added to its lead just before halftime when Marcos Ayelo scored an unassisted goal in the 44th minute, putting Eastern Illinois ahead 2-0 heading into the break.
Eastern Illinois maintained its momentum in the second half, extending its lead to 3-0 in the 71st minute. Adam Boykin scored his second goal of the season off an assist from Shuto Ishikawa, giving the Panthers a comfortable three-goal cushion.
Houston Christian responded in the 80th minute when Ryan Okerayi scored an unassisted goal to cut the deficit to 3-1. However, the Panthers held off the Huskies for the remainder of the match to secure the home victory.
Misic led the Panthers offensively with six shots, including four on goal, and one goal. Boykin added two shots, both on target, while Ayelo recorded two shots and his third goal of the season. Ishikawa contributed an assist, while Hanel finished with an assist of his own.
Eastern Illinois goalkeeper Kai Odagiri played all 90 minutes in goal, recording one save while earning the victory. The Panthers finished with 15 shots, including eight on goal, compared to Houston Christian's 14 shots and two shots on target.
The Panthers also held an advantage in shots on goal and capitalized on their scoring opportunities, finding the net three times to earn the 3-1 result.
Eastern Illinois will look to carry its momentum into its next match as the Panthers continue their Ohio Valley Conference schedule against Lindenwood on October 23 in St. Charles, Missouri.Â
