Eastern Illinois men's soccer made history Sunday night, defeating Incarnate Word 5-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Nov. 8 at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium. The Panthers combined for seven goals with the Cardinals, setting a new OVC Tournament record for combined goals in a match. Eastern Illinois' five goals sets the tournament record for most goals scored by one team against an opponent.
The Panthers improved to 5-9-4 on the season with the victory, while UIW fell to 6-8-3.
Eastern Illinois came out firing, opening the scoring just 4:26 into the match. Nolan Getzinger found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season, with Marcos Ayelo and Keidin Green credited with assists. UIW responded in the 34th minute as Ángel Mercado scored off an assist from Jaylen Williams to even the match at 1-1.
The Panthers regained the lead in the 41st minute after an own goal by the Cardinals, sending Eastern Illinois into halftime with a 2-1 advantage. EIU outshot UIW 9-1 in the opening half and held a 3-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Eastern Illinois continued its offensive momentum in the second half, with Adam Boykin scoring an unassisted goal in the 56th minute to extend the lead to 3-1. UIW answered just 19 seconds later, as Diego Robles scored his 11th goal of the season off another assist from Williams, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
The Panthers responded with two more goals to put the match away. Shuto Ishikawa scored his first goal of the season in the 62nd minute, assisted by Green, before Ayelo capped the scoring in the 79th minute. Ayelo's fourth goal of the season came off an assist from Sergej Misic, securing the 5-2 victory.
Eastern Illinois finished the match with a 16-7 advantage in shots and a 7-5 edge in shots on goal. Green led the Panthers with six shots and two assists, while Getzinger, Ayelo, Boykin and Ishikawa each contributed a goal. Green finished with two assists, while Ayelo recorded a goal and an assist.
Kai Odagiri played all 90 minutes in goal for the Panthers, earning the win with three saves. UIW goalkeeper Victor Salmeron also played the full match, recording three saves while allowing five goals.
The Panthers' five-goal performance marked a historic night in the OVC Tournament, as Eastern Illinois set the tournament record for goals scored by one team while the seven combined goals established a new tournament record as well.
The Panthers will now face #2 seed SIUE Wednesday November 11 at 7PM in St. Charles, Missouri in the OVC Tournament Semifinals.
