Eagles Head To Road, Flying High

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The University of Southern Indiana men’s soccer team travels to the far west of the GLVC this week when it visits William Jewell College Friday in Liberty, Missouri, and fourth-ranked Rockhurst University Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri. Friday’s kickoff at WJC is set for 7:30 p.m., while Sunday’s start time at Rockhurst is slated for 2:30 p.m.

Links to coverage of the USI western road swing, including live stats and video, is available on GoUSIEagles.com.

Week 7 Eagle Notes: 
Eagles sweep homestand: USI (6-5-0, 4-5-0 GLVC) moved back over the .500 mark with a homestand sweep last weekend. The Screaming Eagles defeated Quincy University, 2-1, to start the weekend before shutting out Truman State University, 1-0, to complete the homestand.

USI on longest winning streak of 2017: The Eagles have won three-straight matches, their longest winning stretch of the year.

Raines and Ramirez power weekend wins: Freshman defender Justin Raines (Bartlett, Tennessee) and sophomore forward Eric Ramirez (Vincennes, Indiana) powered the offense in the win over Quincy and Truman State. Raines scored both goals in the 2-1 toppling of  Quincy, while Ramirez scored the only goal of the match versus Truman State. Ramirez also had the assist on Raines’ game-winning second goal on Friday.

USI’s 2017 Offensive Leaders: Leading the USI offense this season is sophomore midfielder Sean Rickey (Columbia, Illinois), who has 11 points on five goals and one assist. Freshman defender Justin Raines follows with eight points on four goals, while sophomore forward Eric Ramirez is third with seven points on three goals and one assist. Senior midfielder Riley Belding (Columbus, Indiana) has a team-best four assists.

Second shutout of the year: USI senior goalkeeper Adam Zehme (Orland Park, Illinois) recorded his second shutout of the season versus Truman State and has 14 in his career. The 14 shutouts ties Zehme for third all-time at USI with Kyle Pennick (2002-05).

USI closing on William Jewell in all-time series: The Eagles follow the Cardinals of WJC in the all-time series, 3-2-1, but have gone 2-0-1 in the last three meetings. USI defeated WJC in 2016, 3-0, at Strassweg Field.

USI trails all-time series with Rockhurst: USI trails the all-time series with Rockhurst, 19-1-3, after falling to the Hawks in the regular season in overtime, 2-1, and in the NCAA Division II Tournament, 3-1. The only time the Eagles defeated Rockhurst was at Strassweg Field in 2012.

Santoro begins his ninth year: USI Head Coach Mat Santoro has a 70-68-16 overall record at the helm of the Eagles since 2009.

USI in the GLVC: The Eagles moved into a tie for 11th in the conference standings after winning the last three matches, percentage points out away from a berth in the GLVC Tournament at the end of the month. Rockhurst (9-0-2, 8-0-1GLVC) leads the GLVC by two matches, while WJC (3-8-0, 1-8-0 GLVC) is 14th in the standings.