The University of Southern Indiana men’s soccer team will host a Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament first round match for the first time since 2003 when it takes on the University of Missouri-St. Louis at noon Sunday at Strassweg Field. USI (12-2-3, 10-2-3 GLVC) is the third seed in the tournament, while UMSL (10-6-1, 9-5-1 GLVC) is the sixth seed.
Following the first round matches at campus sites, the GLVC Tournament will move to Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana for the semifinal matches November 4 and the championship match November 6. The GLVC is featuring the semifinals and the championship match on a neutral field for the first time in the history of GLVC men’s soccer.
Live coverage of USI’s run through the post-season, including live statistics and video, can be found on GoUSIEagles.com.
Week 10 Eagle Notes:Â
USI is 4th in region; receives votes nationally: The Eagles dropped two spots to fourth in the second NCAA Division II Midwest Region poll and closed in on reentering the NSCAA NCAA II Top 25 by receiving votes.
Eagles clinches home field in dramatic fashion:Â USI clinched its first post-season home game since 2003 in dramatic fashion, rallying to defeat Bellarmine University with two goals in the final 10 minutes to win, 2-1.
Home winning streak in the GLVC Tournament:Â The Eagles have a won their last two GLVC Tournament games at the Strassweg Field, defeating Quincy University in 2002 and Bellarmine University in 2003.
GLVC leader in championships:Â USI has 10 GLVC men’s soccer titles since the conference was created in 1979, the most by any program in the league. The Eagles won the conference championships in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991.
Between the posts: Junior goalkeeper Adam Zehme (Orland Park, Illinois) leads the Eagles between the posts with a 12-2-3 mark and a 0.90 goals against average. Zehme has a career-best 12 wins, 63 saves, and six shutouts this fall.
Scoring leaders: USI freshman midfielder Sean Rickey (Columbia, Illinois) is USI’s current scoring leader with 19 points on six goals and a team-high seven assists. The Eagles will be without their one-two punch of freshman forward Eric Ramirez (Vincennes, Indiana) and junior midfielder Kyle Richardville (Vincennes, Indiana), who will miss the GLVC Tournament with injuries. Ramirez and Richardville had recorded 21 points (10 goals, one assist) and 19 points (seven goals, five assists), respectively, before suffering the injuries.
Ramirez having best freshman year:  Despite going down with a hamstring injury and missing the last match, freshman forward Eric Ramirez has had the best freshman season ever for a USI player, posting a team-high 21 points on 10 goals and one assist. Ramirez broke the freshman record of nine set by Eric Schoenstein in 1988.
USI vs. UMSL:Â The Eagles trail the Tritons in the all-time series, 21-5-2, after dropping a 2-1 decision to start the 2016 GLVC slate. The September match was not played at on the natural grass of Strassweg Field due to rain, but was played on the artificial turf of Central Stadium in Evansville.
