The University of Southern Indiana men’s soccer team advanced to the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship game after winning a penalty kick shootout with Lewis University in the semifinals. The Screaming Eagles, the seventh seed, goes to 11-6-1 overall, while the Flyers, the third seed, see their record go to 12-4-2.
With the win, USI advances to the GLVC championship game for the first time since 2002 and will play the winner of fourth-seeded University of Indianapolis and eighth-seeded Missouri University of Science & Technology Sunday at Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. (CDT). Follow the live coverage of USI Men’s Soccer in the post-season, including live stats and video, on GoUSIEagles.com.
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.
After a scoreless first half, Lewis broke out on top with a tally at 72:07 to make the score, 1-0. The Eagles would respond with the tying goal a minute and a half later when sophomore midfielder Adam Becker(Columbia, Illinois) posted his first goal of the season at 73:37.
Becker was assisted on the goal by sophomore defender Jonathan Faas (Carmel, Indiana).
The 1-1 tie through the 90 minutes of regulation could not be resolved in the overtimes as USI was unsuccessful in the only two shots of the 20 extra minutes and set the stage for the Eagles in the shootout period.
In the shootout period, USI secured the right to advance to the GLVC championship game by converting each of its four penalty kicks. Senior defender Jacob Dickerson (Louisville, Kentucky), senior midfielder Cesar Alba (Hanover Park, Illinois), and senior midfielder Kyle Richardville (Vincennes, Indiana) gave USI a 3-1 advantage before senior midfielder Brian Fischer (Jeffersonville, Indiana) clinched the shootout win with the Eagles fourth-straight penalty kick conversion.
Between the posts, senior goalkeeper Adam Zehme (Orland Park, Illinois) added a tie to his overall record for the fall after saving two of the three penalty kicks in the shootout period. The shootout win for the second of Zehme’s career
