The University of Southern Indiana men’s soccer team is hoping to rally in the second half of the 2017 regular season with five of the last seven matches at Strassweg Field. The home stretch of the schedule begins Friday when USI hosts Quincy University for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Screaming Eagles conclude the weekend homestand Sunday when they welcome Truman State University to Strassweg Field for a 2:30 p.m. contest. Links to coverage of the USI home stretch, including live stats and video, is available on GoUSIEagles.com.
Week 6 Eagle Notes:Â
Eagles split road trip:Â USI (4-5-0, 2-5-0 GLVC) return home after splitting a road trip to Lewis University and the University of Illinois Springfield. The Eagles stumbled at Lewis, 2-1, but rebounded to defeat Illinois Springfield, 2-1, in overtime.
Rickey and Ramirez sparking the offense: USI sophomore midfielder Sean Rickey (Columbia, Illinois) and sophomore forward Eric Ramirez (Vincennes, Indiana) have sparked the Eagles offense over the last couple of weeks. Rickey leads the team with 10 points on a team-high five goals, including the game-winning goals versus the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Illinois Springfield. Ramirez, who missed the first four matches of the season with injuries, has a pair of goals in five matches, including the lone tally versus Lewis.
Belding assisting the scorers:  Senior midfielder Riley Belding (Columbus, Indiana) has assisted the Eagles’ goal scorers in 2017, recording an assist on a team-high four of USI 14 goals this season.
Moving up the ranks: USI senior goalkeeper Adam Zehme (Orland Park, Illinois) is tied for fourth all-time with 13 career shutouts. Zehme also is third all-time at USI in saves, making 163 in three-plus seasons.
USI trails all-time series with Quincy:Â USI trails the all-time series with Quincy, 17-5-2, but posted a win and a tie last year against the Hawks. The Eagles won the regular season match-up, 2-1, on the road and advanced in the NCAA Division II Tournament on penalty kicks versus Quincy after tying 2-2 in double-overtime in Kansas City, Missouri.
USI closing on Truman State in all-time series:Â After a posting a 3-0 win on the road in 2016 and winning three of the last four meetings, USI has closed the deficit in the all-time series with Truman State to 9-7-2. The Eagles also have won last two match-ups at Strassweg Field.
Santoro begins his ninth year: USI Head Coach Mat Santoro has a 68-68-16 overall record at the helm of the Eagles since 2009.
USI in the GLVC:Â The Eagles, currently, are 12th in the conference standings. Quincy (5-4-0, 4-3-0 GLVC) is tied for sixth place, while Truman (2-9-0, 1-7-0 GLVC) is 13th in the standings.
