The University of Southern Indiana men’s soccer team exploded for three first half goals and cruised to a 3-0 win over the University of Illinois Springfield Friday evening at Strassweg Field. The Screaming Eagles see their record go to 6-1-1 overall and 4-0-1 GLVC, while the Prairie Stars go to 4-3-2, 3-1-1 GLVC.
USI dominated the last 20 minutes of the opening half, scoring three unanswered tallies to lead 3-0 at the intermission. USI sophomore defender Justin Raines(Bartlett, Tennessee) put the Eagles up, 1-0, at 22:13 off a direct kick from junior midfielder Sean Rickey (Columbia, Illinois). The eventual game-winning goal was Raines’ first tally of the season.
The Eagles broke the match open with less than 10 minutes left to halftime on a pair of goals within a minute. Rickey increased the Eagles’ lead to 2-0 with his team-high eighth of the season off a pass from junior forward Eric Ramirez (Vincennes, Indiana) at 35:18.
Ramirez got his turn 45 seconds later at 36:03 when he slid the ball into the Illinois Springfield goal off assisting passes from sophomore defender Jonathan Faas (Carmel, Indiana) and Rickey. The goal was Ramirez’s third of the season.
In the second half, the USI defense took over and withstood a barrage of 12 second half shots by Illinois Springfield. The Eagles finished with a 20-18 lead in shots overall, while the Stars had an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks over the 90 minutes.
USI goalkeeper Justin Faas (Carmel, Indiana) picked up his fourth shutout and sixth win of the year between the posts. Justin Faas also recorded a season and career-high with seven saves in the match.
USI hits the road to battle McKendree University for sole possession of first in the GLVC Sunday at noon in Lebanon, Illinois. McKendree saw its record rise to 6-1-1 overall and 4-0-1 in the GLVC after defeating Drury University, 2-1 in double overtime, in Springfield, Missouri, this afternoon.
The Eagles lead the Bearcats in the all-time series, 6-4-2, since the creation of the USI men’s soccer program in 1979. USI and McKendree are even in the last five matches with two wins and two loses each and a tie. USI posted a 2-1 victory at home last fall.
