The University of Southern Indiana men’s soccer team opened up the 2019 GLVC and home campaigns with a 1-1 double overtime tie versus McKendree University Sunday afternoon at Strassweg Field. The Screaming Eagles see their record go to 0-1-2 overall and start conference play 0-0-1, while McKendree goes to 1-1-1, 0-0-1 GLVC.
USI senior forward Eric Ramirez (Vincennes, Indiana) picked up his first goal of the year and put the Eagles up 1-0 at 18:34. Ramirez out-paced everyone down the right side of the field after taking a pass from senior defender Markus Poulsen (Denmark).
McKendree rallied 14 minutes later and tied the match, 1-1, at 32:14. The teams took the 1-1 tie into the intermission.
In the second half, the Eagles and the Bearcats battled to a draw and sent the match into overtime. McKendree had a 6-4 lead in shots during the final 45 minutes of regulation and had a 56-44 percentage advantage in possession.
The first overtime saw both teams have great chances in the final two minutes. USI junior goalkeeper Justin Faas (Carmel, Indiana) made a great save of a McKendree shot half way into the first overtime while a Ramirez header hit the crossbar two and half minutes later.
McKendree had a 3-1 advantage in shots during the second overtime, but the USI defense forced the Bearcats into off-goal blasts. USI’s Faas finished the game with three saves and one goal allowed in his 110 minutes between the posts, while the Eagles’ defense faced a total of 13 shots.
The Eagles finishes a quick two-match homestand next Friday when the University of Indianapolis visits Strassweg for a 7:30 p.m. showdown. The Greyhounds saw their record go to 2-0-1 overall and 0-0-1 GLVC after tying Bellarmine University, 1-1, in double overtime on the road this afternoon.
USI leads the all-time series with UIndy, 22-13-0, despite falling to the Greyhounds in 2018, 1-0. The loss was the only conference defeat last year for the Eagles. The Greyhounds have had the upper hand on the Eagles since 2013, winning the last seven meetings, six coming in GLVC regular season action.
