USI fall in tournament opener, 3-1 Eagles look forward to NCAA II pairings announcement

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The 11th-ranked and top-seeded University of Southern Indiana men's soccer team lost its Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal match to Rockhurst University, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at Strassweg Field. The Screaming Eagles see their record go to 13-3-1 overall in 2018, while the eighth-seeded Hawks rise to 8-7-2.
 
With the loss, the Eagles will have to wait until November 5 to see if they will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. USI is in good position for a berth after being ranked first in the latest NCAA II Midwest Region poll and with the top six in the region receiving a spot in the national tournament at the end of the conference tournament season.
 
It was the Hawks that finished the first half with the lead 2-1 after a flurry of goals in the 15 minutes before halftime. Rockhurst took a 1-0 lead at 32:42 before USI junior forward Eric Ramirez (Vincennes, Indiana) evened the score on a penalty kick at 33:33.
 
Rockhurst regained the lead, 2-1, on a penalty kick of its own at 37:37and held the advantage through the intermission.
 
In the second half, the Hawks continued to keep the USI offense at bay and sealed the Eagles' fate with a goal at 76:04 for the eventual 3-1 final. Rockhurst limited the USI offense attack to six shots, two on-goal.