On Thursday, a quartet of OVC men's soccer teams suffered defeats.
DEPAUL 3 , WESTERN ILLINOIS 1
CHICAGO - Adam Reiniger scored for the Leathernecks, but an early DePaul offensive surge proved to be the difference as Western Illinois fell 3-1 to the Blue Demons on Thursday.
DePaul struck quickly, taking a 1-0 lead just 39 seconds into the match when Noeh Hernandez scored off assists from Luca Iaccino and Ronan Selbo.
The Leathernecks responded with opportunities of their own throughout the opening half. Xavier Gagnon and Joel McIntyre each put shots on target, but DePaul goalkeeper Chance Johnson turned both attempts away.
Hernandez added his second goal of the afternoon in the 29th minute to extend the Blue Demon advantage to 2-0. DePaul added another goal less than five minutes later, as Mason Kutch found the top right corner in the 34th minute to give the hosts a three-goal lead.
Western Illinois continued to battle and broke through in the 37th minute. Reiniger finished with his left foot into the bottom right corner of the net to cut the deficit to 3-1 heading into halftime.
The Leathernecks continued to push for another goal during the second half, earning two additional corner kicks and generating several scoring opportunities. Diego Porras forced a save from Johnson in the 61st minute, while George Frost and Porras each added additional attempts.
Western Illinois continued to battle despite being reduced to 10 players in the 74th minute following a red card to Fernando Adrados Castro. The Leathernecks held DePaul scoreless over the final 56 minutes of the contest but were unable to find another breakthrough.
Harvey Bolland played all 90 minutes in goal for Western Illinois.
WRIGHT STATE 2, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois men's soccer dropped a 2-1 decision to Wright State on Thursday afternoon at Lakeside Field. The Panthers and Raiders played to a scoreless tie through the opening 45 minutes before Wright State scored twice in the second half.
Eastern Illinois finished the match with seven shots, including three on goal, while Wright State recorded 16 shots with six on frame. The Panthers also earned four corner kicks compared to eight for the Raiders.
After a scoreless first half, Wright State broke through in the second half to take a 1-0 advantage. Eastern Illinois answered with a goal from Keidin Green, who recorded the Panthers' lone goal of the afternoon. Green finished with three shots and one shot on goal in 38 minutes of action.
The Raiders regained the lead later in the half, with Nicholas Dunaway and Cole Trollip each finding the back of the net for Wright State.
Eastern Illinois goalkeeper Samuel Toruno made four saves in the match, while Wright State's Alex Normandeau stopped two Panther shots to earn the victory.
Sergej Misic led the Panthers with two shots, both of which were on goal. Green added three shots, including one on target, while Patrick Osilaja and Adam Boykin each recorded one shot.
The Panthers battled throughout the contest, committing 12 fouls compared to 14 by Wright State. A total of 155 fans attended Thursday's home opener at Lakeside Field.
#24 MICHIGAN STATE 4, SIUE 0
EAST LANSING, Mich. - SIUE men's soccer dropped a 4-0 contest on the road at No. 24 Michigan State Thursday night.
Former All-OVC selection, Leo Coneh picked up a pair of assists in the game.
Michigan State opened the scoring just more than 10 minutes into the contest, when a pass from the outside slipped into the box. Peter Soudan was able to tap in the bouncing ball from the edge of the six-yard box. Leo Coneh, who was an All-OVC player last year at Liberty, picked up his first assist on the play.
The Spartans came close to adding a second in the 16th minute when a header hit the post and fell in front of goal. Mathias Clausen was able to clear the ball off the line.
Coneh delivered a cross to the center of the box in the 23rd minute and Andrew Darakdjian doubled the lead with a header.
The Spartans took the 2-0 lead into halftime.
Connor O'Keefe made it 3-0 for Michigan State just two minutes in the second half. Innocent Ngabo hit a left-foot strike from the top of the 18-yard box to make it 4-0 in the 85th minute.
The Spartans outshot the Cougars 17-5. SIUE goalkeeper Ioannis Koupepides made his first start for the Cougars and made five saves in the game.
Five different Cougars finished with a single shot. Anthony Faupel had the only shot on target for SIUE, forcing MSU goalkeeper Jake Grekowicz into his only save of the game.
UC SAN DIEGO 1, HCU 0
HOUSTON - Houston Christian University was stunned by a late score by UC San Diego and dropped a tightly contested 1-0 decision on Thursday night at Sorrels Field in the final of a three-match season-opening homestand.
A strong defensive game from both sides saw just three shots on target in the first half. Things picked up in the second half, especially from the visitors, who put up 11 shots total in the second 45 mintues. Six of those were on point, including the game-winner which came in the 84th minute.
A lost ball in the offensive end led to a breakout by the Tritons. A nifty pass by Ryan Namdar from the middle of the pitch to the left channel found Tyler Cash, who lined a screamer past a sprawling Harvey Heeps to give UCSD the breakthrough.
The Tritons then saw things out with strong clearance play over the final five minutes that enabled them to sneak out of Sorrels with the victory and avenge a 2-0 defeat in San Diego to the Huskies last season.
Ricardo Garcia had four shots for the Huskies, who only managed to put two of their 11 attempts for the evening on goal. Harvey Heeps took the loss despite a career best seven saves.
Cash opened his account for the season, while Namdar earned his first assist of the year, leading the Tritons (2-0) with four shots, two on target.