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Leathernecks Take Trip to Texas, Playing Houston Christian and Incarnate Word

| By: WIU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Western Illinois Men’s Soccer kicks off their inaugural season in the OVC on Saturday night.

Where | Houston, Texas - Sorrels Field | San Antonio, Texas - Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium

When | 
Thursday, October 3rd, 7 PM @ Houston Christian     Live Stats
Saturday, October 6th, 1 PM @ Incarnate Word        Stream     Live Stats
(All times central)

About the Huskies:
Houston Christian (3-4-2, 1-0) has dropped matches to the two common opponents they share with Western Illinois, losing to both IU Indy and Gonzaga, two sides that WIU defeated. HCU opened league play with a conference win over Incarnate Word, defeating the Cardinals 1-0. Their other wins on the season have come against UTRGV and North American University. 2023 OVC Freshman of the Year Ryan Okerayi leads the team in points with nine, scoring and assisting three times. 

Meet the Cardinals:
The University of the Incarnate Word (2-4-1, 0-1) will face off against the Leathernecks in San Antonio on Sunday. The Cardinals lost to Gonzaga as well but defeated UTRGV and Our Lady of the Lake for their pair of wins. The Cardinals are currently being outscored 8-10 on the season, and are out-shot on average 12.4-10.0. 

Leatherneck Check-in:
Western Illinois (5-4-1, 0-1) was riding a three-match win streak into Saturday's conference opener, but the Leathernecks fell 7-1 to Liberty. Their three-match win streak consisted of a 3-2 win at Gonzaga, followed by a 4-0 victory over Northern Illinois in Macomb, then traveled to IU Indy and took down the Jaguars 2-1 on Tuesday. Sophomore captain Joel McIntyre received a red card against Liberty, meaning he'll miss Thursday's match. 

Weekly Award Sweep:
Western Illinois swept weekly awards after dominating Northern Illinois, as three Leathernecks picked up OVC Player of the Week honors on Tuesday, September 24. Freshman keeper Alexis Michaud was tabbed the conference's Goalkeeper of the Week after a seven-save clean sheet. Joel McIntyre picked up Co-Defensive Player of the Week, leading the Leathernecks to a shutout victory. Senior midfielder Jimmy Baars was named Offensive Player of the Week after netting a pair of goals, making it a Leatherneck sweep in the OVC. 

Player of the Week:
Following the first week of Leatherneck men's soccer action, center-back and sophomore captain Joel McIntyre was named the OVC's Defensive Player of the Week. McIntyre helped lead the Leatherneck defense to a one-all draw with the Bulldogs. The award was the first of McIntyre's career. 

Player to Watch:
In the Ohio Valley Conference's preseason poll, Jimmy Baars was named an OVC Player to Watch. A senior midfielder, Baars is in his second year with the Leathernecks. A native of Kudelstaart, Netherlands, Baars started in seven of his 14 appearances, totaling 590 minutes on the year. He finished his 2023 campaign with nine shot attempts and four on goal. 

FOLLOW THE LEATHERNECKS
For all the latest information on Leatherneck Men's Soccer, please visit GoLeathernecks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Leathernecks on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
 
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