Macomb, Ill- The WIU men's soccer team's season came to an end Sunday afternoon with a 2-1 loss to Lindenwood in the quarterfinals of the OVC Tournament. The action started early, with Lindenwood scoring in the 11th minute off of an own goal. The Lions would outshoot WIU 7-2 in the first half as Micah Rameriez would have three saves at the break.
WIU would apply pressure in the early going to start the second half, and their efforts paid off in the 57th minute when Liam Gainey scored. Assisted by Ty Duax, Gainey's well-placed shot evened the score at 1-1.
Lindenwood reclaimed the lead in the 70th minute to put the Lions on top at 2-1. WIU would out shoot Lindenwood in the second half 6-5 having multiple shots on target late in the second half. In the end, it was the Lions taking the match 2-1.
The game was marked by high tension, with both sides picking up yellow cards. Lindenwood's Ethan Blake, Josh Francombe, and Christos Philippou each received cautions, while WIU's Joel McIntyre, Diego Porras, and Xavier Gagnon also saw yellow.
The Leathernecks finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 8-11-1 and a conference record of 3-7 in their first season as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. 8 wins is tied for the most in a season for WIU since the 2016 season where they finished 8-10-1.
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