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Red-Hot Leathernecks Open Conference Play at Liberty

| By: WIU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

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

Where | Osborne Stadium - Lynchburg, Virginia

When | 
Saturday, September 28, 2024 @ Liberty            Stream          Live Stats
(All times central)

Meet the Flames:
Saturday's matchup marks the first time in program history that Western Illinois and Liberty have faced off. The Flames are 2-3-1 on the season and have split their two home matches with a win over Mount Olive and a loss to Georgia State. Most recently, the Flames took on four-time national champions Clemson, falling one-nil. Liberty senior forward Michael Huss leads the team with four goals on the season, tied for the OVC lead with Leatherneck forward Liam Gainey. 

Red Hot 'Necks:
Western Illinois has won three in a row and five of their last six matches, marks that the program hasn't reached since 2019 and 2016, respectively. 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. WIU looks to carry this hot streak as they start their first-ever OVC season in Lynchburg.

The Season So Far:
Western Illinois is poised to be one of the better sides in the conference after a 5-3-1 start. They have strengths all over the field, as all three keepers, Micah Ramirez, Alexis Michaud, and Youssou Ouendeno have all made significant contributions between the sticks. A backline full of underclassmen has stepped up to the task, as Joel McIntyre, Ryan Wrobleski, Leevi Swearengen, and Oskar Grevelius have strung together solid performance after solid performance. In the midfield, Gabe Chapa, Oscar Olingdahl, and Benjamin Graham have jumpstarted attacks for the Leathernecks, where a six-man group of attackers have excelled. In the attack, Western utilizes a rotation of Jimmy Baars, Xavier Gagnon, Liam Gainey, Ty Duax, Diego Porras, and Tyler Philpott, who all have four-plus points on the season.

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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