Macomb, IL — The Western Illinois Men's soccer team will hit the road Sunday afternoon for a pivotal Ohio Valley Conference matchup against the undefeated Lindenwood Lions. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Hunter Stadium, with the match streaming live on ESPN+.

Lindenwood enters the contest in dominant form, holding a  9-0-1 record for the season and a 2-0 record in OVC play, sitting atop the conference standings. The Lions lead the all-time series against the Leathernecks 2-1-1, winning the last two meetings between the programs.

The Lions are coming off an impressive 3-0 shutout victory over Eastern Illinois on Thursday. Senior forward Luca Bartoni led the way with a three-shot performance, tallying one goal and two assists. Bartoni opened the scoring by setting up Maxime Legai and Jozef Palushaj for second-half goals in the 58th and 63rd minutes. Goalkeeper Gavin Roberts recorded four saves to secure Lindenwood's seventh clean sheet of the season.

Western Illinois (3-7-1) (1-0-1 OVC) is riding high after earning its first conference win of the season, defeating Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville 1-0 at home. After a quiet first half offensively, the Leathernecks surged in the second half, breaking through in the 80th minute when Benjamin Graham netted the game's only goal. The Leathernecks held off a late Cougar push to secure the victory and remain unbeaten in league play.

Sunday's matchup pits Lindenwood's high-powered attack—led by Bartoni and supported by a stingy defensive unit—against a Western Illinois squad gaining momentum after its resilient performance on Thursday. The Leathernecks will look to snap Lindenwood's winning streak in the series and hand the Lions their first conference loss of 2025.

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