Macomb, IL – The Western Illinois men's soccer team returns to Ohio Valley Conference action looking to bounce back as the Leathernecks prepare to face Eastern Illinois.
Western Illinois enters the matchup following a 3-1 setback against Southern Indiana. The Leathernecks battled throughout the contest and created several offensive opportunities, with Jason Hufnagle finding the back of the net in the 75th minute. Rashidi Ishibwiami and Fabrizio Kasperiski provided assists on the goal.
Xavier Gagnon, Adam Reiniger and George Frost also created opportunities for Western Illinois, while Ty Duax and Fernando Adrados Castro recorded shots on target late in the match. Harvey Bolland continued to anchor the Leathernecks in goal.
The Leathernecks have already faced Eastern Illinois once this season, earning a 2-1 comeback victory in the OVC opener in Charleston. After EIU took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute, Western Illinois responded in the 33rd minute when Gagnon scored off an assist from Duax to bring the match level at 1-1.
Western Illinois completed the comeback in the 83rd minute when Kasperiski finished a pass from Maksim Palisak to give the Leathernecks a 2-1 advantage. Bolland came up with a crucial save in the 85th minute, while the Western Illinois defense held Eastern Illinois scoreless over the final minutes to secure the road victory.
"Great effort today to open the OVC with a win on the road. Even better to do it coming from behind. The team defensive performance was encouraging and we scored two nice goals," said Western Illinois head coach Kooten Johnson following the victory.
Western Illinois will look to build on its previous success against the Panthers while continuing to generate opportunities from several different players. The Leathernecks will also look to rebound from the loss to Southern Indiana as they continue through the OVC schedule.
Eastern Illinois enters the matchup with momentum after earning a 1-0 victory over SIUE on Sunday at Lakeside Field. The Panthers remained scoreless with the Cougars for nearly the entire match before Bernardo Hanel scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute off an assist from Sergej Misic.
The Panthers controlled much of the offensive action in the first half against SIUE, recording seven shots compared to two for the Cougars. Eastern Illinois finished with 12 total shots and six shots on goal, while goalkeeper Kai Odagiri made five saves to secure the shutout.
Hanel enters the matchup following his third goal of the season, while Misic recorded three shots and an assist against SIUE. Shuto Ishikawa also provided an offensive threat with four shots, including three on target. Keidin Green added two shots, with one on goal.
Eastern Illinois will look to carry its recent defensive performance into the matchup as the Panthers prepare to face a Western Illinois team that has already defeated EIU once this season.
FOLLOW THE LEATHERNECKS
For all the latest information on Leatherneck men's soccer, visit GoLeathernecks.com. Fans can also follow Western Illinois men's soccer on X, Instagram and Facebook.
