Macomb, Ill. – The Western Illinois men's soccer team continues Ohio Valley Conference play Thursday, traveling to SIUE for a 6 p.m. matchup at Korte Stadium.

The Leathernecks enter Thursday's contest after opening conference play with a 2-1 road victory at Eastern Illinois on Sept. 26. Western Illinois battled back from an early deficit, with goals from Xavier Gagnon and Fabrizio Kasperiski securing the comeback win.

Gagnon leveled the match in the 33rd minute off an assist from Ty Duax, marking his third goal of the season. Kasperiski provided the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute, finishing a pass from Maksim Palisak.

Western Illinois' defense held strong down the stretch, with goalkeeper Harvey Bolland making a key save in the 85th minute to preserve the Leathernecks' one-goal advantage.

"We had a great effort today to open the OVC with a win on the road," said Western Illinois head coach Koot Johnson. "Even better to do it coming from behind. The team defensive performance was encouraging and we scored two nice goals."

SIUE also opened OVC play with a victory, defeating Southern Indiana 3-1 Saturday at Korte Stadium. The Cougars received goals from Ryley Gibbs, Dominic Bartoni and Ben Perkins in the win.

Bartoni scored SIUE's second goal of the night on a penalty kick, while Perkins added the final goal in the 86th minute. The Cougars finished with a 15-12 advantage in shots and put eight attempts on goal.

SIUE enters Thursday's match with a 3-4-1 overall record and a 1-0 mark in OVC play. Western Illinois looks to build on its conference-opening victory and continue its strong play on the road.

Thursday marks the second consecutive road contest for the Leathernecks as they continue their OVC schedule.

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