BELLEVILLE, Ill.— After suffering a tough loss against Central Methodist University on Thursday night, the William Woods University men's soccer team will now turn its sights towards No. 21-ranked Lindenwood University-Belleville on Saturday. Kick-off will start at 3:15 p.m.
The Owls (10-3-2; 5-2-1 AMC), were limited to just three shots in the first half, while the Eagles (8-7; 1-3 Heart of America Athletic Conference) came away with six in the first 45:00 minutes of play.
Two of the scoring chances for the Owls came on consecutive plays in the 14
th minute, as
Jesse Jordan saw his shot get blocked and then
Andrew Bernal found the loose ball and took a shot of his own, but it went just wide of the goal.
WWU had another chance to take an early lead at the 18:54 mark, but
Daniel Paez shot went wide left of the net. Then, in the 21
st minute, CMU responded, as Nicolas Vallejos scored his fourth goal of the season, after a misplay from the WWU defense, to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead heading into the half.
In the second frame, the Owls totaled two shots right out of the gate, both coming off the foot of
Julian Wells, but his shots were saved by CMU's goaltender Carlos Ribera.
The WWU offense continued to put pressure on the Eagles throughout the final 45:00 minutes of play, but the CMU defense held strong as the clock continued to tick down.
In the 85th minute,
Sebastian Burich had a chance to score the equalizer, but it was Ribera coming up with the big save. Then, with one final chance at the 88:24 mark, Lendell Louis-Jacuques made one last attempt to score, but Ribera was able to earn yet another save and keep the shutout intact, as CMU handed the Owls a 1-0 defeat.
As a team on the season, the Owls still rank first in the NAIA in shutouts (nine) and 21
st in shots per game (18.470)
WWU's offensive campaign has been led by
Alex Severino and
Jacob Hawes, with the duo accounting for a team-high six goals apiece.
Paulo Conelian has also contributed to the offensive effort, having two goals on the season and a team-high eight assists, which ranks him 25
th in the NAIA.
In net, freshman
Conor Cable has seen most of the playing time for the Owls, playing 1186:30 minutes with 54 saves and only seven goals allowed. Cable ranks fifth in the NAIA in goals against with an average of .530.
Lindenwood-Belleville (12-1; 7-0 AMC) has been flourishing in its first season within the American Midwest Conference (AMC), putting up an undefeated conference record thus far in the AMC. The Lynx's success has not stopped there; the squad ranks 18
th in the NAIA in goals per game (3.080), 21
st in shutouts per game (.460), and 21
st in total shutouts (6).
On the season, the Lynx are led by senior Cesar Acosta, ranking 12
th in the NAIA for total game winning goals (four) and leads the team with nine goals. Johan Sundberg has totaled five goals and five assists, while Juan Santamaria, Enrique Garcia and Guillermo Chinchilla, have found the back of the net four times.
Sophomore goalkeeper Nicolas Nicolaci, meanwhile, ranks eighth overall in the NAIA in goals against average (.650).
Be sure to stay updated with this game and all WWU sports on wwuowls.com and check back tomorrow for a full recap and score from Belleville, Illinois.
