EVANSVILLE – It was almost a perfect senior night for the University of Evansville men's soccer team on Saturday night, but the victory would not be in the cards as the Purple Aces drew 1-1 with visiting SIUE at Arad McCutchan Stadium.
"I think we did everything that we could tonight," UE head coach Marshall Ray said. "I'm proud of how hard the guys fought, and you have to give credit to SIUE for holding on. I'm very proud of the group for the growth they've shown from last year, and I'm looking forward to heading back to the MVC tournament next week."
Both UE seniors had a chance to deliver a match-winner, but unfortunately for the Aces, the goal wouldn't come as UE ended the regular season with a 9-7-3 overall record and a 4-2-2 Missouri Valley Conference mark. The result secured the No. 3 overall seed for the Aces in next week's MVC Championship. Meanwhile, SIUE laid claim to the No. 2 seed, finishing 8-4-5 with a 4-1-3 record in the conference.
The MVC tournament will take place in Springfield, Mo., from Nov. 8-13 at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium on the campus of Missouri State University. The Aces will kick off tournament play against the winner of the opening round match between Bradley and Drake. A UE win would set up a rematch with the Cougars in the league semis.
On Saturday, SIUE took a 12
th-minute advantage in the contest as a Lachlan McLean dribbled up the left flank, and Chris Shuck unable to clear the attempt as it crossed the goal line.
The Aces would respond through Jared Robinson as a Jesse Stafford Lacey cross into the box found Ryan Koenig, who headed it over to his fellow senior for the clean finish. It was the seventh goal of the season for Robinson and the 10
th of his career.
UE would continue to impose their will in the contest, outshooting the visitors 20-8 with 10 shots on target, but they were unable to break through. Koenig had the best opportunity in regulation, as he found himself inside the 6-yard box with 19 minutes left, but SIUE goalkeeper Kyle Dal Santo made the save to keep it level.
In the second overtime, Robinson's would-be highlight-reel shot from distance narrowly missed, clipping the post with less than three minutes remaining.
On the other end of the field, Frederik Reimer wouldn't be called upon as often as his Cougar counterpart as he finished the night with three saves.
NOTES: The Aces are now 6-9-3 all-time against SIUE … The Cougars now hold a four-match unbeaten run in the series … UE is 68-46-10 all-time against Illinois schools … The Aces are 4-6-1 all-time on Nov. 5.
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