Box Score

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Up against a tough SIU Edwardsville squad, the University of Evansville men’s soccer team could not find the back of the net Saturday night on the road, as the Purple Aces fell 2-0 in the first Missouri Valley Conference match of the season. With the loss, the Aces fall to 5-4 on the season and 0-1 in the MVC, while the Cougars improve to 7-3-2 overall and 1-0 in league play.

"They came out and put us under a lot of pressure, which we didn't respond to positively," said Head Coach Mike Jacobs. "We were able to gain momentum in the second half, but we gave up a second goal late while we were chasing.

"There are a lot of lessons for us to draw from in this match and we need to build off our second half performance. Good teams play well for 90 minutes, and our young team is still developing into a good team," added Jacobs.

SIUE struck quickly, scoring the first goal just 4:36 minutes into the contest. Peter Kelly knocked the ball past goalkeeper Eric Teppen from six yards out on a cross from Jack Twellman.

The Cougars tallied an insurance goal in the 80^th minute of play on Matt Polster’s hard shot from 20 yards out.

SIUE held an 18-14 shot advantage, but UE took eight shots on goal, compared to the Cougars’ six. In addition, the Aces held a 6-1 shot on goal advantage in the second half, but were unable to get anything past goalkeeper Scott Meyer. Junior Jesse Sharp led
Evansville with six shots, including three on goal.

Teppen finished with four saves, playing all 90:00 minutes in net, while Meyer tallied eight saves and shutout.

The Aces are back in action Wednesday when they host Drake at 7:00 p.m. CT at Arad McCutchan Stadium.