EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana men's soccer team is one step away from playing for its 11
th Great Lakes Valley Conference men's soccer title, but will have to go through top-seeded Rockhurst University at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Kansas City, Missouri. USI, the fifth seed, is appearing in the GLVC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2003.
Prior to the USI-Rockhurst match Friday, second-seeded Quincy University takes on the sixth-seeded University of Missouri-St. Louis at 5 p.m. in the first semifinal match. The championship match is slated for 1 p.m. Sunday at Rockhurst, which is hosting the final two rounds of the tournament.
USI has a GLVC-leading 10 men's soccer conference crowns after winning the first six league titles between1979 and 1984 and a string of four-straight between 1988 and 1991.
The Screaming Eagles (11-6-0) earned a trip to the semifinals by defeating fourth-seeded Bellarmine University, 2-1, Sunday. Senior forward
Jeffrey McClure (Indianapolis, Indiana) scored both of USI's goals against the Knights with assists by senior midfielder
Austin Andrekus (St. Charles, Illinois).
McClure's two goals brought his season point total to a career-high and team-best 34 on 14 goals and six assists. The 34 points are the most by an Eagle since Shane Gibson posted 45 points (17 goals, 11 assists) in 1990 and 36 points (15 goals and six assists) in 1991.
The senior forward also is tied for first in the GLVC with Rockhurst's junior forward Mark Magee with 14 goals scored.
Between the posts, the Eagles have two capable goalkeepers in junior
Jeffrey Neidlinger (Carmel, Indiana) and senior
Ben Dempsey (Evansville, Indiana). Neidlinger is 6-4-0 and a 0.87 goals against average (GAA), while Dempsey is 5-2-0 this fall with a 1.22 GAA.
The Hawks of Rockhurst (12-2-1), who are ranked fifth nationally, earned the right to host the final two rounds of the GLVC men's soccer championship by defeating eighth-seeded Lewis University, 2-0. Rockhurst also ranks second in the GLVC in goals scored and goal against average this season.
USI posted its first-ever victory over Rockhurst, 3-2, earlier this season at Strassweg Field. McClure scored all three of the USI goals in the victory. The Hawks, however, lead the all-time series with the Eagles, 13-1-2.
In the opposite side of the bracket, USI lost to both Quincy and UMSL by identical 1-0 scores. Quincy, which is ranked 10th nationally, leads the all-time series with USI, 15-3-1, while UMSL leads the series with the Eagles, 19-4-1.
