SPRINGFIELD, IL – The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) men's soccer team challenges Rockhurst University to finish the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) season.
 
SETTING THE SCENE
UIS (8-6-1, 8-4-1) battles with Rockhurst (12-1-2, 11-1-1) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Kiwanis Stadium. Rockhurst is ranked No. 8 in the latest United Soccer Coaches (USC) NCAA Division II poll.
 
WHAT'S HAPPENING LATELY
The Prairie Stars rolled to a 3-0 victory over Quincy University (5-10, 4-9) during last Sunday's GLVC matchup. UIS punched its ticket to its first-ever GLVC Tournament and eclipsed the program record for most GLVC wins in a season.
 
Rockhurst went 1-1 in GLVC play last week. Bellarmine University (10-4-1, 8-4-1) won its 10th consecutive match on its home turf by knocking off Rockhurst, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time, in a 2-1 victory on Friday. Rockhurst clinched its third consecutive GLVC regular-season crown on Sunday after taking down the University of Indianapolis (10-4-1, 9-3-1) in a 3-1 victory.
 
WHO'S IN
Rockhurst, Lewis University (11-4, 10-3), No. 25 Maryville University (11-2-2, 9-2-2), Indianapolis, Bellarmine and UIS have all clinched GLVC Tournament berths. Indianapolis, Maryville and Lewis have each clinched home-field advantage in the GLVC Quarterfinals.
 
ON THE BUBBLE
The University of Southern Indiana (9-6, 7-6), Missouri S&T (7-6-2, 6-6-1), Drury University (7-7-1. 6-6-1) and the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) (5-7-3, 5-6-2) are still in contention for the two remaining playoff spots.
 
GLVC OUTLOOK
The Prairie Stars have secured at least a top-6 seed in the GLVC Tournament. UIS can jump Bellarmine for the No. 5 seed if UIS earns a better result than Bellarmine on Wednesday.
 
STARS OF NOTE
Naba Alzhyri leads the Prairie Stars with 12 points off six goals. The senior from Nashville, TN is tied for ninth in the GLVC in goals and is one of three players in the conference with five game-winning goals. Tommy Geile tops the GLVC with an .849 save percentage. Rhys Wallace has notched nine points off four goals and one assist. Josh Moore has dished out three assists. Mario Falsone has provided seven points off three goals and an assist while Alex Zarco has contributed six points off two goals and two assists.
 
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT
Rockhurst claimed a 3-1 victory over UIS last season. Kaleb Jackson has provided 25 points off 10 goals and five assists to lead the Hawks. Among GLVC leaders, Jackson is tied for first in points, ranks third in goals and is tied for fourth in assists. Adam Michel has contributed 16 points off seven goals and two assists. He is tied for sixth in the GLVC in goals and tied for seventh in the conference in points. Umoh Ufot has tallied 13 points off five goals and three assists. Luca Mastrantonio and Jacob Richter has added three assists apiece. Logan Feldmann ranks fourth in the conference with a .795 save percentage.
 
In 15 matches, Rockhurst has allowed eight goals and 39 shots on goal.
 
UIS DIVISION II RECORD BOOK WATCH
Alzhyri holds the career and single-season records for game-winning goals with five. He also ranks second in career assists (6), third in single-season goals (6) and fourth in career points (20). Geile maintains the records for career shutouts (10) and single-season shutouts (5). Falsone is tied fifth in career points (19) and is tied for fifth in career goals (8).
 
HOW TO WATCH
Wednesday Oct. 25: UIS vs. Rockhurst (Live Stats) (Live Video)