ST. LOUIS, MO – The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) battled to a 1-1 draw with the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) during Sunday's Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) matchup.

"We played very well as a team," UIS defender Edward Rose said. "We worked hard for each other throughout the whole 110 minutes."

Jack Coombes knotted the score at 1-1 for the Prairie Stars (4-2-1, 4-1-1) after capitalizing off a free-kick pass from Rhys Wallace 49 minutes into the match.

Samed Ganibegovic notched a goal for the Tritons (3-3-2, 3-2-1) while Carter Cassell dished out the assist.

Both teams fought a 93-degree heat throughout the match.

"It was a tough match," UIS coach Adam Hall recounted. "It was very hot and the game was affected at times with the fatigue."

UMSL had an early chance to take the lead when Kenan Selimovic delivered a shot from 20 yards out that ended up wide. The Tritons took a 1-0 lead during the 38th minute of the match when Cassell headed a pass to Ganibegovic, who found the lower-left corner for the score.

"I thought the boys started off well," Coombes commented. "Towards the end of the first half, we took our foot off the gas and UMSL managed to get a scrappy goal."

The Prairie Stars trailed by a goal at halftime, but they put their focus on evening the score.

"We came out, fought hard and got ourselves back into the game."

Wallace's free kick 49 minutes into the match led to the equalizer from Coombes off a header.

"Rhys put a good ball into the box. I just wanted to get the ball across the face for Edward [Rose] to get a tap in, but it snuck in there for me anyway. I couldn't be happier."

UIS had some good looks in the second half. During the 58th minute, Wallace took a free kick that was sent away by Maryville goalkeeper Jake Schmidt. Coombes came up with the rebound but his shot went wide. During the 79th minute, Mario Falsone set up a one-timer for Quentin Reese but his shot went left.

UMSL forward Pat Ries, the current goals-scored leader in the GLVC, created a 1-on-2 situation 82 minutes into the match. He fired his shot, but it hit the crossbar.

Both teams went through the remainder of the regulation and the entirety of the first overtime period without a shot on goal.

During the 102nd minute Josh Moore lined up for a shot on goal off a free kick, but it was saved. Four minutes later, Adrian Ortega set up Moore with a one-timer. Moore fired the shot but Schmidt rejected the shot. The Prairie Stars had one final look to break the tie during the 109th minute but came up empty.

"We should have taken the lead but couldn't quite get the finish we needed."

"We had great spells and their goalkeeper made some big saves," Hall acknowledged.

UIS goalkeeper Tommy Geile faced two shots and tallied one save while Schmidt rejected four of the five shots he faced.

Wallace and Moore registered two shots on target apiece while Coombes scored on his only shot on goal.

Ganibegovic and Nick Werner each contributed a shot on target for the Tritons.

The Tritons outshot the Prairie Stars by a 13-to-12 margin.

UIS concluded the weekend with a 1-0-1 record, following a 2-0 win over Maryville University on Friday. Maryville is receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches (USC) NCAA Division II poll.

"Overall, it was a good weekend away for us."

The Prairie Stars continue their season with two conference matches at Kiwanis Stadium next weekend. UIS clashes with McKendree University (2-5, 0-5) on Friday at 5 p.m. and battles with the University of Southern Indiana (3-4, 1-4) on Sunday at 12 p.m.

PRAIRIE STAR NOTES
Geile ranks second in the GLVC with an .814 save percentage on the season.