The University of Illinois Springfield men's soccer team heads into the third weekend of conference play preparing for one important road game. The Prairie Stars face in-state rival Quincy on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
UIS (5-1-2, 4-0)
UIS enters the weekend tied for first in the GLVC with Indianapolis with a 4-0 record. The Prairie Star defense has not allowed a goal in conference play so far, with .625 goals against average allowed on the year. Currently, the Stars are ranked 23rd in the United Soccer Coaches National Poll.
On Friday in Fayette, Iowa, the Prairie Stars defeated conference newcomers Upper Iowa 4-0. Four different players scored for the Stars; Adrian Adames, Noah Brill, Sergio Crescenzi, and Or Levinstein. Max Tweddle provided his fifth assist of the season as Federico D'Andrea chipped in with two assists of his own. The Stars found themselves up 3-0 at halftime and in total control after firing off 11 shots compared to Upper Iowa's 1 in the first half. The second half was much more even between the teams, but Levinstein provided the finishing touches on the game with his goal in the 83rd minute.
Sunday's match against Truman State was a tough battle throughout, with neither team giving up much on the day. The Stars finally found the breakthrough in the second half as Corne Boshoff netted his first career goal after a great assist from Lucas Harris. UIS finished the match with 12 shots, 6 on target, compared to Truman's 1 shot.
Quincy (2-6, 1-3)
Quincy enters the weekend 11th in the GLVC with a 1-3 record. Both wins for the Hawks have come at home this year.
The Hawks and Bulldogs battled for the full 90 minutes on Friday night, but Truman emerged victorious. Quincy found themselves down 2-0 early in the second half before a penalty kick was awarded to the Hawks. Alex Lehmann stepped up and buried the penalty kick as a fightback ensued, but Quincy could not find the game-tying goal.
On Sunday afternoon against Upper Iowa the Hawks once again found themselves in an early hole as the Peacocks scored just 2:09 into the match. Quincy's fortunes would not get better as Upper Iowa increased their lead to 3-0 by halftime. The second half provided some entertainment as both teams combined to fire off 21 shots. Quincy's lone goal of the match came from a Gavin Higgins penalty kick as the Hawks slumped to a 4-1 defeat.
UIS vs. Quincy History
UIS currently holds a 10-23-2 record against the Hawks. In the last seven matchups between the two, UIS has a 4-2-1 record. Last year's match in Springfield was a 7-0 rout in favor of the Stars. The last time the Prairie Stars traveled to Quincy, the Hawks won on a golden goal in overtime during the 2021 spring season.
Up Next
The Stars continue GLVC play and return home against Southwest Baptist on 10/6 and Drury on 10/8.
