Illinois Springfield men's soccer closes out the regular season at home this week, hosting McKendree on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and Rockhurst on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Prairie Stars enter the final week at 1-11-3 overall and 1-8-3 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play, with both opponents sitting just ahead of them in the conference standings.

McKendree is 4-7-3 overall and 3-5-3 in GLVC play, while Rockhurst holds a 4-6-4 overall record and a 3-4-4 conference mark. The three teams occupy consecutive spots in the lower half of the standings, setting up two matchups that could be closely contested as the regular season comes to a close.

Robin Lemke Bergseth is coming off a strong individual performance, as he recorded a hat trick against Southwest Baptist last week. The three-goal outing brought his season total to six, tying him with Gentil Selemani for the team lead. Lemke Bergseth has also added one assist for 13 points on the season.

Despite the teams' positions in the standings, the final week presents an opportunity for the Prairie Stars to build on that performance and finish the season with positive results against familiar conference competition.

McKendree enters Wednesday's matchup at 4-7-3 overall and 3-5-3 in GLVC play. The Bearcats have found some consistency recently, losing just once in their last six games, although three of those contests ended in draws.

McKendree recorded two shutouts last week, playing Missouri-St. Louis to a scoreless draw before earning a 2-0 win at Rockhurst. The Bearcats have averaged 1.50 goals per game this season, slightly more than Illinois Springfield's 1.33.

Fredrik Thulin leads McKendree offensively with eight goals and five assists for 21 points. His scoring production will be an important factor for the Prairie Stars to monitor as they look to slow down the Bearcats' attack.

Rockhurst comes to Springfield at 4-6-4 overall and 3-4-4 in conference play, currently 11th in the GLVC standings. The Hawks have dropped their last two contests, falling 1-0 to Missouri-St. Louis and 2-0 to McKendree. They will host William Jewell on Wednesday before traveling to Illinois Springfield for Saturday's regular-season finale.

The GLVC has seen plenty of turnover at the top in recent years, with all three teams playing this week having won a regular-season conference title within the last decade, including Rockhurst last season. With only three teams having clinched GLVC Tournament berths entering the final week, the conference race remains unsettled as teams finish their regular-season schedules.

Wednesday's match will celebrate International Day at UIS, recognizing international students across campus, including international Prairie Star student-athletes.

Saturday's match will feature Heroes Day, recognizing the contributions of local heroes and community members. In partnership with the YMCA, UIS will also host a Future Stars game following the Prairie Stars' match, giving youth soccer players an opportunity to take the field.

Both matches will be available to stream on the GLVC Sports Network.


UIS thanks CEFCU for its partnership and continued support of UIS soccer. Learn more about CEFCU.