The Illinois Springfield men's soccer team returns home Wednesday for a conference matchup with Upper Iowa before heading back on the road Friday to face William Jewell. Wednesday's match will serve as UIS' Kick the Stigma game, bringing attention to mental health awareness and available resources.

The Prairie Stars (1-7-1, 1-4-1 GLVC) will host Upper Iowa at 4:30 PM Wednesday at Kiwanis Stadium before traveling to William Jewell for a 7:30 PM matchup Friday.

UIS enters the week coming off a 3-2 road victory at Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday night, snapping a stretch of conference results without a win. The Prairie Stars fell behind early before scoring three straight goals and holding on for the one-goal victory.

Robin Lemke Bergseth scored twice for UIS, including a penalty kick and a hard-fought finish after battling through three defenders. Sophomore Josh Mensching also found the back of the net for his first goal as a Prairie Star.

The win gives UIS momentum heading into a stretch against teams close in the GLVC standings. The Prairie Stars currently sit ahead of Upper Iowa and Lewis, while sharing the same conference record as McKendree and William Jewell. The GLVC has featured a number of ties early in conference play, creating movement throughout the standings as the league schedule approaches its midpoint.

Upper Iowa enters Wednesday's matchup with a 1-5-3 overall record and 1-5-1 mark in GLVC play. The Peacocks have gone 1-1-1 in their last three matches, earning a 2-1 win at William Jewell, falling 3-1 to Maryville and playing Rockhurst to a 3-3 draw.

Upper Iowa has received scoring from six players this season, led by Timur Nagy with three goals. Noah Nymark-Pedersen has handled the entirity of the goalkeeping duties, posting a 2.00 goals-against average and .695 save percentage.

William Jewell enters the week at 2-6-1 overall and 1-4-1 in GLVC play. The Cardinals have also gone 1-1-1 over their last three matches, falling 2-1 to Upper Iowa before defeating Truman State 4-1 and playing Quincy to a scoreless draw.

Daniel Pirillo has accounted for six of William Jewell's eight goals this season, including two game-winning goals.

Freshman goalkeeper Aidan Smith has seen the most action in goal for the Cardinals, posting a 1.13 goals-against average and .860 save percentage. Smith maintained William Jewell's clean sheet in its scoreless draw at Quincy.

Both matches will be available to watch on GLVCSN.

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