Aziz Tahir Volunteer Assistant Coach | Western Illinois University Leathernecks Website
Aziz Tahir Volunteer Assistant Coach | Western Illinois University Leathernecks Website
Western Illinois University's men's soccer team is set to face St. Ambrose and Northern Kentucky in upcoming matches this weekend. The games will be held at John MacKenzie Alumni Field in Macomb, Illinois, and Scudamore Stadium in Highland Heights, Kentucky.
The Leathernecks will play against St. Ambrose on Thursday, September 5, at 5 PM Central Time. This marks only the second time these teams have met in regular season history, with Western Illinois securing a win in their previous encounter in 1995. St. Ambrose, an NAIA team, ended the 2023 season with a record of 4-9-2 and began their 2024 campaign with a goalless draw against Knox College.
On Sunday, September 8, Western Illinois will travel to face Northern Kentucky at noon Central Time. Last season, NKU finished with a record of 4-10-3 overall and 3-6 in Horizon League play. The Norse are currently 0-2-2 for the season, having earned draws on the road against Xavier and UAB. Historically, Western Illinois has a record of 1-2-1 against NKU and lost their last matchup in Highland Heights by a score of two to one.
Last weekend saw mixed results for the Leathernecks as they faced Bradley and Quincy. They suffered a four-nil defeat to Bradley but rebounded with a two-nil victory over Quincy. Joel McIntyre and Xavier Gagnon scored their first goals of the season during the match against Quincy.
In their opening weekend games hosted by Grand Canyon University, Western Illinois was defeated three-nil but managed to secure a one-all draw against Butler despite playing with ten men for part of the match.
The Leathernecks return with several key players from last year’s squad including midfielder Oscar Olingdahl, defender Gabe Chapa, attacker Xavier Gagnon, and midfielder Jimmy Baars who was named an Ohio Valley Conference Player to Watch for this season.
Additionally, Coach Dr. Eric Johnson has introduced new talent into the team including goalkeeper Micah Ramirez from Temple University along with other junior transfers and freshmen who are expected to make significant contributions this season.
For more information on Leatherneck Men's Soccer or real-time updates on matches, fans can visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow them on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
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