West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's men's soccer team is gearing up for a significant week with two home matches at John MacKenzie Alumni Field in Macomb, Illinois. The Leathernecks will face Southern Indiana on Wednesday, October 16th at 3:30 PM and Eastern Illinois on Sunday, October 20th at 2:30 PM.

Southern Indiana has had a challenging season so far with a record of 2-10-1, including one win in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). The Screaming Eagles began the season with seven consecutive losses but managed to secure back-to-back victories against Rose-Hulman and Eastern Illinois. Despite their struggles to score since their OVC opener against Eastern Illinois, they recently drew against Incarnate Word. Western Illinois trails Southern Indiana in their all-time series with a record of 1-2-1.

The upcoming match against Eastern Illinois marks the continuation of a long-standing rivalry between the two teams. This will be the 62nd meeting between them, with Eastern leading the series historically at 34-20-7. Last year's encounter ended dramatically as Diego Porras scored an Olimpico goal to secure a victory for Western Illinois. Sunday's match holds significance for Western Illinois as they aim to gain points in the conference standings.

Currently standing at 6-7-1 overall and 1-4 in conference play, Western Illinois recently experienced both success and setback during its OVC matches. They defeated Liberty but narrowly lost to Lindenwood due to a late penalty goal. Despite being seventh in the conference rankings, four out of their final five matches are scheduled at home where they have maintained an unbeaten streak this season.

Joel McIntyre, a sophomore defender for Western Illinois, was recognized as the Ohio Valley Conference's Defensive Player of the Week on October 15th—his third such honor this year. McIntyre played pivotal roles in securing victories over Liberty and preventing further goals against Lindenwood.

Western Illinois achieved a clean sweep of weekly awards following their dominant performance over Northern Illinois on September 24th. Freshman goalkeeper Alexis Michaud earned Goalkeeper of the Week honors after recording seven saves during his shutout game. Joel McIntyre shared Co-Defensive Player of the Week recognition while senior midfielder Jimmy Baars was named Offensive Player of the Week after scoring twice.

Baars was also highlighted as an OVC Player to Watch prior to this season's start. In his second year with Western Illinois, Baars has shown promise by starting seven out of fourteen appearances last year while contributing nine shot attempts overall.

For ongoing updates about Leatherneck Men's Soccer activities and results throughout this pivotal period within their schedule please visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow them across social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.