EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE men's soccer advanced back to the Championship game at the Ohio Valley Conference with a 1-0 semifinal win over Incarnate Word Wednesday at Korte Stadium.
The top-seeded Cougars (11-4-3) will face No. 2 seed Houston Christian for the Championship, and the OVC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, Saturday night. Kick is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Playing through rain for much of the match, the Cougars appeared to grab an early lead when a free kick skipped into the back of the net in the sixth minute, only to be called back on an offside call.
The Cougars got on the board for real in the 31st minute thanks to a corner kick. Yasha Schaerer drove the kick to the top of the six-yard box when Nic Muench headed home for the 1-0 SIUE advantage and ultimately all the Cougars would need.
It was the third goal of the year for Muench and for Schaerer it was his team-leading eight assist of the year.
SIUE withstood increased pressure from the Cardinals in the second half. After a single shot in the first 45 minutes, UIW unloaded nine total shots in the second half and put six of those shots on frame.
Rob Gjelaj turned away all seven shots on goal and picked up his 10th shutout of the year. The 10 shutouts are tied for third most in a single season at SIUE.
The Cougars finished with nine total shots, including four on goal. Jacob Bilyeu, Patrick Coleman and Jake Karolczak each finished with two shots.
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