ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The No. 5-ranked, first-seeded UIndy men's soccer team (13-0-3, 11-0-3 GLVC) kicked off the 2020-21 GLVC Men's Soccer Tournament by taking down eighth-seeded Illinois Springfield earlier this week 1-0. On Friday, the team met the fourth seed in the bracket, the Lewis Flyers (9-6-1, 8-5-1), in the GLVC semifinal contest for a chance to play for the championship. When the teams met in early March, the Flyers were able to sneak a goal in the Greyhounds' win. Today, the Hounds' defense carried them to their 11th shut out of the season, advancing to the championship on Sunday from a 2-0 final score.

INS & OUTS
Although the first half didn't provide any leads, UIndy's offense controlled the first 45 minutes of action. The Greyhounds put up seven shots on the goalie, forcing him to collect three saves that otherwise would have made their way to the back of the net. GLVC Offensive Player of the Year Alejandro Steinwascher, sophomore Cole Rainwater and senior Jeremy Fechtman were each of the three saves that found openings past the defensive backs. With holding the Flyers to only one shot on goal in the entire first half, the Hounds slightly changed the game plan to bring something different in the second half.

Out of the 28 scores the Greyhounds have made prior to the GLVC semifinal, their backs have only accounted for five of those goals. On Friday, both goals came from the team's backs on the lineup. At the 61' mark, Jakub Olczyk set up a cross play for the Hounds, with the senior knocking the ball on the far side of the goal past all the Flyer defenders. Mathias Skejeseth came streaking up for a header, placing the ball perfectly in the top right corner of the net past the goal keeper's reach to give the Greyhounds a 1-0 lead.

It didn't take long for UIndy to tally another score in their name, three minutes and 18 seconds later to be exact. Olczyk once again got another chance to set up a perfect play for the Greyhounds off of a corner, again placing the ball over to that far side of the goal. The ball didn't come in as clean as Skejeseth's score, bouncing around for a moment before finding the foot of Makel Rasheed. The GLVC Defensive Player of the Year's reflexes paid off for the big man, as he was able to pick up his leg high enough for a chop at the goal. The ball shot right at the goalie, but the power from Rasheed's shot bounced straight up the upright, hitting the bar just at the perfect angle to jump in the goal.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Goalkeeper Dimitrios Karousos saved three shots in the contest, with the senior now adding his ninth complete shutout to his resume for this season.
- The Hounds' 10 corner kicks were a season-high - the first time the team has hit double-digits this year.
- The Greyhounds' 20 shots makes it the third time this season they've tallied at least 20 shots.

UP NEXT
The Greyhounds will take Saturday to rest before the final game of the season, taking on second-seeded Maryville with the conference title on the line. That contest will stay on the Lindenwood campus at St. Charles, Mo., kicking off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 25.