⚽️ Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
🆚 Lindenwood
📆 Wednesday, November 13, 2024
⏰ 3 pm
🏟️ Ralph Korte Stadium – Edwardsville, Illinois
📈 LIVE STATS
📺 ESPN+
EDWARDSVILLE, Illinois --- Houston Christian University will begin its quest for a conference championship when it takes on Lindenwood in the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Wednesday. The Huskies are the second-seed in the tournament and will face the third-seeded Lions for the second time this season when the two face off at SIUE's Ralph Korte Stadium, with kick-off slated for 3 pm.
One year after not qualifying for the postseason in the league's inaugural campaign, the Huskies showed solid form that kept them close to the top of the standings most of the season. HCU moved into first place in the league on October 20 after handing SIUE its first-ever conference loss, and the Huskies ended the season in third place overall in the table.
HCU earned the second seed in the tournament and the attached first-round bye by virtue of winning their four-team pod, finishing ahead of Liberty, UIW and Western Illinois. The Huskies finished the regular season with a 7-6-5 overall record and a 5-2-3 mark in OVC play, with both representing the most wins in a season and in conference play since 2019. That was the last time the Huskies advanced to the postseason, where they were defeated by Air Force in the WAC Tournament.
HCU earned their postseason spot with a strong balance of offense and defense. The attack featured eleven different players hitting the back of the net and eight with at least two assists. On the other end of the pitch, the Huskies have been a formidable force, allowing just 16 goals in 18 outings. The Huskies were rewarded for their solid regular season, as seven different players took home hardware when the league announced it's awards for the 2024 season last week.
Sam Zeeman was named Defender of the Year and
Morgan Worsfold-Gregg was tabbed as the Freshman of the Year, both earning spots on the All-OVC first team. Worsfold-Gregg is the second straight HCU player to earn the rookie nod, joining
Ryan Okerayi, who was named last year. Okerayi was selected to the first team group for the second straight season.
Worsfold-Gregg was also named to the All-Newcomer team, where he was joined by
Theo Butterworth.
Alex Aitken,
Ethan Giwa-McNeil and
D'Alessandro Herrera each was selected to the All-OVC second team, with Herrera earning all-league honors for the second consecutive season.
The offensive attack for HCU is led by Okerayi and Giwa-McNeil, who tied for the team lead in goals with five apiece, third-best in the OVC. Okeraryi added five assists for 15 total points, third in the league, while Giwa-McNeil had four assists and is one point behind with 14. Herrera added three goals and two assists while Worsfold-Gregg had two goals and two assists on the season.
Alex Aitken has proven his mettle in this his junior season, sporting a 7-4-5 overall mark in the cage with a minuscule 0.75 goals against average, which is first in the OVC and 11th in the NCAA. He is one of just two keepers in the league with a sub 1.00 GAA on the season.
He allowed just 12 goals in 16 starts and made 57 saves on the season. He had seven shutouts, six in OVC play to rank second in the league and 11th in the nation in that category as well. He is just four saves shy of typing former HCU keeper and later head coach Benny Agosto for second place all-time and his 11 career shutouts ties him for second with Christopher Dodd.
HCU laces up against Lindenwood on Wednesday in just the third meeting all-time between the two schools. This will be the first time there will be a winner in the series, as the squads have played to 1-1 ties in each of the previous meetings. The Huskies fell behind on an Ethan Blake header in the 29
th minute on October 17 but leveled when
Morgan Worsfold-Gregg cracked in a header off a corner kick in the 75th minute.
Lindenwood comes into the match off a 2-1 win over Western Illinois in the quarterfinals on Sunday. The Lions jumped ahead 1-0 on a WIU own goal before the Leathernecks knotted things up in the 57th minute. Quinn Connoly then got his first goal of the season at the most opportune time, scoring in the 70th minute to give the Lions the lead for good.
LU is 11-5-3 on the season overall and went 6-2-2 in league play to finish second in the table but second behind SIUE in the pod, giving HCU the second seed and bye to the semifinals. Blake, a senior forward from Jefferson City, Missouri, is one of the top players in the league, earning first-team honors after leading the league in shots, shots per game, points and assists. He had eight goals, which was second in the OVC and was also second in the league in points per game at 1.32 an outing. Keeper Enzo Gil was named to the All-OVC second team, registering seven shutouts and a 1.18 GAA on the season.
Texas still has two sides remaining as the tournament hits the semifinals. The matches on Wednesday kick off with the Huskies and Lions, and will be followed by fifth-seeded University of the Incarnate Word taking on defending champion and top-seed SIUE. The Cardinals advanced to face the host Cougars after dispatching of Liberty University 2-0 on Sunday evening.
The OVC Championship match is slated for Saturday, November 16 at 6 pm.
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