🆚 Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
📆 Thursday, October 16, 2025
⏰ 5 pm CT
🏟️ Ralph Korte Stadium – Edwardsville, Illinois
📈 LIVE STATS
📺 ESPN+
Houston Christian University starts the second half of league play on Thursday night when it faces Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in a rematch of last year's Ohio Valley Conference championship match. It is the first of the final two road matches of the regular season for the Huskies, with kick-off at Ralph Korte Stadium set for 5 pm.
The Huskies returned to Sorrels Field for the first time in a month last week to post a pair of shutout victories over Eastern Illinois University and Western Illinois University. The Huskies defeated EIU on Thursday 3-0 behind a pair of goals from
Ryan Okerayi and another from
Joby Reid, while
D'Alessandro Herrera had two assists. On Sunday, the Huskies got a hard-fought win over WIU when Herrera put home a rebound of his own missed shot in the 58th minute for the physical game's lone tally.
Alex Aitken earned clean sheets in both contests, giving him seven on the season. For his efforts,
Aitken was named OVC Goalkeeper of the Week, where he was joined by Santiago Maynez, who was named Defensive Player of the Week. It is the fourth time this season and seventh in Aitken's career to be honored by the league.
The wins push HCU's record to 8-3-1 overall and the conference mark to 3-1-1 in Head Coach
Ryan Pratt's ninth season at the helm and 12th season overall with the program. The Huskies vaulted into a three-way tie for first place, joining previously unbeaten Lindenwood and Liberty following the Flames victory over the Lions on Sunday.
The brace in Thursday's match was the first in the career of
Ryan Okerayi, who leads the club with 15 points and seven goals having put 19 of his 30 shots on goal thus far for a .633 SOG%. He now sits in seventh place all-time with 19 goals, and is tied for the league lead in goals and also tied for second in total points.
The Huskies have had eight players hit the back of the net this season and have a .462 SOG% as a team.
Joby Reid and
D'Alessandro Herrera are now tied for second on the club in goals. Reid is second on the squad in points with 10 and paces the Huskies with four assists, tied for fourth in the OVC.
Herrera's two-assist game on Thursday was the third in his career, giving him 18 for his career and moving him into fifth place on the all-time charts, where he needs just two more to move into second place.
Ben Thirkill has three assists for the Huskies, while Herrera,
Ron Pressler and
Nico Kross each have a pair. HCU has registered 18 assists on 18 goals thus far on the campaign.
Aitken leads the league with his seven clean sheets, a 0.75 GAA and a .855% save percentage, while ranking fourth in total saves with 53. The senior from Great Barford, England now has 24 victories for his career, ranking as the all-time leader since the program was restarted in 2006. Already the all-time leader in saves, Aitken last week put his name at the top of the leaderboard in shutouts, as Sunday gave him 19 for his career, passing former keeper and former Head Coach
Benny Agosto.
Houston Christian University begins its final regular season road trip with a rematch of last year's Ohio Valley Conference Championship match, as the Huskies travel to Edwardsville, Illinois to take on SIUE on Thursday evening.
The Huskies and Cougars have met just three times, all coming since the OVC began soccer in 2023. SIUE took a 3-1 decision in the inaugural season on its home turf. HCU would return the favor last season, handing the Cougars their first-ever loss in conference action, as
Ryan Okerayi's 49th minute tally stood up for a 1-0 win in Houston.
The two would then earn their way to the championship match, again in Edwardsville. SIUE took a 1-0 lead before the Huskies stormed back with two goals before the intermission. That lead would hold until the 83rd minute when the Cougars equalized. Then, in the second overtime, Wes Gibson's "Golden Goal" at the 104th minute of the contest gave the Cougars a 3-2 victory and their second straight conference title.
Cale Wassermann returns for his seventh season at the helm of the Cougars, having guided them to back-to-back conference regular-season and tournament titles. SIUE, currently 2-8-2 overall and 1-2-2 in OVC action, is paced by Evan Howard. The senior forward is tied for second in the league in goals scored with six and tied for fourth in points with 13.
Four other Cougars have scored a goal, while junior forward Hugo Cornish and redshirt sophomore defender Archie McDonnell lead the team with two assists each. Freshman goalkeeper Noah Scheidweiler has started 12 of the 13 matches thus far, making 39 saves.
The Huskies will head to St. Charles, Missouri for the final road match of the regular season, facing Lindenwood in a Sunday matinee. HCU then closes the 2025 regular season slate with three straight on Fondren Road, beginning with a Friday night match against arch-rival University of the Incarnate Word on October 24. The game with UIW is a rematch of the conference opener, a 1-1 stalemate in San Antonio on September 26.
#DawgsUp
