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Undergrad presents Deaf professor set to geography research at teach ASL course in national conference spring semester PAGE 2
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North Park falls more than 20 points behind SIUE men’s basketball PAGE 8
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
THE student voice since 1960
OVC CHAMPS! Thursday, November 16, 2023 Vol. 77 No. 11
Men’s soccer secures OVC championship, NCAA berth
AUDREY O’RENIC sports editor
SIUE men’s soccer earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after claiming the Ohio Valley Conference Championship title in the tournament series last week. The Cougars defeated the Lindenwood University Lions 2-0 in the semifinal round of the tournament on Nov. 8 at Korte Stadium. The first half of the game remained scoreless, and no shots were made on goal until the 53-minute mark. Lindenwood attempted to score but was quickly shut out by graduate goalkeeper Sam Gomez. The first goal of the game came at the 70-minute mark. Senior midfielder Sam Layton sent a 20-yard pass to junior forward Ignacio Abeal Pou, who then made a run in on goal from the left side and struck the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. “It wasn’t only me; it was just the whole team,”
Abeal said. “I get the strength and everything from the team, from the other guys. [I am] not playing only for myself, but for the team.” The two teams battled 1-0 for nearly the rest of the second half before Abeal’s second goal of the night at the 87-minute mark. Senior midfielder Andres Delascio sent a short cross to Abeal, who took his shot off the right foot from just outside the penalty spot, bringing the final score to 2-0. G o m e z credited his team with securing his ninth career shutout. “I didn’t face a single shot on target,” Gomez said. “Every single guy in front of me is putting their body on the line and ma k i ng
me have the easiest day, which is unbelievable, especially in a knockout game.” The championship final came just three days after the semifinal, in which the Cougars secured the OVC Championship title with a 1-0 win over the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals at Korte Stadium. The single goal that led
the Cougars to victory came at the 26-minute mark by Abeal. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Jake Karolczak returned a pass back to junior forward and midfielder Stephan Moreira, who then delivered a short pass to Abeal. Abeal attacked the ball and sent it straight into the bottom right corner of the goal. The Cardinals put up a tough fight for the rest of the game, frequently forcing the Cougars to make pass-backs to Gomez, who would then keep the ball until opportunities were found and set the Cougars up for quick breakaways with the ball. Head Coach Cale Wassermann said the game took a lot of work from everyone. “[We had] a very tough opponent, [and we] had to defend for long spells,” Wassermann said. Graduate midfielder Alsadiq Hasan credited the strong team dynamic
Soccer team captain Alsadiq Hasan (dark armband) and goalie Sam Layton (dark sleeve) raise the OVC Tournament trophy in celebration after beating the University of the Incarnate Word 1-0. | Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle
for pushing the Cougars through the competition. “So many times the game is so close and the opponent is having a good game,” Hasan said. “Our bond is what gives us the edge. We make mistakes, we stay positive, we push each other.” Although no more goals were scored by the Cougars, the defense put up a strong foundation in securing the final 1-0 victory. Wassermann said the win was very special for the team. see CHAMPIONS on page 8