ST. LOUIS, Mo. - McKendree University men's soccer fired two first half goals to defeat the hosting Tritons of UMSL, 3-0, in a final regular season bout, which capped-off its Great Lakes Valley Conference season properly. The win locked the Bearcats into the sixth seed for the upcoming GLVC tournament where they will travel to Maryville in the opening round.

McKendree started early in the match with a goal in the ninth minute from senior forward James Stone which was assisted on by freshman midfielder Philipp Schmidt. Schmdit sent a long, high pass over the top which Stone gathered and sent over the opposing keeper. The wind carried the ball awkwardly but it flew into the upper right corner of the net to give the Bearcats the lead. The goal marked Stone's ninth of the season while it was Schmidt's fifth assist of the fall, both of which lead McKendree.

In the 34th minute, McKendree added its first insurance score of the contest with another long pass from just inside midfield by Schmidt, which was collected and scored by Stone from just beyond the Tritons six-yard box. The score and dish-out made it Stone's 10th goal of the fall and Schmidt's sixth assist. 

During the following parts of the match, UMSL was unable to find a score and fell short of the same offensive numbers in the second half. McKendree's defense created major issues for the Tritons and allowed no corners and only two shots in the second half. The Bearcats offense also pressured the hosting-Tritons with 10 shots on goal and 12 total, with eight coming in the second half. 

The Bearcats tacked on one last goal in the 90th minute, with only 40 seconds left on the clock, by senior forward Raul Arteaga. Arteaga chased down a clear-out kick by senior goalkeeper Alvaro Cortazar and fired it into the net, which put the Bearcats up  3-0 over UMSL. 

Cortazar recorded his fourth clean sheet of the season with three saves while improving to 8-5-3 this fall. The goalkeeper has collected full-time in the net for McKendree with 1551 minutes. 

UP NEXT:
McKendree men's soccer will be back on the pitch on Sunday, November 7 against Maryville in the first round of the GLVC tournament. The match will take place at third-seeded Saints' home field at a time yet to be decided. 

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