Oct. 31, 2004

Box Score

ROMEOVILLE - Defending champions usually find a way to overcome the tough obstacles so often presented in postseason play.

The Lewis University men's soccer team did just that Sunday against an Indianapolis squad that brought confidence and a 5-0-1 record in its last six games into the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship tournament first round.

Alejandro Blinder scored his fourth goal of the season at the 67:01 mark, and third-seeded Lewis later picked up some insurance with an Indianapolis own goal as the Flyers turned away the sixth-seeded Greyhounds 2-0 to earn a berth in Friday's semifinals in Edwardsville.

Lewis (15-2-2), ranked No. 17 nationally in NCAA Division II and No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region, will face second-seeded Wisconsin-Parkside (13-2-2) Friday at 5 p.m. The Flyers will be seeking revenge for a 3-2 loss to the Rangers in Kenosha earlier this season.

Top-seeded Southern Illinois Edwardsville (14-2-2) will play fourth-seeded Quincy (10-5-4), a 2-0 first-round winner over fifth-seeded Northern Kentucky, in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.

Last year, Lewis beat SIU Edwardsville 3-1 in the championship game to claim its seventh GLVC men's soccer title.

Blinder's goal, his fourth of the season, came less than a minute after he fired a line-drive shot off the crossbar in the midst of a Lewis offensive blitz that was giving the Flyers the upper hand. Cathal Brady (Dublin, Ireland/St. Peters College Dunboyne)'s assist on the goal was his GLVC-leading 12th of the year.

Although Lewis' second tally was an own goal (81:10), the Flyers' offensive pressure deserved a degree of credit. Brady sent in a long cross from the left side on a Lewis rush, and one of two Indianapolis (9-6-3) defenders in front of the goal sent the ball backward into the net in a hasty, ill-fated attempt to clear.

The Flyers gained a 19-12 advantage in total shots and a 5-4 edge in shots on goal. Lewis limited the Greyhounds' Miguel de Diego, the GLVC goals leader (15), to just two shots, neither on goal. Jordan Gustman went the distance for Lewis in goal to record his sixth shutout of the season.

With their 15th win of the season, the Flyers tied the 1986 and 1994 Lewis teams for the fourth-highest victory total in program history.