Eureka Falls in SLIAC Quarterfinals at Lyon
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Eureka (7-10-3, 3-4-1) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Lyon (8-6-3, 5-2-1) | 0 | 3 | 3 |
BATESVILLE, Ark. – The Eureka men's soccer team's postseason came to an end Saturday afternoon, as the Red Devils fell 3-1 to Lyon in the SLIAC Tournament quarterfinals.
The Red Devils (7-10-3) battled through a scoreless first half, holding the Scots without a goal despite several good opportunities for the Scots in the opening 45 minutes. Goalkeeper Xavier Brisbon (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East) kept Eureka in it early, turning away Lyon's only two shots on-frame to send the match into halftime tied at 0-0.
Lyon finally broke through in the 47th minute when Joao Barros found the back of the net, and the Scots doubled their lead in the 64th on a goal from Tiago Donadon. Eureka refused to go quietly, pulling one back in the 88th minute when Landon Porch (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) converted off an assist from Uli Castaneda (Bloomington, Ill./Normal West) to make it 2-1. As the Red Devils pressed forward in search of the equalizer in the closing minutes, Lyon took advantage of weakened numbers in the back for Eureka and sealed the win with a late goal from Ariel Reyes less than two minutes later.
Porch's goal was his seventh of the season, tying him for 12th most in a single season in program history, while Brisbon finished the day with three saves. The Red Devils registered all six of their shots in the second half.
The loss concludes one of Eureka's most successful seasons in program history. The Red Devils earned their third SLIAC Tournament appearance in the past four years, notched their most wins since 2018, and recorded their best conference winning percentage in program history (.438). Their overall winning percentage (.425) ranked second all-time.
Several seniors also capped strong careers for Eureka. Joyce Kabesa (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) closed his Red Devil career tied for sixth in program history with 17 career goals and tied for sixth in single-season goals (11). Jacob Adamson (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) finished tied for 11th all-time in matches played (62). Brisbon set the single-season program record for goals-against average (1.53) and ranked second in save percentage (.789).