The Lindenwood Men’s Soccer team recently faced off against UT Rio Grande Valley at Hunter Stadium. The Lions, after starting the season with a 0-0 tie against Milwaukee, kicked off their home schedule with the game against Rio Grande.

The game was intense between both sides, with neither team able to break through the opposing defenses. An eventful second half included freshman forward Jozef Palushaj receiving a yellow his second yellow card after fouling a UTRGV player, and complaining to the ref, which resulted in a red card.  This put the Lions down to ten men in the fifty-seventh minute of the game.

The Lions allowed the first score in the sixty-first minute of the game, off of a header by a UTRGV player, as well as an injury for the goal scorer which led to a Lindenwood straight Red card for sophomore defender Luke Neely. This resulted in the Lions playing with nine players for the remainder of the game. UTRGV also received a red after the penalized player received his second yellow card of the game in the sixty-fifth minute of the game. At this point, the game became a ten vs nine contest.

The Lion’s only goal came from a penalty scored by senior midfielder Josh Francombe. The game finished three to one in favor of UT Rio Grande Valley. The Lions continue the season winless and play their next game at Wright State University on Aug 29th.