Saturday, October 1, 2016

Men's Soccer: UIS men's soccer making pitch for conference tourney

If the Great Lakes Valley Conference Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament was held today, the University of Illinois Springfield would qualify for the first time.

UIS sits in sixth place in the 16-team conference standings with a 4-2 league record.

The top eight teams advance to the single-elimination GLVC tourney, and UIS has never finished high enough in the standings to earn a berth.

“I think we’re taking a few more risks going forward,” UIS first-year coach Adam Hall said. “We’re not as defensive. We’re actually trying to get forward and score. The guys are buying in to the new methods and new style of play.”

UIS could easily be undefeated in the GLVC. It fell 1-0 to Missouri-St. Louis on Sept. 16.

The Stars last had a winning record in 2008 when they compiled a 7-5 mark in their final year of competing at the NAIA level.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on September 29, 2016.

Read the entire article here.