Men's Soccer

MVC Men's Soccer Weekly Notebook (Nov. 3)

Player of the Week: Preston Kipnusu, Drake
Defensive Player of the Week: Marc Martin, Evansville
Goalkeeper of the Week: Alex Lindewirth, Western Michigan

Preston Kipnusu delivered one of the most spectacular moments of the week, scoring a dramatic 88th-minute bicycle-kick goal to lift Drake to a 1-0 victory over UIC on Friday. Battling through injuries for much of the season, Kipnusu entered as a late second-half substitute and made an immediate impact, recording his first goal of the season in unforgettable fashion. After receiving a lofted pass from Judah Shalit, Kipnusu evaded a UIC defender and unleashed an acrobatic overhead strike from well outside the penalty area, sending the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net. His late-game heroics secured Drake's first Missouri Valley Conference victory of the season and highlighted a memorable return to the scoresheet for the West Des Moines, Iowa, native.

Marc Martin anchored an outstanding defensive effort as Evansville continued its strong week with a pair of victories over Lipscomb and Bradley. The junior defender played all 180 minutes across the two matches, helping the Aces limit their opponents to just one goal and secure their fifth shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory over Bradley. Martin also made an impact on the attacking end, scoring his first goal in an Evansville uniform in the win over the Braves. His combination of defensive consistency, durability and timely offensive production helped the Aces finish the week unbeaten and earn two important victories.

Alex Lindewirth turned in a career-best performance Friday night, making eight saves in a 1-1 draw at Belmont to help Western Michigan secure a valuable road point. The senior goalkeeper faced 19 total shots, including nine on target, and allowed just one goal while playing all 90 minutes. His eight-save effort established a new career high and raised his season save percentage by more than three percentage points, from .735 to .768. Lindewirth also continued to rank among the nation's top goalkeepers, entering the week 20th nationally in saves per game (4.87) and total saves (73), while ranking 42nd in save percentage among Division I goalkeepers.

Conference News & Notes

  • With one match remaining in the regular season, Bowling Green and Evansville have locked up the top two seeds for the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference men’s soccer championship. They have automatically advanced to the semifinal round (November 11) of the tournament, and will host an advancing team out of the quarterfinals. 
  • Each round of the 2026 championship will be hosted by the highest seed. The No. 3 seed will host the No. 6 seed, while the No. 5 seed will travel to the No. 4 seed, on Sunday, November 8, for the quarterfinal round.
  • The regular-season title is still up for grabs, as a win by either Bowling Green or Evansville would give the team the title. If both programs win, lose or draw on Wednesday, they will share the regular-season title. In that scenario, Bowling Green would be the No. 1 seed, holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Purple Aces.
  • Bowling Green continued its winning ways, earning two victories last week, to extend its win streak to seven matches - the third-longest active win streak in Division I. Goalkeeper Jason Ball leads The Valley and the nation with a .913 save percentage this season, allowing just four goals in eight matches in net, while recording 42 saves.
  • Evansville used an offensive outburst to shut out Bradley, 3-0, on the road. With the win, the Purple Aces moved to 4-1-0 in Valley play, as they won their third-straight match. With the shutout, goalkeeper Hugo Amo is now tied as the league leader with five clean sheets this season. 
  • Drake ended its regular season on Friday with a 1-0 win over UIC. Preston Kipnusu, who has been battling injury all year, came off the bench and pulled off an acrobatic bicycle kick from well outside the box, sending the ball over UIC’s keeper’s head and into the back of the net for his first goal of the year. The Bulldogs will await their tournament fate, as a loss by Bradley would give Drake the final spot in the field.
  • Belmont and Western Michigan played to their third-straight 1-1 draw on Friday evening. The Broncos’ starting goalkeeper, Alex Lindewirth, set a new career-high with eight saves, while Belmont’s Brody Sucher made six saves in the net. Lindewirth leads the MVC, and ranks seventh nationally, with 73 stops on the year.