The Lindenwood Lions celebrate winning the 2025 OVC regular season championship. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
| NCAA Men’s Soccer | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois (4-7-4, 3-3-3) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lindenwood (13-1-3, 6-1-2) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| Time | Team | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 30:05 |  | Luca Bartoni (5) Assisted By: Sebastia Cerda Tous , Gavin Csiszar. |
| 39:12 |  | Gui Gragnano (4) Unassisted. |
ST. CHARLES, MO — The Lindenwood University men’s soccer team clinched its first conference championship as an NCAA Division I team on Thursday, when it played to a 1-1 draw in its regular season finale at Hunter Stadium against Eastern Illinois.
The finish allowed Lindenwood to reach 20 points in the Ohio Valley Conference standings, with a 6-1-2 conference record, that no other team in the league can get to, even with one more game remaining in the regular season.
That meant when Thursday night’s game ended, the Lions were the OVC regular season champs.
“I reflect back to when I first got here,” Lindenwood head coach Kris Bertsch said. “We worked really hard and there were some believers who believed in the vision and the mission and there are many guys from the 2023 team that are here lifting the trophy. I’m so very proud that those boys are champions.”
The Lindenwood Lions are 13-1-3 this season and will be the No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament, which begins on November 9. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Lindenwood, which is 13-1-3 overall this season, has been on a historic run all year. The Lions began the season with seven straight wins and were unbeaten in their first 12 matches.
Lindenwood’s only loss this season came on October 12 against Liberty — the team that will finish second in the OVC this year. After that, the Lions won three more consecutive matches, before Thursday’s tie that clinched the title.
On Thursday, as it seemingly has all season, Lindenwood scored first. The goal came in the 31st minute, when senior Luca Bartoni banged home a rebound, following a shot attempt by teammate Sebastia Cerda Tous.
The Eastern Illinois goalkeeper stopp Cerda Tous’ shot, but had no chance against Bartoni, who was all alone in front of the Panther net.
Eastern Illinois tied the score on a free kick in the 40th minute, so the game went to halftime tied at 1.
The second half was all defense, on both sides. Lindenwood only allowed Eastern Illinois two shot attempts in the final 45 minutes. But the visiting Panthers were equally as good on their own back end, as they only allowed the Lions four shot attempts.
“EIU has improved a lot since the last time we played them,” Bertsch said. “They scored on a restart goal which was the first restart goal we have given up all year. I give a lot of credit to them as they made us work and it was a well-earned 1-1 tie.”
Lindenwood will finish the regular season with a game at Western Illinois on Sunday, before serving as host of the OVC Championship Tournament, November 9-15. The top six teams in the conference will play in the event, with the top two seeds getting a bye into the semifinals.
The Lions know they will be the No. 1 seed and will play their semifinal game on Wednesday, November 12, against the winner of the 4-seed versus 5-seed matchup on November 9.
The OVC Championship Game will be November 15 at Hunter Stadium and is slated to begin at 7:30 that evening.
All matches in the OVC Tournament will be streamed live on ESPN+.
2025 LINDENWOOD LIONS MEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 21, 2025 (Thursday) | 12:00 p.m. | Away | Chicago State | Chicago, Ill. | W, 7-0 | |
| August 26, 2025 (Tuesday) | 5:00 p.m. | Home | Milwaukee | Hunter Stadium |  | W, 2-1 |
| August 31, 2025 (Sunday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | Wright State | Hunter Stadium | | W, 3-0 |
| September 4, 2025 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | Evansville | Evansville, Ind. | | W, 1-0 |
| September 7, 2025 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | St. Thomas | Hunter Stadium | | W, 5-1 |
| September 9, 2025 (Tuesday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | Westminster | Hunter Stadium | | W, 3-2 |
| September 14, 2025 (Sunday) | 12:00 p.m. | Home | Le Moyne | Hunter Stadium | | W, 2-0 |
| September 19, 2025 (Friday) | 6:30 p.m. | Away | Texas-Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, Texas | | T, 0-0 |
| September 27, 2025 (Saturday) | 7:00 p.m. | Away | SIU-Edwardsville | Edwardsville, Ill. | | W, 2-0 |
| October 2, 2025 (Thursday) | 3:00 p.m. | Away | Eastern Illinois | Charleston, Ill. | | W, 3-0 |
| October 5, 2025 (Sunday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | Western Illinois | Hunter Stadium | | W, 2-0 |
| October 9, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Hunter Stadium | | T, 0-0 |
| October 12, 2025 (Sunday) | 12:00 p.m. | Away | Liberty | Lynchburg, Va. | | L, 1-0 |
| October 16, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | Incarnate Word | Hunter Stadium | | W, 2-0 |
| October 19, 2025 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Houston Christian | Hunter Stadium | | W, 2-1 |
| October 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Away | Southern Indiana | Evansville, Ind. | | W, 4-0 |
| October 30, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | Eastern Illinois | Hunter Stadium | | T, 1-1 |
| November 2, 2025 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Away | Western Illinois | Macomb, Ill. | | |
| November 12, 2025 (Sunday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | Ohio Valley Conference Tournament | Hunter Stadium | |