The Lindenwood Lions are unbeaten, after 10 games to begin the 2025 men’s soccer season. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
| NCAA Men’s Soccer | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood (9-0-1, 2-0-0) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Eastern Illinois (1-5-2, 0-1-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| Time | Team | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 15:34 |  | Luca Bartoni (4) Assisted By: Matteo Landais , Bruno Fornes one time off quick cross from right corner |
| 57:18 | | Maxime Legai (1) Assisted By: Luca Bartoni quick pass and touch to low corner for goal |
| 62:43 | | Jozef Palushaj (1) Assisted By: Luca Bartoni one time off cross |
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
CHARLESTON, IL — The Lindenwood University men’s soccer team scored a goal in the first half and two more in the second to secure a 3-0 shutout win over Eastern Illinois University in an Ohio Valley Conference game, Thursday afternoon at EIU’s Lakeside Field.
The victory lifted Lindenwood’s record to 9-0-1 — the team’s best 10-game start to a season in program history. The Lions are also 2-0 in OVC league play and remain just one of 11 teams in all of NCAA Division I men’s soccer without a loss this season.
The Lions were led by senior forward Luca Bartoni, who played a hand in all three goals that were scored. The Lindenwood newcomer, who transferred in from Division II Maryville University, scored the first goal of the game, then assisted on both of the others.
Bartoni’s goal was his fourth of the season. It came on play set up by teammates Bruno Fornes and Matteo Landais in the 16th minute of the first half.
Fornes sent a pass wide to the right side of the field to Landais, who then lifted a crossing pass toward the EIU net. Bartoni got to the ball first and tapped it home for a score that put the Lions on the board.
Lindenwood junior Maxime Legai scored his first goal of the season in the Lions’ win over Eastern Illinois on Thursday. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood athletics)
The second half goals came on similar plays, in the 58th and 63rd minutes, where Bartoni’s speed helped set up a two-on-one for the Lions deep in EIU’s zone.
On the first one, Bartoni attacked the EIU net, but didn’t shoot. Instead, he waited for the defender to commit to him before he passed to a wide open Maxime Legai, who banged home his first goal of the year.
On the second score, Bartoni did the same thing. Only this time, he worked his way around the EIU defender before sending a pass to Jozef Pulushaj, who was alone in the middle of the box, and scored his first goal of the season.
The three-goal lead was more than enough for the Lindenwood defense, which held Eastern Illinois to just four shots on goal in the game. LU goalkeeper Gavin Roberts, a St. Louis native, who played his high school ball at Marquette Catholic and his first year of college at Saint Louis University, stopped all four shots to earn his first shutout of the season.
The Lions will now prepare for two straight home games.
On Sunday, October 5, Lindenwood will host Western Illinois in another OVC league game at Hunter Stadium. And next Thursday, October 9, the Lions will host SIU-Edwardsville.
Opening kick for Sunday’s game will be at 3 p.m., while next Thursday’s matchup will begin at 7 p.m. Both matches 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 | | |
| October 9, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Hunter Stadium | | |
| October 12, 2025 (Sunday) | 12:00 p.m. | Away | Liberty | Lynchburg, Va. | | |
| October 16, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | Incarnate Word | Hunter Stadium | | |
| October 19, 2025 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Houston Christian | Hunter Stadium | | |
| October 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Away | Southern Indiana | Evansville, Ind. | | |
| October 30, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | Eastern Illinois | Hunter Stadium | | |
| November 2, 2025 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Away | Western Illinois | Macomb, Ill. | | |
| November 9, 2025 (Sunday) | Home | Ohio Valley Conference Tournament | Hunter Stadium | |