QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University men's soccer team travels to Lebanon, Illinois, on Sunday for its Great Lakes Valley Conference opener against McKendree University.

Originally scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 PM before being moved to 8 PM, the match has now been pushed back one day due to the expected heat. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM Sunday, September 6, at Leemon Field.

Quincy enters the contest with a 1-1-1 record after earning a dramatic 1-1 draw against Purdue Northwest on Wednesday. McKendree enters at 1-2 after securing its first victory of the season with a 2-0 road win over Cedarville on Thursday.

Saturday's matchup marks the conference opener for both programs.

Last Time Out

The Hawks are coming off a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Purdue Northwest in hot conditions Wednesday morning at Legends Stadium.

Neither team found the back of the net in the first half, although the Lions controlled much of the possession and generated seven shots. Quincy goalkeeper Jake Offerman helped keep the match scoreless by turning away all three shots on goal.

Purdue Northwest eventually broke through in the 76th minute to take a late lead, but the Hawks refused to go away.

Josh Nwosu paced the Quincy attack with five shots, including three on goal, while Leo Cann added four attempts of his own. Offerman finished the match with seven saves, keeping Quincy within striking distance.

With the final seconds ticking away, Colin Kurk delivered a throw-in that was redirected by Rylan Fischer toward goal before Nwosu tapped home the equalizer.

The goal was Nwosu's first of the season and eighth of his Quincy career. Kurk picked up the first point of his collegiate career with the assist, while Fischer recorded his first career assist and has now registered a point in consecutive matches.

To review the full recap from Wednesday's matchup, click here.

Last Year's Matchup

Like Quincy's most recent contest, last year's meeting between the Hawks and Bearcats ended in a 1-1 draw at Legends Stadium.

Mathias Bringedal gave Quincy the lead just 1:48 into the match after taking advantage of a McKendree turnover near goal.

The Hawks protected that advantage for nearly the entire match behind a strong defensive effort and five saves from Offerman.

McKendree continued to apply pressure late and finally broke through with just 12 seconds remaining. The Bearcats scored off a corner kick on the final attacking sequence of the match to level the score at 1-1.

Despite surrendering the late equalizer, the result secured Quincy's spot in the 2025 GLVC Tournament.

Saturday marks another chapter in a series that has been closely contested over the years. Quincy leads the all-time series 9-5-4 dating back to 2005, although the Hawks will be searching for their first victory over McKendree since the 2020-21 season.

Scouting the Bearcats

McKendree enters Saturday's contest with a 1-2 record after defeating Cedarville 2-0 on Thursday.

The Bearcats opened the season with a pair of narrow losses against strong nonconference competition, falling 1-0 at Rogers State before dropping a 2-1 neutral-site matchup against Southern Nazarene.

McKendree bounced back Thursday with its first victory of the season and first shutout.

Goalkeeper Filip Borka recorded three saves in the victory and has totaled nine saves through the Bearcats' first three matches.

While McKendree has scored only three goals this season, the Bearcats have remained competitive thanks to a defense that has allowed just three. Both losses came by a single goal.

An interesting early-season trend has been McKendree's second-half production. All three of the Bearcats' goals have come after halftime.

Freshman Stevie Jones scored McKendree's first goal of the season in the 62nd minute against Southern Nazarene, and the Bearcats followed with two more second-half scores in Thursday's victory.

Recent Success Under Gyllenborg

Head coach Scott Gyllenborg enters his 10th season leading a McKendree program that has established itself as a consistent postseason contender.

The Bearcats were selected fourth in the 2026 GLVC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 162 points.

McKendree finished last season 10-6-5 overall and 8-2-4 in GLVC play, placing third in the conference standings.

The Bearcats advanced through the GLVC Tournament to the championship match before falling 2-1 to Maryville. McKendree then earned its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, continuing a run that has included three straight seasons with at least 10 victories.

The Bearcats have reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2023 and a run to the national semifinals in 2024.

Experience Returns on the Back Line

McKendree earned five All-GLVC selections last season and returns several important pieces from that group.

Graduate defender Philipp Muehlhans headlines the returning defense after earning Second Team All-GLVC honors and later being named First Team All-Region by United Soccer Coaches.

Muehlhans helped anchor a Bearcat defense that allowed less than one goal per game last season.

Sophomore defender Alonso Romero also returns after earning Third Team All-GLVC recognition as a freshman. Romero started all 21 matches last season and contributed two goals and three assists while playing more than 1,800 minutes.

Romero has already made an impact offensively this year, recording an assist on Jones' goal against Southern Nazarene.

With Borka taking over in goal and experienced defenders returning in front of him, McKendree has continued to make opponents work for scoring opportunities through the opening three matches.

Matchup Outlook

Saturday's conference opener features an interesting matchup between a Quincy attack that has shown the ability to score in bunches and a McKendree defense that has kept every match close.

The Hawks have scored seven goals through three matches, averaging 2.33 goals per game.

Cann leads Quincy with three goals after recording a hat trick against St. Cloud State, while Nwosu enters conference play coming off his first goal of the season. Quincy has also received goals from John Drew, Mathias Bringedal and Rylan Fischer.

McKendree, meanwhile, has allowed only three goals through its first three matches and has yet to lose by more than one goal.

Another key storyline will be each team's ability to finish matches.

All three of McKendree's goals this season have come in the second half. Quincy has also done some of its best work after halftime, scoring four second-half goals against St. Cloud State before finding the equalizer in the closing seconds against Purdue Northwest.

Last year's meeting provided another example of how little room there can be for error between the two sides, with Quincy scoring inside the opening two minutes and McKendree answering with 12 seconds left.

With conference play beginning Saturday, both teams will look to earn an early advantage in the GLVC standings.

Kickoff between Quincy and McKendree is scheduled for 7:30 PM Sunday, September 6, at Leemon Field in Lebanon, Illinois.

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Game Three Box Score vs. Purdue Northwest