Men’s Soccer Ties Blackburn on Senior Night

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka men's soccer team finished their season with a 2-2 tie against Blackburn on Wednesday night.

The Beavers opened the scoring 29 minutes into the game, taking a 1-0 lead. Just five minutes later, the Red Devils responded when Joyce Kabesa (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) dribbled through the 18-yard box before getting a shot away, rolling the ball into the bottom left corner of the net, just past the goalkeeper's hand to even the score. Blackburn quickly regrouped, adding another goal in the 40th minute to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.

Eureka came out of halftime with renewed energy, dominating much of the final 45 minutes. They finally found the equalizer they had been searching for in the 64th minute when the ball bounced around the box before falling to Kabesa's foot. He didn't hesitate, firing the ball into the top of the net for his second goal of the match and sixth of the season, leveling the game at 2-2. The Red Devils spent the final 26 minutes pushing for a winning goal but ultimately could not add another, and the match ended in a 2-2 tie.

Eureka outshot Blackburn 17-15 and recorded 10 shots on goal compared to just 6 for Blackburn. Jacob Russow (Streator, Ill./Streator) and Uli Castaneda (Bloomington, Ill./Normal West) led the Red Devils with 4 shots each; Russow had 3 on target, while Castaneda had 2. Kabesa also contributed 3 shots in his first two-goal performance as a Red Devil. Brayton Strawkas (Buffalo, Ill./Tri-City) started in goal for Eureka, making 4 saves in 90 minutes of play.

The Red Devils finished their season with a 3-13-2 overall record, including a 1-6-2 mark in SLIAC play during Ryan Woodside's third year as head coach. Wednesday was the final game for the strong senior class of seven players. Seniors Jacob Russow (Streator, Ill./Streator), Jake Edmondson (Monticello, Ill./Monticello), Daniel Jüeliger (London, UK/Netherhall Secondary School), Teddy Wesoloski (McDonough, Ga./Ola), Roberto Bucio (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington), Casey Frietsch (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria), and Carson Harvey (Pembroke, Ga./Bryan County) were honored after the match for their contributions to the Red Devils' men's soccer program.