by Nick Bowman
special to The Current

The UM-St. Louis men's soccer team really showed their competitiveness over the weekend as they defeated conference opponents Kentucky Wesleyan and Bellarmine at home.

The victories helped UM-St.Louis' hopes for post-season play, as they moved their Great Lakes Valley Conference conference record to 3-4.

One problem that has plagued UM-St. Louis throughout the season has been their lack of offense, but that problem was addressed as the Rivermen had 34 shots on goal this weekend, while scoring six goals.

"Playing and coaching is very fun when your team can produce," Head Coach Tom Redmond said. "This generates a lot of excitement and energy during a game, and really helps keep the intensity throughout."

Another factor in these victories, Redmond said, is the return of captain Scott Luczak, who has missed the past few games due to injury.

"Having Luczak in the line-up really brings this team's energy level up," Redmond said. "Scott hasn't missed a beat in his down time and with him in the line-up, the whole team really seems to rally."

Senior Ryan Inkley was also back in uniform, having served his two-game suspension due to a red card that he earned against Southern Indiana, as was goal-keeper Kevin McCarthy, who sat out last game due to an injury that has bothered him all year.

With these three men in the line-up, UM-St. Louis fielded a solid team.

The Kentucky Wesleyan game featured the returns of Luczak and Inkley. Inkley found Luczak down low for a goal early in the fourth minute. It took six more minutes for Jeff Stegman to feed Bobby Carter in front for another goal.

Then, the Rivermen turned the game over to the defense. The trio of Carter, Chris Stockman, and Nick Carron held Kentucky Wesleyan to five shots on goal, and all five came towards the end of the second half.

McCarthy was steady in the net, coming up with the shut out.

The only thing that put a damper on the post-game celebration was the loss of both Stegman and Ryan Smith. Stegmen went down after a collision, and Smith will miss the remainder of the season with a stress fracture.

Before the Bellarmine game on Sunday, Redmond congratulated his players on their victory, but stressed cohesion.

"Our offense and defense really seemed to click, and we need to keep that cohesion through the remainder of the season," Redmond said. "We need to continue to create transition, and to get into the attack zone every chance that we get."

Both goals were met, as the Rivermen compiled 20 shots on goal, while allowing only four.

Seniors Mark Mendenhall, Kevin Pierce, Luzcak and Michael Kirchhoff all accounted for goals, with Inkley assisting on Mendenhall's goal.

The Rivermen's next game is at Wisconsin-Parkside, a team whom UM-St. Louis has not beaten on the road in a number of years.

"This [Wisconsin-Parkside] game will be a true test for our team," Redmond said. "They are a very prominent team in our conference, and if we can beat them, our chances for making the [GLVC] tourney really increase."