MATCH SUMMARY

Early Stages
 

With the Bears getting a free kick in the 17th minute on a run down the pitch, Shawnee State used the proficient kicking leg of Sei Aitoku to create a golden opportunity.

On Aitoku's corner kick, the Japan native lofted a ball that found Ol' Reliable himself, Shawnee State senior defender Guilherme Bitencourt, for a goal as Bitencourt redirected the free kick straight into the back of the net.

The goal, Bitencourt's fifth of his Shawnee State career as well as his 13th career SSU point, tied the score at one apiece with 73 minutes still to play in the match -- and changed the complexion of the contest. Aitoku nabbed his second assist of 2025 off of his free kick.

Middle Stages
 

Indiana-East was able to connect three additional shots between the 19th to 22nd minutes of play, but other than a Jaiden Earls shot that glanced off of the post, Shawnee State goalkeeper Toby Forsythe proved to be on top of his game, with the Gahanna, Ohio product stopping four shots over the opening 22 minutes to help preserve the 1-1 tie.

After the early struggles that Shawnee State faced defensively in allowing Indiana-East to post seven shots over the first 22 ticks of action, the Red Wolves struggled the rest of the way offensively -- while Shawnee State only gathered up additional momentum.

Second Goal
 

Shawnee State, who posted five additional shot attempts with Marco Riva putting together good pieces on three of those near misses, couldn't muster the go-ahead goal in the opening half of play as the Bears entered the halftime break tied with Indiana-East, 1-1.

However, Riva wasn't shut out of the goal long in the second half.

On a strong Shawnee State run down the near side hash marks, a ball was fired from Mara to Riva, who nestled a well-placed ball into the right corner of the net in the 52nd minute to give the Bears the lead for the first time. The goal was Riva's 11th for his career at Shawnee State as well as his 28th career point with the Bears -- while Mara picked up his first career assist as a result of the converted play.

Riva's conversion proved to be all Shawnee State would need -- as Indiana-East got just four shots off in the second half. Of those, two were blocked by a cleaner second half defensive effort led by Shawnee State senior defender Clement Akanyah among others, while a third shot did not reach the goal as Forsythe only had to save one ball -- that coming in the 56th minute -- as the Bears claimed the 2-1 win.

"It was a slow start for us Saturday against Indiana-East, but we got back in the game quickly," Shawnee State assistant coach Jonathan Olivera said. "The boys started controlling the ball and finding each other. It was a good performance from some of our older guys. Marco scored again, which helped us in gaining control of the match and changing the outlook of it, and in the middle of our defense, Clement kept us all together and in the game. The guys dug deep and got the three points. We struggled, but even so, we found a way to get the job done which speaks to our guys' leadership and team unity. It's time for us to get back to work on Monday and get ready for our next match at home against Kentucky Christian."

Shawnee State will be back in action Saturday, Oct. 11 when the Bears take on Kentucky Christian (1-6, 0-3 River States Conference) at 7:30 p.m. at Shawnee Turf to cap off what will be a River States Conference doubleheader -- with the women's soccer match preceding the men's match at Shawnee Turf.

For more information on the Shawnee State men's soccer program, visit https://ssubears.com/sports/mens-soccer or visit https://www.instagram.com/ssumsoc.