(LEBANON, Ill. – Oct. 18) – The McKendree Bearcats men’s soccer team clinched their first regular season American Midwest Conference championship Thursday night defeating University of Illinois-Springfield 2-1 in double overtime. The Bearcats have now won twelve straight games.

(LEBANON, Ill. – Oct. 18) – The McKendree Bearcats men’s soccer team clinched their first regular season American Midwest Conference championship Thursday night defeating University of Illinois-Springfield 2-1 in double overtime. The Bearcats have now won twelve straight games.

Junior back/midfielder Ryan Miller (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) scored with 49-seconds remaining in the second overtime to give the Bearcats the win. “I couldn’t be more proud of the guys and how they played tonight,” said head coach Tim Strange. “We’ve had a lot of success at McKendree the past few years and this group proved tonight that they are ready to take things to the next level.”

After lightning delayed the start of the game for 30-minutes, the Bearcats got on the board midway through the first period when freshman forward Max Stainmez (Holland, Ontario, Canada) scored off a rebound from eight yards out. University of Illinois-Springfield tied the game midway through the second period off a deflection and the second period ended with the game tied 1-1. Miller’s game-winning goal in the second overtime gave the Bearcats their second win in double overtime in their last three games. “This is a great win for our institution and for our program,” said Strange. “We still have a few games left though and we need to make sure we take care of business.”

Senior goalkeeper Santiago Hampton (Buenos Aires, Argentina) had three saves in the win, improving his record to 7-1 on the season.

The Bearcats travel to Fulton, Mo. Saturday for an AMC game against William Woods University at 2 p.m.