KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Western Michigan men's soccer program welcomed Bradley University, Saturday, Oct. 1 at the WMU Soccer Complex. Junior midfielder
Brandon Bye scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season to help the Broncos fight back from a 1-0 deficit and tie Bradley, 1-1. With the result, WMU's record moves to 8-2-1 overall.
WMU placed 14 shots on frame while Bradley placed four on goal. Bronco redshirt junior goalkeeper
Drew Shepherd made three saves in the draw. Western Michigan held the 10-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Quoting Wiseman:
"This afternoon was a disappointing result, we created multiple chances and didn't capitalize," commented WMU head coach
Chad Wiseman. "Bradley's goalkeeper was fantastic making a number of unbelievable saves in the game. We expected Bradley to perform the way they did today. They battled and competed harder than us for 110 minutes."
How it Happened:
The Braves capitalized first in the 16th minute when a cross was headed past Shepherd, giving Bradley an early 1-0 lead.
In the 25th minute, Bronco defender
Alex Ruddock went up for a 50-50 header with Braves player Clark Emerson. Emerson was red-carded for an intentional elbow to the head and the Braves played the rest of the afternoon a man down.
Western Michigan threatened most of the remaining of the half, outshooting Bradley, 13-1, and sending in four corner kicks but was unable to even the score heading into halftime.
The second half looked much like the first as the Broncos maintained possession. WMU countered with chances but did not capitalize until the 74th minute. Redshirt freshman defender
Jake DeJulio sent the ball into the far post to forward
Anthony Bowie. Bowie connected his head on the ball, delivering it to Bye. The crafty midfielder sent his shot past the Bradley keeper to even the score, 1-1.
The Broncos created more chances following the goal but were unable to record the game-winner as the game entered overtime.
Senior midfielder
Diego Lopez delivered the biggest chance for Western Michigan in the 99th minute. Taking on the Bradley defenders, Lopez found himself one-on-one with the Braves' goalie. Attempting to hit far past, the goalkeeper made a great diving save off Lopez's shot sending the game into double overtime.
Shepherd kept the score even making a save in the 103rd minute after an attempted header by a Brave player. Neither team would mount any more chances as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Up Next:
The Broncos travel to Michigan State for a 4 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Oct. 5. WMU begins Mid-American Conference play with Northern Illinois at home on Oct. 8 at 12 p.m. over Homecoming Weekend.
