Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Western Michigan (1-2) couldn't come back from a first half Viking score, as Cleveland State (2-1) squeaked by the Broncos, 1-0, at the WMU Soccer Complex, Sept. 5.
Both WMU and CSU pounded the ball on the attack, as the two teams combined for 33 shots on the day. The Vikings finally got one to stick as Bryan Henson chipped the game-winner from the middle of the field, 18 yards out, over Bronco netminder Casey Aubil in the 35th minute.
The Brown & Gold had several good looks on goal throughout the day, but couldn't come up with a score.
“We missed out on at least three goals in the first half, then after they scored we didn't respond with a sense of urgency,” WMU head coach Chris Karwoski said.
With about 15 minutes remaining in the first half, freshman Ko Yamamoto fed a ball through to senior Tom Oatley, who broke free past the defense, but sent his shot wide left. Two other runs by the Broncos in the first period were called back due to offsides.
After a slow start to the second half, WMU had another scoring opportunity squandered in the 55th minute. Attacking deep in the Viking third off a free kick, Shaun Clements flicked a ball off his head toward the net, but CSU goalie Nick Harpel was there to make the save.
WMU's Aubil came up with a fantastic save of his own in the 76th minute, keeping the Broncos within one. A CSU attacker slipped by the defenders and faced Aubil one-on-one. Aubil charged out from the net and batted down the shot with his right hand, also managing to scurry over and dive on the rebound.
Western Michigan nearly evened the score on the counter attack. With CSU goalie Harpel out of position, a ball got knocked around the box, and what would have been the tying goal was prevented as a CSU defender headed it off the goal line.
WMU sighed a breath of relief a few minutes later when a Viking shot ricocheted off the crossbar, but the Broncos inevitably fell by a 1-0 final.
“We got frustrated at the end and lost some of our shape,” Karwoski added. “When we do that, we start to chase and aren't in a position to attack. We started forcing things and couldn't finish. Defensively we did okay, but I expect more from these guys.”
Aubil, who ended last week leading the Mid-American Conference in saves, made seven stops on the afternoon. Terry Dowding led the Bronco attack with five shots, while Clements fired four and Tyler Rosenhagen accounted for three.
Both the men's and women's soccer teams are home on Sunday, Sept. 9. The Bronco women host Arkansas at noon, and the men will face IPFW at 3 p.m. Sunday is pizza day at the WMU Soccer Complex, with fans receiving free pizza between games.
