GREEN BAY, Wis.- Western Michigan trailed three different times in the game but always managed an equalizer, drawing a 3-3 tie with defending Horizon League champion Green Bay Sunday in Wisconsin. Sophomore Shane Lyons led WMU with six shots and two goals while freshman Lito Esquivel tallied his first collegiate goal, as the Brown & Gold improved to 4-2-1 on the season.

Following a frustrating 2-0 loss to Robert Morris Friday, Sunday's response was promising for the Broncos. It was also a stark contrast to last year's final, when Green Bay easily topped Western Michigan 5-1 in Kalamazoo.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of the boys after that performance today," WMU head coach Stu Riddle said. "It was an incredibly gutsy showing and every single player played with their hearts on their sleeve. I wanted a response after a sluggish display on Friday night and we certainly got it.

"To come here and get this result against a team that won the Horizon League last year is just fantastic. It shows how far the program has come after they beat us a year ago. Every one of the players deserves a mention, but I was delighted for Shane to get his two well-taken goals and for Lito to open his account for the Broncos."

Poor marking allowed Green Bay to take a 1-0 advantage with a header in the ninth minute. Lyons evened the score in the 25th, converting a penalty kick after a hand ball was whistled on Oliver Mayer's cross into the box. The score stood at 1-1 through the remainder of the first half.

Both teams went on to score two more goals in a pulsating second half. The Phoenix took the lead again in the 49th minute, but Esquivel quickly retaliated 48 seconds later with his first goal of the season. Esquivel expertly pulled down Joel Del Toro's cross, at the same time eliminating the defender, and smashed an unstoppable volley past the outrushing keeper.

Green Bay (3-2-1) took the lead one last time in the 61st minute when the Bronco defense failed to clear a long throw. Lyons ultimately forced overtime, knocking in a header in the 87th minute. Joseph Beshara lofted a cross into the box and Lyons towered above his defender for the finish.

Western Michigan withstood six shots from Green Bay in the two overtime periods to come away with its first tie of the season. Another notable individual performance was that of WMU freshman goalkeeper Sean Lewis. In his first career appearance and start, Lewis played all 120 minutes and made a team season-high 11 saves.

Continuing its four-game road stretch, Western Michigan travels to Eastern Illinois Sept. 26 and then to Bowling Green for its Mid-American Conference opener on Oct. 1.