CHICAGO, Ill.- Western Michigan continued its winning ways, picking up a 1-0 victory over DePaul Saturday on the road.
A free kick by Darren Jones in the 72nd minute was the difference maker, as the senior captain powered a shot from 32-yards out past Blue Demon goalkeeper Eric Sorby. It was Jones' first goal of the year.
The win improved WMU to 4-0-0 on the season, the best start for the program since the 2003 team won its first six straight. DePaul entered Saturday's match ranked No. 10 in the Great Lakes Region. Last week, the Broncos stunned another ranked opponent, upending nationally No. 25th-ranked Bradley 2-1 in overtime.
"It was a very efficient performance by us today," said head coach Stu Riddle. "I thought we controlled large portions of the match and as long as we were patient, we were going to find the goal that we deserved, which is exactly what happened."
WMU's best chance to score in the first half came in 28th minute when
Jason Grant's shot from just inside the box skimmed off the cross bar.
Western Michigan dominated the shot count, 13-2, placing three on goal, while DePaul (1-2-0) did not put any on frame. It was the third shutout in four games for WMU keeper Sean Lewis and the Bronco defense.
"Obviously, we are very happy with the start of the season, but it is just the start of the season, and we will remain humble as we prepare for a tough challenge at Canisius on Thursday."
Western Michigan travels to Buffalo for a 7 p.m. match against Canisius Thursday, Sept. 6 and returns to Kalamazoo to host Loyola on Alumni Day Saturday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m.
