KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan men's soccer team suffered its second loss of the 2016 season, falling at home to Detroit, 2-1, Saturday afternoon. With the result, the Broncos' record moves to 7-2-0 on the year.   

How it Happened:
Western Michigan got behind 2-0 in the first half and could never recover. The Broncos gave up the first goal 56 seconds in the match when a ball played back to Bronco keeper Drew Shepherd went off the post and landed at the feet of Detroit's Tommy Bowman. Bowman played the ball across the front of the net to forward Spiro Pliakos for the easy finish.
The Titans went up 2-0 just before the half as a corner kick deflected in off a Bronco defender.

The Broncos had a chance to cut the score in half in the 53rd minute, as Western Michigan was awarded a penalty kick. Senior Edu Jiminez stepped up to take the kick, but Detroit goalkeeper Robbie Beckwell made an incredible diving kick save to turn the shot away. Beckwell made another quality save against WMU leading scorer Brandon Bye added a chance for Western Michigan in the 69th minute.

Western Michigan drew another penalty in the box at the 79th minute. This time forward Jay McIntosh buried the ball in the back of the net giving him his third goal of the season. 

Turning on the pressure, the Broncos were able to deliver three more shots and one corner kick but were unable to even the score.  As the final whistle blew, Detroit handed Western Michigan its second loss of the season as the scoreboard read 2-1.  

As a team, Western Michigan outshot Detroit 22-8 while holding an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.
 
Shepherd played 46 minutes and made two saves while allowing both goals. Redshirt sophomore Elijah Michaels was called to finish the game in goal, making his first career appearance as a Bronco.

"This result is extremely disappointing, we gifted them two goals in the first half," said WMU head coach Chad Wiseman. "It is hard to win college soccer games when this happens and we got exactly what we deserved. We have guys with strong character and great leadership skills. We will depend on those players to learn from this performance and be better on Tuesday."  

Next Up:
The Broncos continue their homestand, welcoming Drake on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m., and Bradley on Oct. 1 at noon. All games at the WMU Soccer Complex are free admission.