CHICAGO, Ill. – The No. 8/14-ranked Western Michigan men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the 2018 season at DePaul University Monday, Aug. 27, falling 1-0 versus the Blue Demons.
Despite leading 9-8 in shots, 5-2 in shots on goal, and 5-3 in corner kick opportunities, a Blue Demon goal at the 69
th minute led to the first DePaul victory over Western Michigan in program history to move the all-time series to 3-1-1 in WMU's favor.
"Very disappointing result today, said head coach
Chad Wiseman. "We were not discipline in our game plan and lacked leadership in key moments of the game. I give credit to DePaul for making a play when the time came about. They were a spirited, energetic team today."Â
Heading into the break, the Broncos had not allowed a DePaul shot as they owned a 3-0 shot advantage and 4-0 margin in corner kicks. Five yellow cards were also shown, with three handed to Western Michigan.
DePaul's backline stood strong in the final 20 minutes, limiting the Broncos to one more shot on goal as they held on to the one-goal lead. Goalkeeper Drew Nuelle earned the shutout as he tallied five saves.
The shutout loss marks the first time the Broncos were held scoreless since a 1-0 loss against No. 6 Michigan State University Oct. 4, 2017.
"Today was a major step in the wrong direction for us," Wiseman mentioned. "It doesn't get any easier with a top 10 Butler team coming to Kalamazoo on Thursday. "It's early in the season but our toughness is being questioned, we will see how the boys respond."
Western Michigan, now 1-1-0 overall, returns to WMU Soccer Complex on Thursday, Aug.30 as they host No. 9 Butler University. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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