GREEN BAY, Wisc. - The Western Michigan men's soccer team improved to 2-2 on the season with a commanding 4-0 shutout at Green Bay on Sunday afternoon. Four players scored for the Broncos, as the WMU offense recorded four goals for the second consecutive Sunday.
"It was a complete performance today by the guys," said Western Michigan head coach
Chad Wiseman. "They stuck with the game plan for the entire match and were rewarded with the victory. We had to show some toughness today after dealing with the emotions of the overtime loss at home on Friday night. To me, coming away with a 4-0 result against a good Green Bay team on the road is toughness."
Bethel University transfer
Sam Biek scored his second goal as a Bronco to give his team a 1-0 lead in the
19th minute.
Biek controlled and put away a deflected shot from senior forward
Anthony Bowie, who got credit for the assist. Bowie scored one of his own shortly after in the
24th minute to put Western Michigan up by two, striking home a ball centered by sophomore forward
Mike Melaragni. Bowie now leads the Broncos this season in points with eight (3 goals, 2 assists).
The Broncos continued to control play in the second half, outshooting the Phoenix by a mark of 6-2. Freshman midfielder
Brennan Creek extended the Bronco advantage to three in the
61st minute with his second goal of the season. Senior captain
Giuseppe Vitale battled for a 50/50 ball in the attacking zone and used an impressive finish to put the finishing touches on the victory. It was the first collegiate goal for the native of Washington Township, Mich.
"Four different goal scorers is great to see," said Wiseman. "A huge congratulations is also in order to our captain Giuseppe on his first collegiate goal."
The Western Michigan defense was outstanding, allowing the Phoenix just three shots total in the full 90 minutes of play to earn its second shutout of the year.
"It was a total team commitment on the defensive side of the ball," Wiseman stated. "We did not concede a shot on goal, which is impressive. Both Sam
Biek and Brandon Skinner had great control of the game and the players in front of them."
Western Michigan will continue non-conference play on Saturday when it welcomes Cincinnati to the WMU Soccer Complex at 12 p.m.
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