WESTFIELD, Ind. – The Western Michigan men's soccer team opened the 2020-21 season with a 1-1 tie in an exhibition against Xavier at the Grand Park Sports Campus on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Musketeers opened the scoring five minutes in, taking a 1-0 lead. A Bronco was whistled for a foul and XU scored on the ensuing set piece, with the ball played into the box and a Musketeer finishing it.
 
Western Michigan kept the pressure up and was able to respond in the 85th minute. Sophomore midfielder Brennan Creek earned a penalty kick after being taken down inside the box. Sophomore midfielder Max Keenan stepped up and slotted it into the net for the game-tying goal.
 
Due to it being an exhibition, the game was called after the full 90 minutes.
 
"It sure was great to see the boys in Brown & Gold take the field again," said head coach Chad Wiseman. "The game was very competitive exhibition, which is exactly what we wanted out of the match. I was a little disappointed to see us concede so early into the match. Xavier deserves credit for making us pay for our mistakes. I thought we really grew into the game today and got stronger as the match went on."
 
"We are far from where we want to be, however we got better today and that is what I take from the game. We have an exciting team, our supporters are going to enjoy watching and following these guys this year. "
 
The Broncos are back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 9Q against Spring Arbor at the Legacy Center in Brighton, Mich., at 2 p.m.