KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's soccer team picked up its 13th win of the season after dominating Bowling Green State University in a 2-0 home victory at the WMU Soccer Complex on Wednesday.
The Broncos (13-2-1, 5-1-1 MAC) picked up goals from senior center back
Daniel Nimick and senior forward
Mike Melaragni. Graduate transfer goalkeeper
Hunter Morse made seven saves to pick up his 10th shutout win with the Broncos. WMU outshot BGSU 19-12 overall and the two teams were even 7-7 in shots on goal.
"It was a great performance by the Broncos today. It was a very physical match between two talented teams," WMU head coach
Chad Wiseman said.
WMU hit the ground running in the 10th minute, when
Dylan Sing lifted the ball to
Charlie Sharp, and Sharp's strong header resulted in a diving save by BGSU goalkeeper Brendan Graves. The Falcons soon answered with a chance by Kale Nichols in the 16th minute. Nichols' low shot went towards the far post and resulted in a diving stop for Morse.
Momentum shifted in the 32nd minute after a challenge at midfield by Kyle Cusimano resulted in a red card for BGSU, forcing the Falcons to play with 10 men.
"The red card changed the game. I am so proud of our guys keeping their composure and eye on the bigger prize which was the win," Coach Wiseman added.
Several minutes into the second half, the Broncos were awarded a penalty kick as the result of a Falcon handball. Nimick took the penalty and buried the ball into the lower right netting, giving WMU a 1-0 lead.
Soon after, Melaragni solidified the win with a rocketed shot to the upper right corner of BGSU's goal. A tackle and win by
Eric Conerty in the midfield started the play which resulted in the goal. Conerty advanced the ball up the midfield to
Dylan Sing, as WMU's movement in the top line freed up Melaragni into a one versus one situation with the Falcons' center back.
Western Michigan maintained its intensity through the end of the matchup, with several attempts on goal, including Sing hitting the crossbar with a shot and a Nimick header off of a left-side cross.
"We created some great chances in both halves. What can you say about our captains, Daniel steps up and put his PK away and Mike with another banger of a goal," Coach Wiseman said.
"Another clean sheet, that is something we speak about all the time. We're one of the best defensive teams in the nation. Morse had a couple big saves throughout the match, he is so locked in right now."
The Broncos now head on the road to close the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 6 against Akron University (11-2-4, 5-0-2 MAC). The match begins at 6 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium and will be streamed on ESPN+.
