COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Western Michigan men's soccer team continued its hot start to the season after defeating the Air Force Falcons in a 1-0 thriller Thursday evening. Charlie Sharp led the way for the Broncos by scoring his second goal of the season, while Carson Hodgson tallied the game's lone assist.
Game Notes
"I thought it was the guy's best performance of the season. We stayed with the game plan, probably a bit unfortunate not to find a second goal", noted head coach Chad Wiseman. "It's a really difficult place to play, Air Force is a quality program that rarely drops results at home. The fight our guys showed tonight was outstanding", explained Wiseman.
Heading into the match, Air Force had boasted a 44-10-3 record on their home pitch over the last five seasons. Despite Air Force's historically dominant success at home, Western Michigan continued its trend of staying aggressive on the offensive third of the field.
"We had great spells of possession, and we were really strong on the ball. We turned that possession into some great scoring chances", said Wiseman. Over the team's last two games, WMU has compiled an average of 10.5 shots per contest, including 12 this evening.
"We're all ready to travel back home. It was a great road trip, many great memories created and we are a much stronger, tougher team returning to Kalamazoo". Concluded Wiseman. The Broncos will play four straight home games, their longest homestand of the season, beginning on Monday, September 4, and concluding on Saturday, September, 16.
Historical Notes
On Thursday evening, the Broncos and Air Force squared off for the first time in series history.
With their victory over the Falcons, the Brown and Gold are off to a 2-1 start or better through three games for the sixth time since 2013.
The fifth year senior Sharp wasted no time tonight against Air Force, scoring his 25th career goal within the game's first minute to put the Brown and Gold up one against the Falcons. With Sharp's opening minute strike, he is now 3rd all time in program history with 25 career goals.
Coach Wiseman sits two wins away from becoming the second coach in program history to eclipse 110 career victories for the men's soccer program. Wiseman stands at 108 career victories for the Brown and Gold and is currently 17 wins from sharing the all-time wins record (125 wins) with Blake Glass (1983-1997).
Up Next
The Broncos will return home to WMU Soccer Complex on Monday, September 4, at 3:00 PM for Bronco Soccerfest. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Tickets are available here.
