KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The #23 Western Michigan men's soccer team captured a 2-1 victory over the University of Illinois Chicago Wednesday afternoon. In the win, sophomore midfielder Noah James and redshirt freshman defender Christian Shannon scored one goal apiece to propel the Brown and Gold to their 11th win of the season.
After a 0-0 standstill during the majority of the first half, in the 39th minute, James put the Brown and Gold in front 1-0 after scoring his sixth goal of the season, a career-best for the sophomore.
On behalf WMU's success this afternoon, Coach Wiseman credited the Bronco leadership: "Our captains today LD (Fisher) and Greyson (Mercer) played well and were not going to let the team drop the result. They were studs and will need more of that moving forward," noted Wiseman.
After the halftime break, UIC responded with a goal in the 75th minute to tie the game at 1-1.
In the 81st minute, Shannon was able to shield the ball from a UIC defender, turned, and drilled the ball into the back of The Flames' net to secure the game-winning goal. His game-winner marked the second game-winning goal of the season and of his career.
"A sign of a good team is how you respond when being knocked down and I thought today's performance was exactly what the staff expected. So happy we can send the seniors out with a win!" Exclaimed Wiseman.
Both the Broncos and UIC recorded 12 shots with six on target. The Brown and Gold compiled eight corner kicks to UIC's seven. In net, senior goalkeeper Colin Welsh delivered five saves.
"Our matches over the years with UIC have always been extremely competitive, this game was no different. We had our moments, they had their moments and the game really felt like a playoff-type game."
Historical Notes
WMU has now completed 23 consecutive games without a loss at WMU Soccer Complex dating back to October 22, 2022. With today's win, the men's soccer team has boasted a record of 19-0-4 in their last 23 games in Kalamazoo.
During Shannon's goal, Smith set the single-season program record with 14 assists.
Up Next
The Brown and Gold will compete in the MVC Tournament next week as the number four seed. The Broncos will host number five seed Evansville on Sunday, November 10.
"It's tournament time now and so much comes with that. Our program takes nothing for granted and we are excited about having another chance to compete for a championship." concluded Wiseman.
