KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's soccer team continued its winning ways, downing UMass by a final score of 5-2 on Thursday evening at the WMU Soccer Complex.
The Broncos got goals from
Heidi Thomasma,
Drew Martin,
Madi Canada,
Meredith Vance and
Abby Werthman. Outside of those five,
June Mullen,
Mira Pierre-Webster,
Abigail Baldridge and
Avery Peters also had a point in the game.
FIRST HALF
The Broncos controlled much of the first half, getting things started with a goal in the fifth minute. The Brown and Gold earned a corner kick and Martin served a ball into the box for Thomasma. She headed the ball by the goalkeeper for an early 1-0 lead.
From there, Werthman had a pair of looks just miss the net. Peters then fired a shot that missed over top of the goal. That offensive persistence would pay off, as Martin got a nice pass from Baldridge for the game's second goal. Martin's tally was her fourth of the season and pushed the home team in front 2-0 in the 25th minute.
Western Michigan stayed on the attack, with Peters and
Justina L'Esperance having looks at the goal. Goalkeeper
Reagan Sulaver was finally tested in the 35th minute, and she was there to maintain the two-goal advantage.
UMass had one last chance late in the first half, but Sulaver was able to make a diving save on the attempt. WMU controlled the game going into the second 45 minutes of action.
SECOND HALF
Western Michigan kept its foot on the gas, getting a third goal in the 60th minute, courtesy of Canada. She got a pass from Pierre-Webster and buried a shot into the back of the net. The Broncos continued to build on that lead, as Vance scored her fourth goal of the season in the 61st minute to make it 4-0.
UMass made things interesting, scoring a pair of goals in the middle portion of the second half to make it 4-2. However, WMU was able to punch right back, getting a goal from Werthman in the 81st minute to put the game out of reach.
The Minutewomen had a couple chances down the stretch, but Western Michigan slammed the door on a 5-2 victory.
UP NEXT
The Brown and Gold will hit the road for a match against Ball State on Oct. 5. The Broncos and Cardinals will take the field at 1 PM in Muncie, Ind.
