DEKALB, Ill. – The Western Michigan University men's soccer team won its first round game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a 2-0 victory over the Northern Illinois Huskies.

Two goals in the first 20 minutes of the match were all the Broncos needed to move on in postseason play on Sunday afternoon. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Alex Lindewirth picked up his second shutout of 2025 behind WMU's stalwart defense that only allowed two shots on goal from Northern Illinois. The Brown and Gold offense was led by redshirt freshman winger Liam Smith as he scored the game-winner and added three shots, all of which landed on goal. Redshirt senior forward Roni Sylejmani had Western Michigan's second goal of the match for his third of the season while assisting on Smith's goal for three points.

"I thought Roni Sylejmani was terrific out there today," remarked Head Coach Chad Wiseman after the victory. "Two contrasting styles, right? They [NIU] want to knock it around and play between two-thirds, and we want to go front to back pretty quick.

"I thought our press was fantastic in the first half. Maybe we left a goal out there to be perfectly honest with you. But we have 13 guys that if they don't win or advance, they're playing their last game in college. They're playing with a little extra jump to their step."

The Bronco offense got right to work at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex, forcing a save from the Huskies' goalkeeper in the first minute of play. Northern Illinois made its way to its attacking third, but the WMU defense had back-to-back blocks, setting the pace for the match. The Brown and Gold poured on the offense after, registering four shots in under four minutes before their first goal.

In the 11th minute, Western Michigan was awarded a free kick after a foul on a Huskie defender just outside the penalty area. The free kick from defender Braxton Arpachinda went just wide of the net, but Sylejmani raced through the box to take a shot of his own that was saved by NIU's goalkeeper. The keeper allowed a rebound on his save that went straight to Smith, who headed the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.

"As we got closer and closer to game day and saw what the weather was like, we knew they [set pieces] were going to come into play," said Wiseman. "You've got to give Braxton Arpachinda a lot of credit. How he measured two of those first balls that we scored off of, putting them in really dangerous areas. And we got rewarded for it."

Less than 10 minutes later, the Broncos added another score as frustration built on the Northern Illinois side. The Huskies took four fouls in a row after the first goal of the match, giving WMU more free kick attempts. On the Brown and Gold's free kick in the 17th minute, Arpachinda launched the ball from the right corner outside the penalty area into the box. Sylejmani was waiting in the box, where he tapped the ball into the middle of the net, making it a 2-0 match early.

Western Michigan closed out the first half, keeping the ball mostly away from NIU's attacking third. The Huskies added only three shots in the final 23 minutes of the half, forcing a lone save from Lindewirth in the 24th minute. The Broncos added two more shots in the half, heading into the second up by two goals and two shots.

It was a back-and-forth second half between the two teams as they traded possessions in their respective offensive thirds. WMU added three shots in the first 15 minutes of the half but only had two more in the final 30 minutes. The Brown and Gold defense was able to keep the shutout alive for Western Michigan, blocking three Northern Illinois shots and forcing the Huskies to take three attempts that didn't make it on net. The Broncos closed out the MVC Quarterfinals match with a second save from Lindewirth with seven minutes left on the clock, taking the 2-0 victory.

WMU advances to the second round of the MVC Tournament, where they will head to Des Moines, Iowa, to take on the co-champion Drake Bulldogs. "We just got done playing them [Drake] a week ago," Wiseman said of the team's next opponent in the tournament. "I'm certain they'll make a few changes. But they're sitting there resting and watching us today.

"We're going to have to recover, but I expect a really strong defensive battle. Drake is one of the best defensive teams in the entire country. And when our chances present themselves, we're going to have to be good in those areas. And I think we will be. I think we've got some players who didn't show up today in the box score that I think have a little bit more in the tank. And we'll rely on those guys.

"But we're doing this the hard way. We're the six seed. We had to come here to the co-champions Northern Illinois and now we have to go to co-champions Drake. So, we don't expect it to be easy. And we'll be up for the challenge."

The Brown and Gold's semifinal matchup with Drake is set for Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Mediacom Field. It will be only Western Michigan's second match at Mediacom Field, as the two teams played in Kalamazoo earlier this season. Kick-off from Des Moines is set for 7:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday night.