CHICAGO – The Western Michigan University men's soccer team fell to the DePaul Blue Demons 5-1 on Tuesday afternoon.
Redshirt junior defender
Christian Shannon scored his first goal of the season in the 44
th minute. But Shannon's goal was the majority of the Broncos offense in their 5-1 loss at DePaul. WMU had a tough task in Chicago as the team played down a man for almost half of the match. Shannon was the only Brown and Gold player to record multiple shots through 90 minutes. While Western Michigan split time in net between goalkeepers
Alex Lindewirth and
Alessandro Ouzounis.
DePaul attacked early as the offense tried to get a shot off in the second minute, that was blocked by the Broncos defense. The teams traded fouls back and forth for most of the first 15 minutes. After the Blue Demons scored three straight goals in eight minutes before the 10 minute mark. Following the second goal, WMU started putting in its reserves, giving more of its bench additional playing time.
The Brown and Gold were able to get on the board before the halftime break. Just inside the 44
th minute,
Christian Shannon was awarded a penalty kick after a DePaul player committed a foul in the box on a free kick set piece. Shannon scored his first goal of the season on the PK, taking a pause in his approach to the spot, forcing the goalie away from the ball. He then put the ball in the bottom left corner of the net to end the shutout.
Western Michigan's momentum didn't last into the second half as freshman defender Greg Whitfield III was assessed a red card in the 48
th minute. The Broncos played down a man for the final 42 minutes, that the Blue Demons took advantage of with a goal in the 52
nd minute. WMU had one other close look for a goal in the second half as midfielder
Liam Biggers almost put the ball into the bottom left corner. But DePaul's goalkeeper was able to make the diving save for a corner kick instead. One more goal was added in the final 15 minutes by the Blue Demons for the 5-1 final.
The Brown and Gold will have over a week off before their next match. Western Michigan remains on the road next week as the team returns to Missouri Valley Conference play. The Broncos will visit the Belmont Bruins on Friday, October 30 with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
