STORRS, Conn. – The Western Michigan University men's soccer team weren't able to keep the Connecticut Huskies from the back of the net in a 4-1 loss on Sunday.
An early goal and two late scores in the match on Sunday kept the Broncos from picking up their first win of 2026. WMU struggled to keep up with UConn's quick offense as the team was outshot 21-9 in the match. Junior forward
Vitor Geromel added to his team-leading offense in the loss with his third goal of the year. While junior midfielder
Braden Stevanovic set a new career-high in shots, leading Western Michigan with four in 75 minutes.
"Credit to UConn, they wanted the result more than we did and punished us on our mistakes," said Head Coach
Chad Wiseman after the match. "These early season challenges are hard lessons for the team right now. When you go on the road, you must play with a certain mentality for the entire 90 minutes. I think we're also looking for some more guys to step up and lead us through the tough moments, which was a struggle today. On a positive note, Vitor finding his third goal of the season was great. We need him to keep scoring going forward."
The Broncos controlled the first few minutes of Sunday night's match, keeping the ball in their attacking third. But after the early possession time, WMU struggled to keep the game out of its defensive third through 45 minutes. UConn controlled most of the first half, scoring the only goal of the half on a penalty kick in the 10
th minute. The home team also outshot the Brown and Gold in the first 45 minutes two to one as Western Michigan recorded only two shots to the Huskies 13.
It was a similar start to the second half for the Broncos as UConn scored another early goal in the 52
nd minute. But the tides soon turned for WMU as 10 minutes into the half, the Brown and Gold began to control possession. Western Michigan was rewarded with its lone goal of the night as Geromel scored his third of the season in the 60
th minute on a header from a long cross just inside the 18.
The Broncos kept control after their second half goal, firing off the next two shots. The Huskies had one offensive opportunity near the 70
th minute. But WMU took the ball back for an on target shot from Stevanovic, who had another chance less than 10 minutes later. The second opportunity for Stevanovic was the Brown and Gold's last chance to get back within a result, as UConn scored two quick goals before the last horn for the 4-1 result.
Western Michigan remains on the road for its next match at RV Bryant. Like Sunday's match, it will be the first ever program meeting between the Broncos and Bulldogs on Wednesday, September 2. Kickoff at Beirne Stadium is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
