DeKALB – NIU men’s soccer (2-10, 0-4 MVC) remains winless in the Missouri Valley Conference after losing to the undefeated and no. 14 ranked Western Michigan University Broncos (8-0-5, 2-0-3 MVC) 2-1 on Saturday.
“I thought that the guys really stuck well to the game plan today,” NIU men’s soccer head coach Ryan Swan said. “We put ourselves in a position to get something out of this game and then, you know, Western Michigan, all credit to them. They’re unbeaten, they’re ranked 14th in the country and I think a lot of it is just from that, that belief that they kept working till the very end, and they put balls into dangerous areas.”
Western Michigan scored first, creating a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute thanks to a free kick. Huskie redshirt sophomore midfielder Jakub Drazek forced the free kick after committing a hard foul just outside the goalie box.
Sophomore defender Braxton Arpachinda took the kick, rocketing the ball into the back right side of the net as Huskie redshirt freshman goalkeeper Caleb Pearson dove in the opposite direction.
The half remained dormant as the Broncos left the first frame with a 1-0 lead. Western Michigan was in control offensively throughout the first half, logging 8 shots compared to the Huskies’ 2.
Despite letting in 2 goals, Pearson finished the game with 6 saves on 19 shots faced. Broncos senior goalkeeper Colin Welsh recorded 2 saves on 7 shots faced.
“He (Pearson) had a good week of practice,” Swan said. “Today he came out, he was grabbing things, he was coming for crosses and yeah, he made a couple of fantastic saves as well. So, very happy with his performance.”
The Huskies left the match getting outshot 19-7.
Following halftime, the second half remained scoreless until sophomore forward Sam Divis revived NIU’s offense by recording the game-tying goal in the 68th minute. The goal marks Divis’ first of his collegiate career.
“It started with training, it’s been a different mindset,” Divis said. “It meant a lot for me to get my first collegiate goal and hopefully I can get more for the team and benefit us.”
With the game tied at 1, Western Michigan junior midfielder Ronan Wilcox crushed the Huskies’ spirits in the 84th minute after striking the game-winning goal for the Broncos.
The Huskies finished the second half producing more than double the shots they did in the first. Furthermore, NIU recorded 3 shots on goal in the second half compared to zero in the first.
Despite the Huskies’ second half effort, it was not enough to overcome the nationally ranked Broncos. With the loss, the Huskies are now on a five game losing streak.
UP NEXT
The Huskies will further conference play against the University of Evansville at 7 p.m. Saturday at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex in DeKalb. NIU All-Access will offer streaming and live stats will be available through SIDEARM Sports.
