Monday's Scoreboard
Virginia 1, Western Michigan 0
Story Courtesy of Western Michigan Sports Information
Virginia 1, Western Michigan 0
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's soccer team came up just short against #2 nationally ranked Virginia on the road by a score of 1-0. The Broncos, who move to 4-3 on the year, held their opponent scoreless through 90 minutes of regulation play, but the Cavaliers capitalized on a scoring opportunity early in the first overtime period to earn the sudden death victory at Klockner Stadium.
"Give full credit to Virginia," said head coach Chad Wiseman. "That being said we did exactly what we needed to do to extend the game."
Virginia put pressure on the Western Michigan defense in the first half, out shooting the Broncos by a mark of 6-1, but were unable to put the ball in the back of the net.
The Broncos had their best scoring opportunity of the contest in the 63rd minute on a shot from freshman midfielderCharlie Sharp, who was the hero in their 1-0 win against Michigan State on Friday in East Lansing.
"We had a chance to steal the game in the second half," remarked Wiseman. "It was right there, unfortunately we just couldn't capitalize on it."
Cavalier forward Nathaniel Crofts had a golden opportunity in the final minute to avoid overtime, as he broke free from the Western Michigan defense, but redshirt freshman goalkeeper Isaac Walker made a huge save on his shot to send the game to extra time.
Cabrel Happi Kamseu ended the match three minutes into the first overtime with a goal assisted by Bret Halsey and Daryl Dike to keep the Cavaliers undefeated on the season.
"There are no moral victories in our program," Wiseman stated. "We schedule these types of matches because we believe we can win them."
Despite the loss, Walker was outstanding in net for the Broncos, making four out of a possible five saves on the evening, while facing a total of 13 shots from the Virginia offensive attack.
"This match experience will help us prepare for our conference schedule," Wiseman said. "Many of our young players will grow from this. We need to keep all of that in perspective moving forward."
The Broncos will return to the WMU Soccer Complex this Saturday for a non-conference match against Illinois Chicago at 4 p.m.
