West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's Leathernecks are set for an eventful week as they travel to Bradley and host Quincy. The match against Bradley will take place at Shea Stadium in Peoria, IL on Thursday, August 29 at 7 PM, followed by a home game against Quincy at John MacKenzie Alumni Field on Sunday, September 1 at 5 PM. Both matches will be available via live stats.

The Leathernecks hold a historical record of 16-19-4 against Bradley, with their last victory being a one-nil win in 2015. In the opening week of the 2024 season, Bradley split their matches, defeating Chicago State one-nil and losing to Milwaukee two-three. Junior forward Kevin Mejias scored the decisive goal against Chicago State. Last season, Bradley accumulated only four points in MVC play and was predicted to finish last in the conference's preseason poll.

Quincy University will visit Macomb for the first regular-season encounter between the two teams since 2003. Quincy has yet to commence their regular-season games for 2024, starting on September 5th. In the previous season, Quincy ended with a record of 5-10-2 overall and went 4-7-2 in GLVC play. Western Illinois defeated Quincy two-nil in an exhibition match in 2023.

In their season opener, Western Illinois faced Grand Canyon and suffered a three-nil defeat due to defensive errors exploited by Grand Canyon's pressing tactics. However, they showed significant improvement in their subsequent match against Butler, where they adapted their formation to feature three center backs. This change allowed more space for outside backs and wingers like freshman Tyler Philpott, who provided an assist leading to a one-all draw despite playing with ten men.

Key returners for Western Illinois include midfielder Oscar Olingdahl, who has started 25 games over his career; Joel McIntyre and Gabe Chapa, both defenders who started all matches last season; and attacker Xavier Gagnon who also started every game last year and led freshmen in minutes played.

Senior midfielder Jimmy Baars has been highlighted as an OVC Player to Watch. Baars is entering his second year with Western Illinois after starting seven of his fourteen appearances last season.

The Leathernecks' roster sees an infusion of new talent under Dr. Eric Johnson's leadership with fifteen newcomers joining the team. Notable transfers include goalkeeper Micah Ramirez from Temple University and several junior transfers from various colleges. Additionally, eleven freshmen have been added to bolster both defense and attack positions.