West Central Reporter

The Western Illinois men's soccer team secured their second consecutive victory by defeating the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees with a score of 4-2. Sophomore forward Xavier Gagnon played a pivotal role in the win, finishing the game with two goals and one assist. Gagnon's performance marked the first time a Leatherneck has achieved a two-goal game since Daisuke Otsuka on November 14, 2019.

WIU initiated their offensive strategy early in the match when Xavier Gagnon scored on a cross pass from Oskar Grevelius just 3:24 into the game. Twelve minutes later, Gagnon found the net again, giving the Leathernecks a 2-0 lead after just 16 minutes of play. The team's offensive momentum continued as they scored again at the 28th minute following passes from Gabe Chapa and Oscar Olingdahl that set up Oskar Grevelius for another goal, putting WIU ahead 3-0.

St. Ambrose responded with two goals within three minutes late in the first half, narrowing WIU's lead to 3-2 at halftime.

The second half featured only one goal, which occurred in the 61st minute when Xavier Gagnon assisted Liam Gainey to extend WIU's lead to 4-2. With this performance, Gagnon became the first Leatherneck to record a five-point game since Jacob Bevan did so against Kansas City in 2016.

WIU will next face Northern Kentucky in Highland Heights, Kentucky on Sunday at noon.

For further information on Leatherneck Soccer, visit goleathernecks.com and follow updates on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.