West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University’s men’s soccer team secured its first conference victory of the season with a 1-0 win over Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) on Thursday in Macomb, Illinois.

The Leathernecks faced challenges offensively in the first half, finishing without any shot attempts. However, the team increased its attacking efforts after halftime. Jack Schwering, a redshirt junior, registered Western Illinois’ first shot at the 47-minute mark. Sophomore Bruce Harris followed with another attempt three minutes later. The match remained scoreless until sophomore defender and midfielder Benjamin Graham scored at the 80th minute, giving Western Illinois the lead.

SIUE dominated possession and shots in the opening half, outshooting Western Illinois 6-0. Senior forward Evan Howard and junior forward Hugo Cornish led SIUE with three shots each. Despite SIUE finishing with a 13-5 advantage in total shots, Western Illinois capitalized late to secure the win and improve to 1-0-1 in conference play.

Western Illinois will continue its Ohio Valley Conference schedule on Sunday with an away match against Lindenwood University. The game is set for a 3 p.m. kickoff and will be available for streaming on ESPN+.

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