MACOMB, Ill. ? The Western Illinois men's soccer team dropped its fourth straight game, falling to Valparaiso 2-1 at home, Friday.

Martin Browne, Jr. (Brooklyn Park, Minn../Osseo) connected on a free kick in the 13th minute, bending a shot around the wall of defenders, to give the Leathernecks (3-4-1) the early lead in the game. The goal was the second of the season for Browne.

The lead stood for Western until Eniola Solomon tied up the game for the Crusaders (2-4-1) before halftime in the 44th minute. The game would remain tied into the second half, when Steve Shively connected on a shot in the 58th for the game winner.

“I think the schedule caught up to us a little bit today,” said men's soccer head coach Dr. Eric Johnson. “We played a great 20 minutes and then let them tie it up. We just failed to clear the ball out of the box. I thought we had the momentum on our side until that happened and then we just didn't recover from it.”

Western proved to be the aggressors early on in the game with seven first half shots, finishing with 13 total for the game. Browne led that charge taking eight of the Leatherneck's 13 shots.

“Martin had a good game,” said Johnson of his sophomore forward's effort. “He hit the free kick to put us up and later made a good move in the box, went to the far post, but hit it and the ball went out of bounds. If he hits that shot we have a much better chance of winning the game.”

The Leathernecks continued to get quality minutes from their newcomers. Charlie Sales (Farmersville, Ill./Lehigh) started in goal for the second straight game, logging all 90 minutes in net. Silvestre Talavera (Woodstock, Ill./McHenry C.C.) recorded his first shot on goal of the season, while Nebojsa Opacic (Katy, Texas/Illinois Central College) registered two of Western's shots.

“We have some growing pains right now but it's nothing we can't bounce back from. We're getting great efforts, but we're just not getting the results. Maybe the best thing for us right now is to get back on the road for a game. Hopefully it will help us clear our heads and get after it again.”

Western hits the road for a game at Eastern Illinois, Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.