MACOMB, Ill. – Andy Ryan made five saves in a scoreless draw with Marquette on Sunday, Sept. 5 at John MacKenzie Alumni Field.

The Fighting Leathernecks (1-0-2) dominated the first half of play, outshooting the Golden Eagles (0-1-1) by an 11 to two margin in the first frame, but were unable to find the back of the net.

"We put a lot of energy into the first half but got a little unlucky," said head coach Dr. Eric Johnson. "We played three games in five days so we got a little tired in the second half but we had a lot of energy to start things off."

Western nearly took the lead just three minutes into the match, but Cosimo Patano's shot at the 2:51 mark was stopped by Marquette goalkeeper David Check.

The Leathernecks came close twice more in the first half when a shot by Daniel Lewis deflected off the left post and a header by Nathan Bruinsma hit the crossbar.

"We had great ball possession today," Johnson said. "We had some great chances today, but we just didn't quite put the ball on target enough. Overall I'm really encouraged with how we played, especially our back line."

Marquette upped the tempo on the second half of play, firing off 12 shots, four of which were on target. Ryan made an acrobatic foot save in the 70th minute to keep the Golden Eagles off the board and send the match to overtime.

"Andy's playing with a lot of confidence right now," Johnson said. "He's really taken ownership of the starting role and with the way he's playing and the way our backs are playing we can defend against anyone."

The Golden Eagles had perhaps the best chance in overtime when Calum Mallace fired a shot from the right side of the box, but Oskar Gasecki slid in front at the last moment to keep Marquette off the board.

Ryan (1-0-2) made five stops in the contest to record his second shutout in three matches. Lewis and Husref Jupic each led the team with three shots while Bruinsma, Patano and Charlie Bales each had two.

Both teams recorded 16 shots in the match with Marquette holding a six to five advantage in shots on goal. The Golden Eagles were awarded five corners to Western's three and committed 20 fouls while the Leathernecks were called for 12.

Western Illinois will return to action when it plays at No. 7 Tulsa at the Raddison Hotel Hurricane Classic in Tulsa, Okla. at 7:35 p.m. on Friday before facing SMU on Sunday.