KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The top-seeded Western Illinois men's soccer team earned a 1-0 triumph over the fourth-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies Friday evening (Nov. 11) in the opening match of the 2011 Summit League Championship.
The last time Western earned a Summit League Championship match victory came in 2009 when the team advanced to the NCAA College Cup.
Head coach Dr. Eric Johnson is relieved to get past the first-round, but that's not enough for him and his squad.
"Getting past this first game is a huge sigh of relief," said coach Johnson. "Oakland is a really good team and they came to play. They really picked it up in the second half and played well, but we hung on and are excited to advance to the finals. We knew it was going to take a good goal to beat their keeper, and Mariano (Leo) was able to do that.
Just 9:53 into the match and the Leathernecks' first shot on goal, senior midfielder Mariano Leo was able to find the back of the net from 25 yards out after being setup by senior midfielder Alexis Dominguez.
After the early goal, the two teams continued to battle throughout an evenly matched first half. Western finished with six shots, three on goal, while the Golden Grizzlies had five shots with two on goal.
The even battle continued into the second half. The Golden Grizzlies put on the pressure late, taking the final seven shots of the match. The Leathernecks, however, held strong and picked up the 1-0 victory.
The Leathernecks ended up being out shot in the match, 15-8, but each team put five shots on goal. Oakland also finished with more corner kicks, 6-1.
Senior goalkeeper Andy Ryan finished with a game-high five saves and his ninth shutout of the season, while Oakland keeper Mitch Hildebrandt finished with four saves and allowed one goal. The victory marks Ryan's first-career postseason win.
The victory improves Western's overall record to 12-6-1 and eliminated the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland finished the season with a 6-12-1 record.
The Leathernecks (12-6-1) will take part in the 2011 Summit League Championship final on Sunday against the winner of IPFW and Oral Roberts. The championship match is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
For complete information on the 2011 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship, visit The Summit League's championship page, HERE.
