Western Defeats Marquette 1-0 with Late Goal

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks earned a 1-0 victory over Marquette courtesy of senior Daniel Lewis finding the back of the net with 32 seconds remaining in regulation.

"We played much better soccer today than we did our first game of the tournament," said head coach Eric Johnson. "We were efficient with our shots, I think we had 13 shots and nine of them were on frame. That late goal was great, we were shorthanded and they were putting a lot or pressure on us and that allowed for our guys to make a great run that paid off with a goal."

After 45 minutes of action, neither team could find the back of the net. Each team tallied seven shots, with Western putting four on frame to the Golden Eagles' two.

The second half of action saw five yellow cards and a red card dealt out. The Leathernecks Aaron Appel, Husref Jupic and Diego Gonzalez each picked up yellow cards, while Hilary Esangbedo suffered a red card.

Shorthanded and with only 32 second remaining in the match, senior Daniel Lewis picked up his first goal of the year (second team goal) giving Western the 1-0 win. Senior Alexis Dominguez beat multiple defenders down the line and found Lewis far post who crushed it past Golden Eagle goalkeeper David Check.

Marquette out shot Western, 20-13, but the Leathernecks were more efficient with their shots, putting nine on goal to MU's eight.

Senior captain and goalkeeper Andy Ryan finished with eight saves and coach Johnson commented on his performance.

"Andy really played well in net today. He organized the defense, made some really nice saves, a couple of which were game savers. He really gave the team life."

Western Illinois improves to 1-2-1 on the season, while Marquette drops to 1-2-0.

The Leathernecks capture the all-time series lead with the win, 6-5-1.

Western (1-2-1) will take part in its second and final invitational of the year next weekend in Dayton, Ohio. The Leathernecks will face Butler Friday (Sept. 9) and host school Dayton Sunday (Sept. 11).

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Players Mentioned

#20 Aaron Appel: M; 5' 9"; Junior; Manhattan/Barton County CC

#6 Husref Jupic: M; 5' 9"; Junior; Des Moines-Hoover

#3 Daniel Lewis: M; 5' 10"; Senior; Buffalo Grove

#7 Alexis Dominguez: M; 5' 8"; Senior; Coral Gables/Garden City CC

#4 Hilary Esangbedo: D; 6' 0"; Junior; Lincoln Land CC

#12 Diego Gonzalez: M; 5' 11"; Freshman; Free State

Players Mentioned

#20 Aaron Appel
: 5' 9"; Junior; Manhattan/Barton County CC
: M

#6 Husref Jupic
: 5' 9"; Junior; Des Moines-Hoover
: M

#3 Daniel Lewis
: 5' 10"; Senior; Buffalo Grove
: M

#7 Alexis Dominguez
: 5' 8"; Senior; Coral Gables/Garden City CC
: M

#4 Hilary Esangbedo
: 6' 0"; Junior; Lincoln Land CC
: D

#12 Diego Gonzalez
: 5' 11"; Freshman; Free State
: M