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Western Illinois University Athletics

Whalen FP
2
Winner Western Illinois WIU (4-7-1, 1-2)
1
Omaha OMAHA (7-3-1, 1-1-1)
Winner
Western Illinois WIU
(4-7-1, 1-2)
2
Final
1
Omaha OMAHA
(7-3-1, 1-1-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Illinois WIU 0 2 2
Omaha OMAHA 0 1 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | WIU Athletic Communications

Whalen Stuns Omaha as Leathernecks Collect 2-1 Victory

Drew Whalen scored two goals in the final 5:30 of action as Western picks up critical road victory in league action

OMAHA, Neb. – Junior Drew Whalen scored twice in the final five minutes and 30 seconds Friday (Oct.10) evening as the Western Illinois men's soccer team stunned Omaha by a final score of 2-1. WIU, who had dropped its previous two Summit League contests, move to 1-2 in league play, and 4-7-1 overall, with the road victory. Omaha, who entered Saturday's game tied for second in The Summit League, falls 1-1-1 in the league, and 7-3-1 overall, with the defeat as Western reached the midpoint of league play.

"We may have found our heartbeat in this match. Omaha came out at half and really took it to us," said head coach Dr. Eric Johnson. "They scored a great goal on a half volley early in the second half and it took us a long time to recover mentally. We got some help from the bench and in the last 10 minutes really picked up the tempo. Drew beat the keeper on a service from (Diego) Lopez and then finished off a great pass from (Tyler) Chavez who had cut across his defender to the middle and played him through. Fantastic goals and finish for the Leatherencks."
 
With just under six minutes remaining Friday evening, the Leathernecks were trailing Omaha by a 1-0 margin. Things changed in favor of the Purple and Gold with five and a half minutes remaining when Whalen netted his fifth goal of the season. Following a Mav foul, the Leathernecks countered and found themselves in a position to strike. Junior Diego Lopez had the ball at his foot and fed a cross into the box, looking to find a teammate to finish the attack. Lopez's strike found the head of Whalen, who headed the ball past the keeper to even things at 1-all.

"It was a 50-50 ball in the air so I knew I had a good chance to get to it," said Whalen. "I went up and felt the ball come off my head. I looked over and ball is rolling into the goal. Tied it up and started going pretty crazy."
 
As Western and Omaha appeared to be headed for extra time, it was Whalen who would change the outlook of the game just over two minutes later. Midway through the 87th minute, Whalen struck again to put the visitors up 2-1 over a stunned Mavs crowd at Caniglia Field.

"I got a break-away with the keeper, 1-on-1, played it past him, and I couldn't believe it. It was crazy, from going down 1-0 to come out with a 2-1 win," added Whalen.
 
Following a crucial save from freshman goalkeeper Bruce Corrie, Western once again pushed the attack looking to take the one-goal lead. Tyler Chavez, who had re-entered the game fifteen minutes earlier, found a streaking Whalen whose shot beat the keeper and bounced in off the post to push the Leathernecks ahead by a goal. Whalen now has six goals and 14 points on the season, both tops in The Summit League this year.
 
The Mavs had one last-ditch shot in the final 10 seconds, but the attempt sailed wide of target, and Western walked away with its first league victory of the season.
 
Western's flurry of second half action came on the heels of a very defensive first half which featured the two teams playing to a 0-0 draw through 45 minutes. Corrie, making the start in net following his first career shutout over Bradley on Monday (Oct. 5), tallied four saves in the half against Omaha. The freshman would tally six saves on the night while only allowing a single goal to push his save percentage on the season to .809, second in the league.
 
The one goal Corrie did allow came just over three minutes into the second half, as Felipe da Silva netted his first goal of the season on a volley following a WIU clearance attempt. Outside of the lone goal, the WIU defense held strong in a physical game that featured 47 total fouls and eight yellow cards.
 
Omaha outshot the Leathernecks 16-10 on the night and held a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks.

Western currently sits in a tie for fourth in The Summit League with three points after playing the top three teams in the league standings (Denver, Oral Roberts, Omaha) in the first half of league play.

"The win does nothing but help our confidence," said Whalen. "It was a great win for us, especially on the road. They hadn't lost on their home field in a long time, so to get the win, in that kind of atmosphere, especially after not starting Summit League play too hot with a pair of loses. To turn it around in a big game like this was great for us and hopefully we can keep on going. Hopefully the next few games we have in conference go just as well."

Western brings its two-match winning streak back home on Tuesday, October 13, as the Leathernecks play host to Drake. Kickoff between the Leathernecks and Bulldogs will take place at 3:30 p.m. on John MacKenzie Alumni Field.
 
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