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Game Recap: Men's Soccer | Monday, August 17, 2015 | WIU Athletic Communications

Men's Soccer Falls to DePaul, 3-2, in Exhibition Opener

Two early goals not enough as Leathernecks fall in first exhibition

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8/22/2015 | 5:00 PM

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Aug. 22 (Sat) / 5:00 PM

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CHICAGO - The Western Illinois men's soccer team kicked off its 2015 exhibition season on Monday, August 17, as they faced DePaul in one of two preseason contests this summer. Two early goals by the Purple and Gold were not enough, as the Blue Demons scored three unanswered goals en route to the 3-2 victory.

"We were woefully unfit to defend for the full 90 minutes," said head coach Dr. Eric Johnson. "We were really good for the first 20 minutes the match but struggled from that point on. The game was way too wide open, on both sides of the ball, and it easily could have been a 5-5 game. On a positive note, our attack was a lot better than what I was anticipating at this point in the season."

Western stormed out of the gates, quickly building a 2-0 advantage over the host Blue Demons. Sophomore Alejandro Pachecho, a Summit League "All-Newcomer Team" honoree a season ago, got the Purple and Gold on the board in the ninth minute, as his shot found the back of the net. The play was set up by a nice feed from Pacheco's older brother, Fernando Pacheco.

Nine minutes later, Western struck again, this time off the foot of Armel Kouassi. Kouassi's shot, which beat the goalkeeper on the right side of the net, was set up off of a Jacob Bevan assist.

The Leathernecks' two-goal margin didn't last long as DePaul answered with their first goal of the match four minutes later. DePaul would tack on a second goal with seven minutes remaining in the first half, and the two sides would head to intermission tied up at two goals apiece.

The second half was a defensive battle, as neither team was able to break the tie through the first 40 minutes of the half. With four minutes remaining in the match, Simon Megally found the back of the net on an unassisted shot to give DePaul the 3-2 lead. A late equalizer could not be scored by Western, as the game ended with the 3-2 decision.

Western featured a pair of new goalkeepers in net Monday afternoon, as freshmen Sam Copp and Bruce Corrie each saw playing time. Copp started the game and played for the first 60 minutes of the match while Corrie closed out the final 30 minutes.

In all, six Leathernecks made debut's Monday afternoon, as Nick Arnold, Amadeo Ramon, Jamison Kozar, and Josh Illana joined Copp and Corrie on the field.

The Leathernecks were outshot as a team, 14-9, and fell in the battle of the corner kicks, 10-1.

Western returns to action on Saturday, August 22, as they play host to Northern Illinois in the final exhibition of the season. The game is set to begin at 5 p.m. on John MacKenzie Alumni Field.

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