WIU Defeats Quincy In Home Exhibition

The Leathernecks secured a 2-0 exhibition win over the Hawks at John MacKenzie Alumni Field.

Box Score

MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois men's soccer team won its second exhibitoin match of the preseason, a 2-0 win over the visiting Quincy Hawks at John MacKenzie Alunni Field Saturday, Aug. 20.

Western came out with quick start courtesy of a give-and-go from Armel Kouassi and Amadeo Carbo, which resulted in Kouassi beating the keeper to find the back of the net for a 1-0 Leatherneck lead in the 10th minute.

"We've tried to work on those type of combinations and I'm always stressing to play the forwards. We stress movement, and that goal started it for us," said Director of Soccer Dr. Eric Johnson in reference to WIU's first goal. "I thought we slowed down a little bit after that, but we benefited in the second half and were able to score early again. It's a long preseason and a lot of legs were weary, but the guys put it together and were able to get those two goals, which was a real positive for us."

The Leathernecks maintained their 1-0 lead at halftime, having outshot the Hawks 8-3 on goal. Western continued to stress the attack, and found the back of the net once again after Aziz Tahir threaded the ball between the defenders to Jacob Bevan, who rounded the keeper for a goal on the left-hand side of the net at the 46th minute. The Leathernecks would maintain their 2-0 lead for the remainder of the match.

"[At halftime] we talked about combination play, switching to the point of attack and not getting stuck in one place. We also talked about having that killer instinct to see if we have the ability to put a team away when the match is going your way," said Johnson. "I thought Quincy responded and played well, especially early in the second half."

Overall, Western outshot Quincy 14-4 in the match, and won the battle of corner kicks (4-3). Both freshmen Tim Trilk and Tim Hansen split goalkeeping duties. Trilk played the entire first half, while Hansen played the final 45 minutes and recorded a save.

The Leathernecks will now shift their focus for their season opener against Belmont, which takes place Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. in Nashville, Tenn. Two days later, Western will stay in Nashville and take on Lipscomb Sunday, Aug. 28 for a 1 p.m. match.

"Our key is to just keep getting better," said Johnson. "The season is just starting and we have a long ways to go. You can't play your best in the third game, but you have to play a little better than the game before. Next week, we'll make small improvements and watch film to show our guys some things we saw, as well as thing that they saw. It's also about our fitness improving and getting better every week to get ready."

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Players Mentioned

#14 Jacob Bevan: F; 6' 2"; Senior; Oak Park River Forest

#6 Amadeo Carbo: M; 6' 1"; Junior; Hamelin International Laie / New York Institute of Technology

#28 Armel Kouassi: F; 5' 11"; Junior; Homewood-Flossmoor

#20 Aziz Tahir: D; 6' 0"; Junior; Park Center / Dubuque

#34 Tim Hansen: GK; 6' 5"; Freshman; Rheingauschule

#33 Tim Trilk: GK; 6' 2"; Freshman; Boylan Catholic

Players Mentioned

#14 Jacob Bevan
: 6' 2"; Senior; Oak Park River Forest
: F

#6 Amadeo Carbo
: 6' 1"; Junior; Hamelin International Laie / New York Institute of Technology
: M

#28 Armel Kouassi
: 5' 11"; Junior; Homewood-Flossmoor
: F

#20 Aziz Tahir
: 6' 0"; Junior; Park Center / Dubuque
: D

#34 Tim Hansen
: 6' 5"; Freshman; Rheingauschule
: GK

#33 Tim Trilk
: 6' 2"; Freshman; Boylan Catholic
: GK