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Western Illinois University Athletics

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0
Western Ill. WIU (0-1-0, 0-0-0)
3
Winner Grand Canyon GCU (1-0-0, 0-0-0)
Western Ill. WIU
(0-1-0, 0-0-0)
0
Final
3
Grand Canyon GCU
(1-0-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Ill. WIU 0 0 0
Grand Canyon GCU 2 1 3

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | WIU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Leathernecks Drop Season Opener

Crucial defensive mistakes from the Leathernecks late in the first half led to Grand Canyon taking home a 3-0 victory.

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Western Illinois kicked off the 2024 men's soccer season late on Thursday night. A match originally scheduled for 7 P.M. local time was pushed back 55 minutes due to lightning in the area, as things officially got underway at 7:55. 

Western showed much promise early in the match, not developing many offensive chances but preventing GCU from any goal-scoring opportunities. Transfer keeper Micah Ramirez made a pair of solid plays early on, including a grab in the seventh minute that took away any Antelope chance. 

The Leathernecks' best scoring opportunity in the first half, as forward Armin Dedic received the ball after a deflection near the corner of the 18-yard box and fired a first-touch shot just wide of the net. 

Grand Canyon had a great chance in the 26th minute but launched it over the crossbar as the nil-nil score held. 

The Antelopes capitalized on a poor pass attempt from the Leathernecks in the 36th, as GCU forward Bright Nutornusi took just one touch before firing a shot into an open net. Not one minute later, Grand Canyon took advantage of another failed pass attempt, pushing the ball forward to Nutornusi for his second goal in 48 seconds. The two-nil scoreline held until the halftime break. 

Western came out aggressive to start the second half, getting a pair of great chances inside four minutes, but they could not convert them. In the 53rd, Tyler Philpott fired one in from outside the box, but his attempt was saved. 

Jimmy Baars made an excellent play onto Xavier Gagnon in the 59th, but Gagnon took an early shot that was driven wide. The Antelopes answered back instantly as Jony Muñoz scored an incredible 60th-minute bicycle kick to take a three-nil lead.

The Leathernecks drew a corner in the 75th just a few inches outside of the 18-yard box on the near-side. Baars played it low and it was nearly put in by Benjamin Graham but it was just deflected out for a corner. 

Ramirez made another great save in the 78th, making easy work of a one-on-one inside the box, but neither side would get a great chance in the final 12 minutes. 

Western Illinois will take on Butler on Sunday, August 25 at 5 PM in Indianapolis.
 
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