Macomb, IL- The Western Illinois men's soccer team (3-9-2, 1-2-2 OVC) fell 1–0 to Houston Christian University (8-3-1, 3-1-1 OVC) on Sunday afternoon at Sorrels Field. A 57th-minute goal by HCU's senior midfielder D'Alessandro Herrera proved to be the difference as the Leathernecks suffered their second conference loss of the season.

The first half was evenly contested, with both teams trading opportunities. Senior forward Joel McIntyre generated early pressure for the Leathernecks with a pair of attempts, while senior goalkeeper Micah Ramirez turned away several Husky chances to keep the match scoreless heading into halftime.

Houston Christian broke through in the 57th minute with a goal. Following a sequence that began with a shot by Ricardo Garcia, Ramirez made the initial stop, but Herrera buried the rebound into the lower left corner to give the Huskies the lead.

Western Illinois continued to push for an equalizer down the stretch, tying HCU 6–6 in shots in the second half and earning multiple corner kicks late in the match. Ramirez finished the day with three saves while facing 12 total shots. The Leathernecks generated 12 shots of their own, with junior forward Xavier Gagnon and McIntyre combining for five.

The loss drops Western Illinois to 3-9-2 overall and 1-2-2 in OVC play, while Houston Christian improves to 8-3-1 and remains near the top of the conference standings.

The Leathernecks return to play this Thursday against the University of Southern Indiana. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

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