MACOMB, IL. – The Western Illinois Leathernecks men's soccer team earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Liberty Flames in Ohio Valley Conference action Sunday afternoon at John MacKenzie Alumni Field.
Liberty struck first in the 32nd minute when forward Leo Conneh found the back of the net unassisted, giving the Flames a 1-0 advantage that held through halftime.
Western Illinois fought down a man as they lost star player Liam Gainey to a red card earlier in the match. They continued to apply pressure throughout the second half, finally breaking through in the 81st minute. Midfielder Benjamin Graham capitalized on a rebound from a saved penalty kick, slotting home the equalizer to secure the tie for the Leathernecks.
The result marks Western Illinois' fourth draw in conference play, moving the Leathernecks to 1-2-4 in the OVC and 3-9-4 overall. Liberty concludes its Illinois road swing with back-to-back ties, sitting at 3-1-3 in conference and 7-3-5 overall.
Western Illinois will return to action next week as they face off against Eastern Illinois on October 25th at 3 P.M.
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