Macomb, IL- Western Illinois University wins its first game in conference play 1-0 against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville on Thursday afternoon in Macomb, IL.

The Leathernecks struggled early offensively, ending the first half of the game with zero shot attempts. Despite the first half slump, the Leathernecks came out in the second half aggressively offensively. Red Shirt Junior Jack Schwering set the pace with the first shot attempt of the game by the Leathernecks at the 47-minute mark to start the second half. Sophomore Bruce Harris followed with the Leathernecks' second shot of the match at the 50-minute mark. After going back and forth with SIUE, Sophomore Defender/Middle Fielder Benjamin Graham scored the first goal of the game at the 80-minute mark of the match. Finishing strong, the Leathernecks beat the Cougars 1-0, advancing to 1-0-1 in conference play.

After a close loss to the undefeated Lindenwood Lions last week, the Cougars came out of the gates on fire, outshooting the Leathernecks in the first half 6-0. Senior Forward Evan Howard and Junior Forward Hugo Cornish both lead the Cougars with three shot attempts apiece. Outshooting the Leathernecks 13-5 in the close-fought match, the Cougars lost the second-half battle in the final 10 minutes. 

WIU continues its OVC campaign on Sunday as the team travels to Lindenwood University. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 3 p.m. The match can also be viewed with an ESPN+ subscription.

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