Macomb, IL. — The Western Illinois men's soccer team battled Omaha on Thursday night but fell 1-0 to the Mavericks.
After a scoreless first half, Omaha broke through in the 52nd minute when Brett Perkins converted a penalty kick to give the Mavericks a 1-0 advantage.
Western Illinois created several opportunities throughout the match, including early shots from Diego Porras and Ty Duax that were saved by Omaha goalkeeper Kamy Ndione. Ryan Wrobleski also tested the Omaha keeper late in the first half.
"Really proud of the effort today," said Western Illinois head coach Kooten Johnson. "Credit to Omaha, they are a very dangerous team in the attack. We got some very good minutes from guys off the bench and created enough chances but were unfortunate to not find the back of the net."
Harvey Bolland kept the Leathernecks within striking distance, making several saves throughout the second half. He stopped multiple attempts from Omaha's Maguire Perkins in the span of less than a minute and later denied Lucas Foreman in the final minutes.
The Leathernecks continued to push for an equalizer late in the match. Xavier Gagnon recorded three shots on target in the final eight minutes, while Andrea Morra, Maksim Palisak and Isaiah Lamark also generated chances during the late offensive push.
Despite the late pressure, Omaha's defense held on to preserve the 1-0 victory.
