CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Western Illinois men's soccer team battled back from an early 1-0 deficit and scored in each half to defeat Eastern Illinois 2-1 Saturday afternoon in the Ohio Valley Conference opener.
"Great effort today to open the OVC with a win on the road. Even better to do it coming from behind. The team defensive performance was encouraging and we scored two nice goals," said Western Illinois head coach Kooten Johnson.
Eastern Illinois opened the scoring in the 19th minute when Lucas Comitre found the back of the net off an assist from Bernardo Hanel.
The Leathernecks responded in the 33rd minute when Xavier Gagnon scored off an assist from Ty Duax, bringing Western Illinois level at 1-1 before halftime.
After a scoreless stretch to open the second half, Western Illinois took the lead in the 83rd minute. Fabrizio Kasperiski finished a pass from Maksim Palisak to put the Leathernecks ahead 2-1.
The Leathernecks' defense held EIU off the scoreboard over the final minutes. Harvey Bolland came up with a huge save in the 85th minute as Western Illinois protected its one-goal lead through the final whistle.
Western Illinois returns to action October 1 at SIUE at 6 p.m.
FOLLOW THE LEATHERNECKS
For all the latest information on Leatherneck men's soccer, visit GoLeathernecks.com. Fans can also follow Western Illinois men's soccer on X, Instagram and Facebook.
