Wolverines Blanked by Broncos

Wednesday, September 21

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:30 PM

Michigan

0-5-3

Western Michigan

7-1-0

Western Michigan

Michigan

9/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Scott Kemps

» Michigan outshot the Broncos, 14-8, overall, including a 6-4 shots on goal advantage. U-M has outshot opponents in seven of its eight matches this season.
» Francis Atuahene led the Wolverine offense with five shots, four of which were on frame.
» A Diego Lopez goal in the 52nd minute on an assist from Brandon Bye proved to be the difference maker.

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Stadium)
Score: Western Michigan 1, Michigan 0
Records: U-M (0-5-3), WMU (7-1-0)
Attendance: 856
Next U-M Game: Sunday, Sept. 25 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 1 p.m. CDT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team fell to the Western Michigan Broncos, 1-0, Wednesday (Sept. 21) at U-M Soccer Stadium.

Rylee Woods

In the hotly contested in-state affair, the Wolverines burst out the of gate, outshooting the Broncos 4-0 in the first nine minutes of action. Chances were highlighted by pair of pristine opportunities from sophomore Francis Atuahene in the first and fifth minutes, but both were turned away by Western's goalkeeper, Drew Shepherd. U-M also had a pair of apparent fouls inside the box that resulted in appeals for penalties by the U-M faithful, but each was denied.

After finding joy in the opening minutes, U-M displayed the majority of quality, but Western began to find itself in the match, bringing the shots to 4-3 at the half.

Seven minutes into the second stanza, junior goalkeeper Evan Louro came up huge with a pair of massive stops to keep the match level at 0-0 for the time being. However, the Broncos pulled ahead minutes later in the 52nd on a Diego Lopez goal off an assist from Brandon Bye that proved to be the eventual match-winner.

The Wolverines outshot WMU, 10-6, in the second half, highlighted by a barrage of chances in the final 15 minutes as U-M pressed forward with a more offensive-minded mentality. Chances from Atuahene in the 73rd and 75th minutes proved fruitless. The final chances for the Maize and Blue each came with less than five minutes to go. A shot in traffic by the Wolverines rang off the post in the 86th minute, and a header from the Atuahene in the 89th minute was collected safely.

Following tonight's non-conference matchup, U-M will returns to Big Ten play, traveling to Northwestern to take on the Wildcats Sunday (Sept. 25) at 1 p.m. CDT.