Spring Break
Regular season comes to an end for men's soccer
Dan Jacobson
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Sports
The Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks (5-10-2, 1-3-0) hosts Oakland University (9-4-2, 5-0) in the final match of the regular season this Saturday at John MacKenzie Alumni Field.
With a slow start to the beginning of the season, Western has played well lately, winning two of their last three games.
The 'Necks will carry that momentum against Oakland, who are yet to lose in the Summit League.
"I told our guys at the beginning of the season that we'd only get better as we went along," Johnson said. "All of our players have worked really hard, and we've improved every game. We're really excited to earn a spot in the postseason, and it will be a lot of fun for us."
Junior midfielder Cosimo Patano scored the game-winning goal in the 49th minute that gave the 'Necks a 4-1-road victory against Oral Roberts, Saturday, Oct. 31. The win locked up a spot in The Summit League Tournament for Western.
Leatherneck senior forward Martin Browne Jr. was named The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals in the 4-1 victory at Oral Roberts. Last week was the fourth time in his career that he has been named as the league's player of the week.
Browne has scored 65 career points, placing him in a tie for eighth place in school history.
Browne's performance against Oral Roberts helped Western clinch a berth in the Summit League Tournament and marked the third time this season in which he has scored two goals in a single game.
Browne leads Western in points this season with 12, scoring six goals.
On the other side of the ball, Oakland's sophomore midfielder Jeff Cheslik was named The Summit League Defensive Player of the Week.
Cheslik scored the game-winning goal during overtime in the 95th minute to help the Grizzlies secure their regular season conference crown with a 2-1 victory over UMKC (6-8-2, 2-1-2) on Oct. 31. This is Oakland's third-consecutive season winning the title.
Senior forward Stefan St. Louis, who has nine points on the season, leads the Golden Grizzlies. Redshirt sophomore Mitch Hildebrandt has averaged only .76 goals per game and notched 84 saves on the season.
With this weekend's match-up, the 'Necks can get a good look at a team that is heavily favored entering into the Summit League Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. on Nov. 13.
With a slow start to the beginning of the season, Western has played well lately, winning two of their last three games.
The 'Necks will carry that momentum against Oakland, who are yet to lose in the Summit League.
"I told our guys at the beginning of the season that we'd only get better as we went along," Johnson said. "All of our players have worked really hard, and we've improved every game. We're really excited to earn a spot in the postseason, and it will be a lot of fun for us."
Junior midfielder Cosimo Patano scored the game-winning goal in the 49th minute that gave the 'Necks a 4-1-road victory against Oral Roberts, Saturday, Oct. 31. The win locked up a spot in The Summit League Tournament for Western.
Leatherneck senior forward Martin Browne Jr. was named The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals in the 4-1 victory at Oral Roberts. Last week was the fourth time in his career that he has been named as the league's player of the week.
Browne has scored 65 career points, placing him in a tie for eighth place in school history.
Browne's performance against Oral Roberts helped Western clinch a berth in the Summit League Tournament and marked the third time this season in which he has scored two goals in a single game.
Browne leads Western in points this season with 12, scoring six goals.
On the other side of the ball, Oakland's sophomore midfielder Jeff Cheslik was named The Summit League Defensive Player of the Week.
Cheslik scored the game-winning goal during overtime in the 95th minute to help the Grizzlies secure their regular season conference crown with a 2-1 victory over UMKC (6-8-2, 2-1-2) on Oct. 31. This is Oakland's third-consecutive season winning the title.
Senior forward Stefan St. Louis, who has nine points on the season, leads the Golden Grizzlies. Redshirt sophomore Mitch Hildebrandt has averaged only .76 goals per game and notched 84 saves on the season.
With this weekend's match-up, the 'Necks can get a good look at a team that is heavily favored entering into the Summit League Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. on Nov. 13.
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