KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The University of Evansville men's soccer team won its second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference match on Sunday night, defeating Western Michigan, 1-0.
Hugo Amo was a wall in goal for the Aces early in the match, coming up with two clutch saves in the seventh minute before making a third save just two minutes later to keep the Broncos off the scoreboard.
Evansville created its first scoring opportunity in the 17th minute when Izán Redondo put a shot on goal. Two minutes later, Alejandro Fernandez found Devin Shepherd with space in the box, but the Broncos goalkeeper saved both attempts.
The Aces continued to create opportunities as the half progressed. In the 27th minute, Pablo Calvete found space and unleashed a rocket that sailed just over the crossbar. Shepherd threatened again in the 35th minute, advancing down the right side of the pitch before sending a shot toward the corner of the net that was saved. Evansville controlled possession for much of the remainder of the half, recording six shots while holding Western Michigan without a shot over the final 35 minutes of the opening half.
Both teams came out aggressively after halftime, with Evansville recording two shots and Western Michigan attempting four in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Amo once again came up big in the 61st minute, making two saves within seconds of each other to keep the match deadlocked.
Evansville finally broke through in the 71st minute when Calvete converted a penalty kick with his left foot, sending the ball to the right side of the net to give the Aces the lead. The goal marked Calvete's third of the season and his first since Aug. 28 against Northwestern.
The Aces maintained the pressure over the final 20 minutes, recording four additional shots, including shots on goal from Alex Tura and Fernandez.
Amo finished the night with a career-high nine saves, earning his fourth clean sheet of the season and second in MVC play.
With the win, Evansville earned its second consecutive MVC win, improving to 3-6-2 on the season and 2-0-0 in MVC play. The Aces return home Saturday as they welcome Bowling Green to Arad McCutchan Stadium for Senior Night.
