Babson Park, FL - The Warriors men's soccer team beat the Ave Maria Gyrenes 1-0 in Wednesday's home SUN Conference matchup. WIU's defense was strong today, only allowing one shot on goal, which was saved by keeper Ben Parkinson. The Warriors managed 14 shots, with three on goal to edge out the Gyrenes improve to 1-2 in conference play.
 
The first half was a defensive stand off as both teams would trade shots before ending the half scoreless. The Warriors got it started early with a quick run up the field before being called off-sides. The Gyrenes responded by driving the ball down and taking a quick shot in the 1^st minute, which was discarded by Ben Parkinson. Gabe Shelton then took their first shot of the game for Webber in the 2^nd minute. Following this, Emanuel Barajas took his first shot in the 4^th minute, which was blocked by the Gyrenes' defense. Marco De Rosa took the third shot for the Warriors in the 11^th minute and was saved by the Gyrenes' keeper. Shelton took another shot in the 14^th minute. The Warriors managed seven more shots before the half, none of which made it into the back of the goal, making it 0-0 after 45 minutes.
 
The Warriors remained dominant in the second half by earning a corner kick just a minute into action. A Gyrene handball in the 57^th minute set Webber up to score by a penalty kick Ruben Marquez, giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead. Ave Maria was unable to answer before a red card on Hung Vu had the Warriors playing man-down for the final 22 minutes of the contest. WIU did manage to earn another corner kick before a lightning strike put a pause to the game with just under 20 minutes to go. The weather delay would last an hour before the game was called, allowing the Warriors to garner their first conference win of the season. 
 
Webber's defense held strong today as it held the Gyrenes to ten total shots, with only one being on goal. The Warriors will be back on Saturday, September 23^rd as they are set to host #17 Keiser at 3 PM - make sure you get your tickets on Eventbrite.
 
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