Western Michigan scored four unanswered goals in the second half, rallying from a 3-1 halftime deficit to defeat the Canisius College men's soccer team on Friday afternoon, 5-3.
Senior Alan McGreal led Canisius with five points, scoring two goals and adding an assist. Sophomore Jason Marks added a goal for the Griffs.
The Broncos found the back of the net first, connecting during the 18th minute of play when Tyler Rosenhagen tallied his first goal of the season. However, the Griffs responded with three-consecutive scores to take the lead.
McGreal got the Griffs on the scoreboard in the 27th minute, scoring his third goal of the season. The senior fired a long shot toward the goal and the ball bounced over the Bronco goalkeeper to knot the game at one.
Less than five minutes later, Marks gave Canisius the advantage with his second goal of the 2009 campaign. Marks took advantage of a McGreal rebound shot to find the back of the net.
The Griffs then stretched their lead to two with another goal by McGreal in the 37th minute. The Broncos were whistled for a foul in the box and the senior was awarded a penalty kick. McGreal then tallied his fourth goal of the season to give Canisius a 3-1 advantage heading into intermission.
Western Michigan came out firing in the second half, hoping for a comeback. Joel Del Toro and Danny Mortemore both scored their first goals of the season in the 52nd and 59th minutes, respectively, to knot the game at three.
The score remained tied for nearly 15 minutes as the two teams battled back-and-forth. In the 71st minute, a player from each team was issued a red card and the schools had to play the remainder of the game 10-on-10. The Broncos struck shortly after when Saeed Sulemana Baba scored two minutes later for a 4-3 lead. Kai Mendes sealed the victory for Western Michigan with an 84th-minute tally.
The Broncos outshot the Griffs, 20-11, including a 14-6 advantage in the second half.
Canisius returns to action next Friday, playing at Duquesne. Game time is slotted for 4 p.m.
Game Notes: The Griffs lost for the first time when holding a halftime lead since Sept 10, 2005 against Albany, breaking a run of 19 games. Canisius was 17-0-2 during the streak when having the advantage at intermission ... McGreal moved into sole possession of second place in the school record book in career goals. McGreal now has 29 career tallies, breaking a tie with Gianfranco Gallo and trailing only Tony Burke's 34 scores ... McGreal moved into a tie for second with 26 career assists, matching the mark of Matt Radomski. The school record is 28, set by Ryan Puntiri from 1996 to 1999 ... McGreal also raised his school-record total in career points to 84 ... Marks tallied a goal in the second-straight game after recording zero in his first 23 career contests.
