The Michigan men’s soccer team played without a sense of urgency.
It didn’t matter in the first half, but it cost the team the game in second half, as a key defensive lapse was the difference in a 2-1 loss to Western Michigan. The Broncos scored the winner when two Michigan defenders failed to react to an open ball while Western Michigan’s forwards seized the moment to score.
A recurring theme for the Wolverines played out as the Broncos took the initiative, outshooting Michigan 7-4 in the first half. Slow starts have been common this season. Entering Wednesday, the Wolverines had scored 10 second-half goals compared to five in the first half.
“We felt fortunate getting in 0-0 and we were outplayed in the first half,” said Michigan coach Steve Burns. “When you look at it, (Western Michigan) played harder. It boiled down to they won more little battles than we did.”
The second half provided the boost for the Wolverines (3-8-1 overall) as they began to pressure. But the Broncos scored first off a free kick and ensuing header three minutes into the second half. Despite the goal, the Wolverines pressed.
On Wednesday, the goal came from an unexpected source Wednesday — junior midfielder David Yang.
Yang latched onto a pass from sophomore forward Ezekiel Harris and slid it past the right side of the keeper in the 58th minute. It was his first goal and second point this season after assisting the game-winner versus Penn State.
But the elation following the goal was downplayed since the match was still in question.
“Kind of a bittersweet moment — I’m excited for my goal but having to not get the victory kind of brings it down,” Yang said. “It’s not about me, it’s about the team. It was for the team and unfortunately we didn’t get the win but hopefully we can get back up for our Sunday game against Wisconsin and score more goals.”
The Wolverines continued to create a number of opportunities but they failed to capitalize. The Broncos (4-7-0 overall) pushed on and Western Michigan’s Kyle Farris had the lethal instinct when the opportunity arose in the 81st minute to slot home the winner after a neat passing combination.
“We addressed it at half time and I thought we played a real strong second half,” Burns said. “The chances were there — disappointing, the two goals we did give up.”
Going forward, Michigan will need to continue this second half sense of urgency, but for the entirety of games.
“This is a team that is still struggling to find its identity, and we’ve got to find it quicker than what we’ve got (left) in games,” Burns said.