Men’s Soccer Becomes First Six-Seed to Win MVC Championship

Jonathan Turner
2 days ago
2 min read

NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Western Michigan men’s soccer captured its second MVC Championship in three years on Saturday night, earning a gritty 1–0 road win over top-seeded Evansville in the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference title match.

Graduate defender Mathieu Beauvain delivered the championship moment in the 73rd minute, scoring “his first goal with WMU” on a spectacular left-footed bicycle finish inside the six-yard box. The strike came after Piero Sabroso headed a second-chance ball back into danger, setting up the decisive sequence.

While Beauvain had the highlight, it was goalkeeper Alex Lindewirth who put on a championship-level performance. The Broncos’ keeper recorded a “seven-save shutout” — including four in the final 20 minutes — as Evansville poured on late pressure. The Purple Aces outshot WMU 17–6 overall and earned “nine corner kicks,” six of them in the closing stretch, but could never find a way past Western Michigan’s back line.

A Tale of Two Halves

The opening 45 minutes were defensive and cagey, with neither side managing a shot on target. WMU generated late momentum with two corner kicks before halftime, but both teams entered the break scoreless after a slow, midfield-heavy first period.

The match flipped after the restart. Evansville fired the first dangerous shot in the 49th minute off a free kick that forced Lindewirth into action. Minutes later, WMU tested the Aces on a Braxton Arpachinda free kick. From that point forward, both attacks came alive, trading quick chances until Beauvain’s championship-winning finish.

Holding On Late — Even Down a Man

After the goal, Evansville threw numbers forward, forcing Lindewirth into multiple point-blank saves. The Broncos were forced to defend the final minutes “down a man” after Braxton Arpachinda received a red card in the 89th minute, but WMU’s defensive unit held firm to secure the program’s fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth.