KALAMAZOO, Mich.- After defeating the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Wednesday evening, the Western Michigan men's soccer team (7-1-0) is back in action Saturday, hosting Detroit at the WMU Soccer Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. Admission to all WMU home soccer games is free.  

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BEST START IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Western Michigan's record of 7-1-0 is the best eight-game start in school history, one win better than the 2003 MAC Tournament Championship team. The lone loss this season occurred in California by a narrow 1-0 margin at Pacific on Sept. 11. Since, the Broncos have gone 2-0 with wins over Eastern Illinois and Michigan. 

BRONCOS AT A GLANCE
The Broncos are coming off a 1-0 road victory against Big Ten opponent, the University of Michigan, this past Wednesday. Senior midfielder Diego Lopez found the back of the net in the 53^rd minute to secure the WMU win recording his third goal of the season. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Drew Shepherd was called upon to make six saves helping the Broncos record their sixth shutout this season. 

DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING
Behind Shepherd and the rest of the Bronco defenders, Western Michigan has only conceeded four goals in eight games (0.5 goals against avg) this year. Dating back to the 2015 season, WMU has held their opponents scoreless in 16 of the last 27 games including six shutouts this season.
 
NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED
For the first time this season, Western Michigan is receiving votes in the CollegeSoccerNews poll. The Broncos are ranked in the Great Lakes Region top 10 for the fourth-straight week, coming in No. 5 for the third week in a row.

The Broncos are currently ranked fifth in the NCAA in total assists with 20, sixth in total points with 56 and eighth in total goals with 18 on the season. Ten different Broncos have scored this season with junior Brandon Bye leading the way with 15 points including five goals and five assists. 

SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit has not won a game this season and has lost its last two contests. Detroit has scored seven goals in its seven games played this year. The Titans have tallied three draws this season against opponents including Valparaiso, High Point and Pittsburgh. Offensively, senior midfielder Tommy Bowman leads the team with two goals. Redshirt junior goalie Robbie Beckwell holds an 1.43 goals against average while making 25 saves during the seven games this season.

QUOTING WISEMAN
"Detroit poses to be a big test for our team," commented coach Chad Wiseman. "They have proven to be a tough team to breakdown and are extremely disciplined while competing every minute. They have a couple special players going forward that will warrant our full attention. Being an in-state game, bragging rights are always on the line and we are excited for the challenge."

SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan is 9-16-3 overall against Detroit. The Broncos fell to Detroit, 0-2, in 2013 while the last result occurred in Aug. 2014 during an 1-2 loss in overtime. 

NEXT UP
The Broncos remain home hosting two straight matches starting with Drake this Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m., followed by Bradley on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 12 p.m.