Men's Soccer | September 29, 2016

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan men's soccer (8-2-0) looks to continue its historic 2016 season when it hosts Bradley (2-7-1) Saturday, Oct. 1 at the WMU Soccer Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. Admission to all home soccer games is free.
 
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LIVE STREAMING
Western Michigan will have three home games broadcast via live video stream on wmubroncos.com for free during the season. Saturday's game against Bradley will debut the stream, while the Oct. 11 contest against Valparaiso and Oct. 29 match against West Virginia will also be streamed live.

BRONCOS AT A GLANCE
The Broncos are coming off a 2-1 double overtime win Tuesday against Drake at home. Highlighting the victory, junior midfielder Brandon Bye scored his sixth goal of the season in the 86^th minute to send the game into overtime. Former Mr. Michigan Soccer, Anthony Bowie, recorded the game-winner for Western Michigan with just 1:43 remaining in double overtime. The freshman's goal was his first career goal for the Broncos.

RECORD START
With the win over Drake, the 2016 Broncos matched the best 10-game start (8-2-0) set by the 2003 Mid-American Conference championship team.

SUCCESS UNDER WISEMAN
In his fourth year, head coach Chad Wiseman has recorded an overall career record of 36-22-8. A win on Saturday would give Wiseman the most wins in a four-year period to start a coaching career at Western Michigan. Blake Glass began his career with a 36-27-3 (1982-85) overall record.

SHUTTING DOWN THE OPPONENT
The Broncos have recorded six shutouts in 10 games this year and 18 in the last 29 games dating back to the beginning of 2015. Western Michigan set a school record with 12 clean sheets in 2015. The Broncos have totaled 29 shutouts under head coach Chad Wiseman.

BALANCED OFFENSE
Four Broncos have recorded more than one goal this year and 11 different Broncos have found the back of the net in 2016. Junior Brandon Bye leads the team with 17 points off six goals and five assists. Senior midfielder Diego Lopez and junior forward Jay McIntosh have collected three goals apiece for the Broncos. Four other players have dished out three assists for Western Michigan including Tommy Clark, Nathan Hoover, Edu Jimenez and Connor McNulty.

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED
The Broncos are ranked in the Great Lakes Region top 10 for the fifth-straight week. WMU has outscored its opponents this season 21-7. The Bronco offense ranks 21 nationally in scoring offense averaging 2.10 goals per game while sitting in seventh scoring 21 goals. With 23 assists on the year, Western Michigan is ranked fifth nationally.
 
SCOUTING THE BRAVES
Bradley enters Saturday's contest with a 2-7-1 record, after dropping its last two matches. The Braves have played two nationally ranked opponents this season. On Sept. 4, Bradley lost a close 1-0 battle to the No. 16 Utah Valley squad and on Aug. 19 the Braves pulled a 1-0 upset over No. 9 Notre Dame.

Fort Wayne is the only opponent that both Western Michigan and Bradley have faced this season. The Mastodons defeated the Braves 4-3 back on Sept. 9. Western Michigan posted a 2-1 victory over Fort Wayne in the season-opener on Sept. 2.

Bradley has been outscored by its opponents this season,16-8, and has averaged 0.80 goals per game. Junior forward Richard Olsen has recorded two goals and one assist this season, recording a team-high five points.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan is 3-3 overall against Bradley with the most recent meeting coming last year on Nov. 3. The Broncos traveled to Peoria, Ill., and left with a thrilling 1-0 victory. During his four years, head coach Chad Wiseman has faced the Braves this one occasion.

NEXT UP
The Broncos travel to Michigan State for a 4 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Oct. 5. WMU begins Mid-American Conference play with Northern Illinois at home on Oct. 8 at 12 p.m. over Homecoming Weekend.