Box Score KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Senior Brandon Bye scored the game-winning goal in the 65th minute lifting the No. 5 ranked Western Michigan men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Bowling Green on Senior Day. With the win, WMU finishes the regular season with a 15-2-1 overall record, going 5-0-0 in Mid-American Conference play.

The Broncos clinched the MAC regular season title outright, its first ever in school history. It snapped Akron's 12-year run as conference champions, dating back to 2005.

Last weekend WMU locked in the No.1 seed for the upcoming MAC Tournament which the Broncos will host. Semifinals games will be Friday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. WMU will face No. 4 West Virginia in the second match Friday. No. 2 Akron will face No. 3 SIU-Edwardsville in game one. Winners will advance to the championship game Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.

"We're the outright regular season conference champs, something the team really wanted," said WMU head coach Chad Wiseman. "To keep the conference scoreless is unbelievable. The MAC is a top five conference in the nation and the men were able to find ways to win each game and keep a clean sheet. Caps off one of the best regular seasons in all the NCAA. They have a lot to be proud of."

Bye's goal was his conference-leading 12th of the season. Pepe Martinez played the ball across the box and Bye flicked it in off the far post. Martinez and Connor McNulty each were credited with an assist.

The shutout was Western Michigan's 12th of the season, tying the school record set in 2015. The Broncos did not allow a goal in all five MAC games this season, outscoring opponents 9-0.

"It was great to find a win on Senior Day - Brandon Bye, Jay McIntosh, Zach Bock and Drew Shepherd, those four guys have left a great legacy and will continue in the weeks to come to add to that,"  Wiseman said.

"Bowling Green played very well, over the years our games have been one goal games and this one was no different. They really took the game to us in the first half. We were on our heels and just didn't break in our defensive third.  

"We came out in the second half with lots of energy and started getting into good spots on the field. Their goalkeeper made a couple really nice saves to keep the game level, finally we broke through."

Western Michigan and Bowling Green (7-9-1, 1-3-1 MAC) each had just two shots at the half. The Broncos stepped up the pressure with eight shots in the second half, while the Falcons had just three.

"Our focus now turns to the post season, we're very excited to be hosting the MAC championship right here in Kalamazoo," Wiseman said. "We know we have a difficult challenge ahead of us, we look forward to that challenge."