KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Through the first two weeks of the 2010 men's soccer season, Western Michigan is the national team leader in total goals scored. The Broncos have scored 16 goals in five games, which betters their goal production from the entire 2008 season and equals that of the 2006 season.

Western Michigan has twice netted five goals in a game already this year and stands one goal ahead of James Madison. JMU has scored 15 goals in four games. WMU's scoring offense is currently ranked No. 7 with 3.20 goals per game. The national leader is Stetson with 12 goals in three games for a 4.00 gpg average.

A boost in offensive production could be seen in Riddle's first year a season ago, as the Broncos finished 2009 with the 33rd ranked offense in the country with 29 goals in 17 games. Carrying the brunt of that load was forward Saeed Sulemana Baba, who scored 13 goals in 14 games and was last year's NCAA Division I individual statistical champion for goals per game.

With the departure of Sulemana Baba due to graduation, questions were raised as to where the Broncos' goal-scoring would come from this season. In the first five games, the answer to that has been everywhere.

Senior C.J. Brown and freshman Oliver Mayer currently lead the team with three goals apiece, while four other Broncos have scored twice. Additionally, two others have scored, for a total of eight Broncos that have found the back of the net.

“I am very happy with how we have started the season,” said WMU head coach Stu Riddle. “The expectation now is that we continue this excellent form and keep looking to approach all of our future matches with an attack oriented mindset.”

While the Broncos are off to their best start since the 2003 MAC championship season with a 4-1-0 record, the team knows that letting up is not an option. Perhaps the greatest proof of that was the second game of the season. Coming off a 5-0 shutout victory in the season-opener, WMU had a disappointing 2-0 loss at Wright State on Sept. 3.

Riddle summarized it best after the match, “We must improve or we will find ourselves in the same position we are now, beaten and disgruntled.”

Since then, Western Michigan has rattled off three straight wins, including a hard-fought 2-1 victory at defending Atlantic-10 regular season champion Dayton.

The road ahead doesn't get any easier. This weekend WMU travels to Wisconsin to face Robert Morris and College Soccer News preseason No. 29 Green Bay. It will be the beginning of two four-game road trips for the Brown & Gold this season. Later in the year, WMU makes the trek to East Lansing to face Big Ten powerhouse Michigan State.

Outside of the remaining seven non-conference matches is the ever competitive Mid-American Conference schedule which kicks off Friday, Oct. 1 at Bowling Green. And of course there is the much-anticipated matchup with Akron, who holds the national No. 1 ranking and has dominated the league for the better part of a decade.

“Right now we are taking it one game at a time,” said Riddle. “Our goal every year is to improve. Last year we had six wins, if we reach that mark again, then we will strive for a different goal.”


To view Western Michigan's NCAA team ranking, games through 9/12, download the PDF below.