KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan men's soccer team is set for its final non-conference match of the 2018 season on Tuesday, Oct. 16, hosting Xavier University at WMU Soccer Complex. The match is scheduled for a 4 p.m. kickoff while being broadcasted on ESPN+. 

Last time out
The Broncos (7-5-2, 0-1-1 MAC) battled Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to a 1-1 draw in double overtime on Saturday, Oct. 13 during the first road Mid-American Conference contest of the season in Edwardsville, Ill. The Cougars struck first 17 minutes in to claim a 1-0 lead, but the Brown & Gold answered quickly. Just under 23 minutes in, Jake Rufe fed Paul Liagre a nice through ball, who finished for his first goal as a Bronco. The assist was Rufe's first of the season as well. 

Series History
Tuesday's match will mark the fourth all-time matchup between Western Michigan and Xavier, with the Broncos seeking their first win against the Musketeers. The two teams last faced each other in 2002, with Xavier prevailing 4-0 in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Scouting Xavier
The Musketeers most recently fell 3-1 against No. 12-ranked Creighton University on Friday, Oct. 12, dropping their overall record to 4-4-5 on the season. Xavier is currently tied for fourth place in the Big East Conference standings with a 2-2-1 conference mark, while leading the Big East with 58 points as a team. Despite being tied for first in the conference with 19 goals scored, the Musketeers rank near the bottom with an average of 1.22 goals allowed per game. Senior Simen Hestnes, a Preseason All-Big East selection, leads the conference with 17 points off six goals and five assists. 

Bronco Notables

• The Broncos are 5-2-1 when playing at their home field and are 2-3-1 when playing away from WMU Soccer Complex. 
• WMU had its six-game unbeaten streak come to an end on Saturday, Oct. 6 in the MAC opener versus West Virginia. It was the first time the Broncos lost their conference opener since 2015. 
• Tommy Clark was selected as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award Sept. 19.
• WMU ranks first in the MAC with 95 corner kicks, averaging 6.79 per game.
• Zack Shane and Cameron Sipple are tied for the Bronco scoring leading with nine points (3g-3a) each.
• Ben Thornton headed in his fourth goal of the season versus Oakland (Oct. 9) and is tied for the WMU goal-scoring lead with Kosti Moni. 
• Mike Melaragni scored his first collegiate against Oakland. Three Bronco freshmen have scored goals this season, including Shane and Caden Jackman among Melaragni. 
• Paul Liagre, a junior college transfer, scored his first goal as a Bronco at SIUE. Liagre leads the team with five assists. 
• Freshman goalkeeper Lukas Von Lienen has started 10 games for WMU and ranks second in the MAC with a 0.98 goals against average and a .756 save percentage.