Women's Soccer | October 31, 2018
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's soccer team travels to Bowling Green on Friday to take on Ball State at 4 p.m. in the Mid-American Conference Tournament Semifinals.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
The game will be streamed live for free via WBGSU-TV on YouTube.
THE MATCHUP
The Cardinals (13-3-2, 9-2-1 MAC) finished the regular season second in the MAC, earning the second seed in the MAC Tournament. Last Sunday BSU defeated Buffalo in double-overtime to advance to the MAC Semifinals and mark its eighth straight win. Ball State is undefeated in its last nine games, with its last loss coming on Sept. 28 at Kent State and its last tie coming on Sept. 30 at Ohio. During the win streak, BSU has recorded four shutouts, including a 3-0 blanking of the Broncos in Muncie back on Oct. 7.
Freshman forward Tatiana Mason leads the Cardinals in points with 15 on a team-best six goals and three assists. Senior midfielder Paula Guerrero is second on the team with 10 points on three goals and a team-high four assists. Senior Tristan Stuteville has started all 18 games in goal, posting seven shutouts and allowing just 14 goals, while making 62 saves.
Western Michigan and Ball State have a long history of meeting in the MAC Tournament and the Broncos have dominated. This will be the fifth time that WMU and BSU have met and the Broncos have won three of the previous four. The first meeting was a 3-1 win for the Cardinals in the 2002 MAC Quarterfinals. The Broncos advanced in a win on penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie with BSU in the 2004 quarterfinals. WMU also has a 1-0 win over BSU in the 2011 quarterfinals. The last time the teams met in the postseason was the 2013 MAC Championship game and the Broncos won 1-0 in Ypsilanti to claim the program's second MAC Tournament Championship.
THREE OUT OF FOUR
Western Michigan's seniors Alyssa Burke, Paige Dobbs, and Savannah Rembold are headed to their third MAC Semifinals in their four seasons at WMU. This will be the first trip to the semifinals for fellow senior Colleen McKay, who transferred in to WMU last season.
Overall, WMU has made the MAC Semifinals in five of the last six season.
FIVE WITH FIVE OR MORE
Western Michigan is averaging 1.85 goals per game this season and it's thanks to a well balanced attack. WMU boasts five players with at least five goals this season. Sophomore forward Bailey Korhorn leads the pack with nine goals, while Alyssa Burke, Grace Labadie, Hannah Kahn and Morgan Otteson each have five goals. Senior midfielder Colleen McKay sits just behind them with five goals.
