KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The No. 3 seeded Western Michigan men's soccer team is set face No. 4 seed Akron University on Sunday, Nov. 11 in the 2018 Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship in Morgantown, W. Va. on the campus of West Virginia University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium with the match being broadcasted on ESPN3.

The Broncos will look to avenge last year's loss versus the Zips in the MAC Championship. WMU hosted the 2017 conference tournament as the No. 1 seed and fell 3-1 to Akron in the title game. 

MAC Men's Soccer Championship
Regular season champion West Virginia earned the No. 1 seed and will host this year's conference semifinal and final matches from Morgantown, W. Va. In the quarterfinals, WMU defeated No. 6 seed Northern Illinois to advance to the semifinals, while No. 4 seed Akron defeated No. 5 seed SIUE to advance to the other semifinal and face West Virginia. 

The Broncos defeated No. 2 seed Bowling Green 2-0, while Akron took down the top-seeded Mountaineers from WVU 3-1 to advance to the championship. 

MAC CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE | BRACKET

Tickets
Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800 WVU GAME. Tickets are $5 each and $3 for groups of 10 or more when purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com. At the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium ticket window, tickets will be $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups. The discounted online pricing will be available until kickoff of Friday's first match. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to avoid lines at the gate on game day. Tickets for students are free with a valid student I.D. One ticket will be good for both of Friday's semifinal matches.

Clear Bag Policy
To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.

WMU MAC Championship History
Dating back to 1994, Western Michigan is 11-21-5 all-time at the Mid-American Conference championships, while advancing three times in penalty kicks. The 2017 Broncos hosted the MAC Tournament and advanced to the conference championship contest for the first time since 2013. WMU defeated West Virginia 1-0 in the semifinals prior to falling 3-1 in the championship versus Akron. The Broncos won their first ever MAC Championship in 2003 with a 5-0 win over Bowling Green. The Broncos will be appearing in their seventh MAC Championship game in program history. WMU is 1-5 all-time in MAC Championship games, while facing Akron four times. 

WMU MAC Championship Results
2017: 3-1 L vs. Akron
2013: 4-1 L vs. Akron
2011: 1-0 L vs. NIU
2010: 4-0 L vs. Akron
2004: 6-1 L vs. Akron
2003: 5-0 W vs. Bowling Green 

Last Time Out
Western Michigan (10-5-3, 1-1-2 MAC) won 3-1 over NIU on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at WMU Soccer Complex, advancing to the MAC Semifinals for the sixth consecutive season. After conceding an early goal, the Broncos tallied three unanswered goals, all in the first half, to seal the victory. Cameron Sipple, Caden Jackman, and Tommy Clark scored the Bronco goals, with Jackman's game-winner coming off a Sipple free kick at the 29th minute. 

Series History
Sunday's match will mark the 41st all-time matchup between Western Michigan and Akron, with the Zips holding a 33-4-3 series advantage. Last season, the Broncos defeated then-ranked No. 8 Akron 1-0 in Kalamazoo. Tommy Clark scored his first goal as a Bronco on a free kick for the game-winner. The two teams then faced each other in the MAC Championship, with the Zips prevailing 3-1. 

The two teams were slated to face each other in the 2018 regular season finale on Nov. 3, but the match was canceled due to an on-campus power outage in Akron, Ohio. 

Scouting Akron
The reigning MAC Champion Zips (9-6-2) finished the regular season as the No. 4 seed for the MAC Tournament and has won its last three matches, advancing to the title game with a 2-1 quarterfinal win over SIU Edwardsville prior to a 3-1 win over West Virginia on Friday. Akron placed two on the All-MAC First Team and four on the Second Team, including its leading scorer, David Egbo, who leads the team with 21 points off nine goals and three assists. 

Thornton and Sipple Named All-MAC
The Mid-American Conference announced the 2018 Men's Soccer postseason awards Thursday, Nov. 8, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Western Michigan's Ben Thornton was selected to the All-MAC First Team, while Cameron Sipple earned Second Team All-MAC honors. 

Bowie Named CoSIDA Academic All-District 
The 2018 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Soccer Teams were released Thursday, Nov. 8 with Anthony Bowiefrom the Western Michigan men's soccer team selected to the 12-member District 5 Team, which features student-athletes of institutions from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District Men's Soccer Team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

Freshmen Featured
The Bronco freshmen class has been a key piece in guiding the team to the MAC Championship, combining for three goals scored, including both game-winners in the MAC Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches. Caden Jackman notched the game-winning goal versus Northern Illinois, while Mike Melaragni's goal stood as the game-winner versus Bowling Green. Zack Shane added another tally versus BGSU and Lukas Von Lienen has totaled four saves while picking up both wins in net.