KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The No. 10/16-ranked Western Michigan men's soccer team (1-2-0) looks to bounce back after two-straight shutout losses, traveling to Chicago, Ill. to face the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) on Monday, Sept. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. (ET).

Last time out
The Broncos were defeated 2-0 versus No. 9-ranked Butler University at WMU Soccer Complex on Thursday, Aug. 30. The second consecutive shutout loss marked the first time Western Michigan was held scoreless in two-straight games since 2016.
 
After the first 45 minutes, the Broncos held Butler to just two shots in the first half all while producing six corners compared to the Bulldogs' two. For the game, Western Michigan outshot Butler 12-8 and held a 10-5 advantage in corner kicks but in the end it was the five-minute burst from the Bulldogs that was the deciding factor. The Butler goals appeared in the second half, roughly just five minutes apart, as junior forward Brandon Guhl, who was voted Big East Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and was selected to the Hermann Trophy Watch List, tallied them both at the 64th and 69th minute.

In the polls
Ranked No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches Division I preseason poll, the Broncos fell two spots after opening the 2018 slate 1-1. They rank No. 16 in the Week 1 National Poll that was released Aug. 28. WMU recently improved from No. 14 to No. 11 in the College Soccer News Top 30 poll and dropped from No. 8 to No. 10 in the latest Top Drawer Soccer Top 30 poll. 

Series History
Monday's match will mark the 11th all-time meeting between the Western Michigan and UIC men's soccer programs, with the Broncos holding a 5-4-1 advantage in the series. The two teams last met in 2013, with the Flames defeating WMU 4-2 in Chicago.  

Scouting UIC
The Flames suffered their first loss of the season on Friday at Drake University, falling by a score of 3-1, dropping their record to 2-1-0 overall. UIC opened the season in Dallas, Texas Aug. 24-26 on the campus of Southern Methodist University and earned wins over Campbell and Providence College, totaling five goals in two games. Senior forward Max Todd leads the UIC attack, having scored in each game for a total of four, good for eight points. The Flames, who finished last season 11-6-3 overall, were voted to finish first in the Horizon League Preseason Poll. The back-to-back league tournament champions fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament versus Wisconsin in 2017. 

Bronco Notables

• The Broncos' season-opening 2-0 win over Loyola Chicago Aug. 24 marked the fourth-straight season-opening victory for Western Michigan.
• The shutout loss at DePaul marked the first time Western Michigan was held scoreless since a 1-0 loss against No. 6 Michigan State Oct. 4, 2017. It was also the first loss against the Blue Demons in the all-time series. 
• The last time WMU was shutout in two-straight games was in 2016. The Broncos lost against Akron twice, falling 3-0 in the regular season finale and 4-0 in the MAC Tournament Semifinal.
• Through three games, Kosti Moni and Cameron Sipple share the Bronco scoring lead with a goal and two points each. Moni leads the squad with five shots, three on target.