KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan men's soccer team (1-3-0) has two matches ahead, traveling to Ann Arbor, Mich. Friday, Sept. 7 to face the University of Michigan prior to hosting Drake University on Sunday, Sept. 9. Friday's match at Michigan is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start, while Sunday's match versus Drake will kickoff at 3 p.m. at WMU Soccer Complex. 

Last time out
The Broncos suffered a third consecutive shutout loss on Monday, Sept. 3 at the University of Illinois at Chicago, falling 1-0. Due to weather and field conditions, the match was delayed nearly three hours. After a scoreless first half in which the Broncos held a 5-1 advantage in corner kick opportunities, the home team led 7-1 in shots. UIC garnered most of the offensive output in the second half, finding pay dirt 10 minutes in at the 55^thminute, the eventual game-winner.

Series History
Friday's match will mark the 13th all-time meeting between the Western Michigan and Michigan men's soccer programs, with the Wolverines holding a 6-5-1 advantage in the series. The Broncos have won 1-0 in the last two meetings against the Maize and Blue. The then ranked No. 12 Broncos defeated No. 22 Michigan last year at WMU Soccer Complex in front of a record crowd of over 2,300. Kosti Moni broke the scoreless tie at the 51st minute, one of his four game-winners in 2017. 

Sunday's match will mark the sixth all-time matchup between the WMU and Drake men's soccer programs, with the Broncos owning a 3-2 series advantage. Western Michigan has prevailed 2-1 over the Bulldogs in the last two seasons. Last season in Des Moines, Iowa, WMU gained a two-goal lead with goals from Ben Thornton and Brandon Bye and held on late for the win. 

Scouting Michigan
The Wolverines, who claimed their first ever Big Ten title last season and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012, have opened the 2018 campaign 2-1, headlined by two-straight shutout victories, over South Florida and UC Riverside. Sophomore forward Mohammed Zakyi, a Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree last season, leads Michigan in scoring this year with two goals and two assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Henry Mashburn has started all three games in net and has allowed two goals with 18 shots faced. 

Scouting Drake
The Bulldogs (3-1) face DePaul on Friday, Sept. 7 in search of their fourth-straight win. Drake most recently earned a 3-0 victory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Monday, Sept. 4, marking the second-straight game with three goals scored. Sophomore forward Leroy Enzugusi (2g-1a) and Redshirt Junior midfielder Cole Poppen (1g-3a) share the Bulldog scoring lead with five points each. Junior goalkeeper Jared Brown has started each game in goal and ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference with 17 saves. 

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 Aug. 27 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 lost three-straight games was in 2014 as they closed out the season with three 2-1 losses, capped off by a loss to Akron in the MAC Tournament semifinal. 
• The last time WMU went at least three games without a goal dates back to the 2008 season. 
• Lukas Von Lienen earned his first collegiate start in net at UIC and tallied five saves, the most by a Bronco keeper this season. 
• Through four games, Kosti Moni and Cameron Sipple share the Bronco scoring lead with a goal and two points each. Moni leads the squad with three shots on goal, while Anthony Bowie leads with six shots.