KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan women's soccer team is set with two matches ahead, hosting the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) on Friday, Sept. 7 before traveling to West Lafayette, Ind. to face Big Ten opponent Purdue University Sunday, Sept. 9. Friday's match versus UIC is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. from WMU Soccer Complex, while Sunday's match is set to kickoff at 1 p.m.

Last time out
The Broncos notched their fourth victory of the 2018 season last Friday at Oakland University, winning 1-0 in Rochester, Mich. Sophomore forward Bailey Korhorn broke the stalemate in the 80th minute to put the Broncos up 1-0. Junior midfielder Grace Labadie slipped Korhorn in behind the Golden Grizzlies' back line and Korhorn slotted it to the far post for her third goal of the season and second game-winner of the year. Labadie picked up her second assist of the season on the goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Sargent made four saves to earn her third clean sheet of the season. WMU outshot OU 7-6 overall, with the shots on goal being squared 4-4. Labadie led all Broncos with three shots.

Series History
Friday's match will mark the third all-time meeting between the Western Michigan and UIC women's soccer programs, with the Broncos holding a 2-0 advantage in the series. The first two meetings were both 3-0 victories, both in Kalamazoo in 2014 and 2015. 

Sunday's match will mark the third all-time meeting between the Western Michigan and Purdue women's soccer programs, with the Boilermakers holding a 2-0 advantage in the series. The two teams last meet in 2007 in West Lafayette, Ind., with Purdue prevailing 3-0. 

Scouting UIC
The Flames are off to a slow start in 2018, still in search of their first win. Most recently, UIC fell 5-2 versus Illinois State Sept. 2, dropping their record to 0-6 overall. The Flames have been outscored 26-5 by their opponents and have been held scoreless twice. Five Flames share the scoring lead with one goal each, while junior goalkeeper Tara Khayam has started each game in net and ranks third in the Horizon League with 32 saves. 

Scouting Purdue
The Boilermakers (3-1-1) face a second consecutive ranked opponent on Thursday, Sept. 6, hosting No. 24 Louisville. On Sunday, Sept. 2, Purdue suffered its first loss of the season at No. 15 South Carolina, falling 2-1. Coming off a 10-7-2 overall record last season, Purdue was selected to finish ninth in the Big Ten preseason coaches' poll. Sophomore defender Sarah Clark has paced the Boilermaker attack with seven points (2g-3a), while sophomore midfielder/forward Kylie Hase owns the team-lead with three goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Luce has started in game in net and has picked up two shutouts. 

Bronco Notables

• WMU's back-to-back shutout wins marks the first two consecutive shutouts since a three-game shutout win streak Sept. 3-15, 2017. 
• The Broncos' 4-1 start to the 2018 campaign marks the best start to a season since another 4-1 start in 2016. The 2016 Broncos earned six wins before suffering their second loss. 
• WMU ranks first in the Mid-American Conference with four wins and second with a 0.60 goals against average. 
• Sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Sargent is tied for the lead in the MAC with three shutouts. 
• A trio of Broncos have led the team in the scoring category. Alyssa Burke (2g-2a), Hannah Kahn (2g-2a), and Bailey Korhorn (3g) pace the Western Michigan offense with six points each. Burke leads WMU with 16 shots, eight being on goal.