Game 19 | MAC Semifinal
Western Michigan vs West Virginia
Friday, November 15 l 3 p.m.
Akron, Ohio | Cub Cadet Field at FirstEnergy Stadium
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan men's soccer team (11-5-2) has earned the #2 seed in the 2019 Mid-American Conference Men's Soccer Championship and will face West Virginia (7-8-2) in the semifinal round on Friday at 3 p.m. in Akron, Ohio. Top-seeded Akron will play Bowling Green in the second semifinal at FirstEnergy Stadium. 

Western Michigan in the MAC Semifinals
The Broncos are 5-7-2 overall in MAC semifinal contests, having won their last two, which came in 2017 against West Virginia by a score of 1-0 in Kalamazoo, and in 2018 against Bowling Green by a 2-0 final in Morgantown, W.Va. Western Michigan has reached the conference final a total of seven times, with three of those appearances coming under the direction of current head coach Chad Wiseman. The Broncos won the MAC Men's Soccer Championship during the 2003 season, defeating BGSU 5-0 in the final match. 

Regular Season Highlights
Western Michigan reached double-digit victories for the third consecutive season and fourth time overall in the Wiseman era. The Broncos also went 4-0 against in-state programs, which included wins against Big Ten opponents Michigan and Michigan State.

Three student-athletes picked up MAC Player of the Week accolades, with senior midfielder Anthony Bowie winning the award twice for a team total of four.

WMU was ranked in the United Soccer Coaches' Top 25 poll for the fourth straight year, coming in at #25 in the November 5 edition. 

Bowie, along with freshman midfielder Charlie Sharp, led the Bronco offense during the regular season, combining for 13 goals and four assists. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Isaac Walker is 9-2-2 on the year and leads the MAC in both goals against average (.858) and save percentage (.780). 

West Virginia Series History
Western Michigan is 4-3-1 all-time against the Mountaineers, winning the 2019 regular season match 3-1 in Morgantown back in October. The Broncos defeated WVU in their only postseason meeting, which came in the 2017 MAC Semifinals at the WMU Soccer Complex. 

Scouting the Mountaineers
The 2018 MAC regular season champions from West Virginia finished sixth in the conference standings after going 0-4-1. The Mountaineers upset the #3 seed SIU Edwardsville 1-0 on Tuesday to reach the semifinal round for the third consecutive year. 

WVU has scored 23 goals on the season for an average of 1.35 per game, which ranks fifth in the MAC. Freshman forward Rodrigo Robles Grajera leads the Mountaineer offense with seven goals and 16 points, while senior midfielder Andres Muriel Albino has collected six goals and 14 points. Junior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky has played all 1,575 minutes in net for West Virginia, recording a 1.49 goals against average with 51 saves made. 

Parking Info 
Fans attending the semifinal matches of the MAC Men's Soccer Championship on Friday are asked to park in the following lots (highlighted in purple) in order to avoid lot restrictions and parking fees as there are three basketball games going on that day at James A. Rhodes Arena; Lot 9 (surface lot behind InfoCision Stadium at Corner of Spicer & E. Exchange Streets) or Lot 36 (Parking Deck off of E. Exchange Street).


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