Women's Soccer | August 15, 2019

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's soccer team kicks off the 2019 season hosting Valparaiso on Friday at 5 p.m. at the WMU Soccer Complex.

Admission to all WMU exhibition and regular season home games is free.

The Broncos open the regular season next Thursday at Iowa, before hosting Notre Dame on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 5 p.m.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
The two teams are no strangers to meeting in exhibition games. Last season, WMU and VALPO battled to a 2-2 tie. The Crusaders finished the season with a 5-8-3 record and lose top returning scorers Cory Griffith and Ava Porlier. The two combined for 11 of the team's 17 goals, with no returning player contributing more than one goal last season.

Junior Kezia Gesell played the majority of the minutes between the sticks last season, playing in 10 of the 17 games and posting a 3-6-1 record, while making 42 saves.

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
Friday's exhibition match will mark the first for interim head coach Sammy Boateng. Boateng was hired back in January as an assistant coach before being promoted to interim head coach in July. Boateng was recently an assistant coach at Boston College, where he helped the Eagles finish in fourth place and earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. Boateng also coached at the University of New Hampshire as an assistant, helping the women's program win a regular season title in 2017. That season he was a part of the America East Coaching Staff of the Year and also coached the conference's Striker of the Year, Brooke Murphy, in 2015 and 2016. Boateng played college soccer at Marshall, leaving the program ranking third all-time in assists.  

#WeWillReign