Men's Soccer | September 19, 2019

Game 6
Western Michigan at Michigan State
Friday, September 20 l 7 p.m.
East Lansing, Mich. | DeMartin Soccer Complex
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Game 7
Western Michigan at Virginia
Monday, September 23 l 7 p.m.
Charlottesville, Va. | Klockner Stadium
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan men's soccer team will travel to East Lansing for a non-conference contest against Michigan State on Friday. The Broncos will then take on #5 Virginia in another road match on the following Monday. 

Michigan State Series History
The Broncos and Spartans will play for the 44^th time on Friday, with Michigan State leading the all-time series 33-2-8. They last met in the Third Round of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, with the Spartans taking the 2-1 win in East Lansing.

Scouting the Spartans
The Spartans were picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten preseason poll, following a run to the 2018 Men's College Cup semifinals. They have started 2019 off in disappointing fashion due to multiple injury issues, currently holding an overall record of 0-3-2, having suffered three straight losses coming into the contest with WMU.

Junior midfielder Alex Shterenberg leads Michigan State in points, with three so far on the season. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Hunter Morse has played every minute for the Spartans in net this year, earning a 1.09 goals against average.
 
Virginia Series History
This marks the first ever meeting between the Broncos and the Cavaliers in men's collegiate soccer history.

Scouting the Cavaliers
The #5 nationally ranked Cavaliers come in as one of the hottest teams in the country, starting off 2019 with a 5-0 record that included a 3-1 victory against #2 Duke last Friday. Virginia has been stout on defense, allowing just a single goal in five games played to rank seventh in Division I men's soccer for goals against average.

The Cavaliers boast a balanced offensive attack, with Daniel Steedman, Nathaniel Crofts and returning top goal scorer Daryl Dike leading their team with five points each. They also returned their starting goalkeeper from last year in redshirt junior Colin Shutler, who currently leads the ACC in goals against average and save percentage.

Bronco Offense Keeps it Rolling
Western Michigan is averaging 8.6 points per game on the year, which is currently good enough for sixth in all of Division I men's soccer. The Broncos have scored nine goals over a two game stretch for the first time in four seasons, when they defeated IUPUI 1-0 on 9/6/15 and St. Bonaventure by a score of 8-0 on 9/11/15.

Staying Balanced
Five different players scored for the Broncos in their 5-1 home victory against Cincinnati last weekend. Sophomore forward Eric Conerty scored his first points as a Bronco after transferring from Butler. Freshman Brennan Creek recorded his Mid-American Conference leading third assist against the Bearcats. 

Western Michigan versus the B1G
The last win for the Broncos against a Big Ten opponent came on 9/20/2017 against Michigan in front of 2,317 fans at the WMU Soccer Complex. Kosti Moni scored the lone goal off a header in the 51st minute to give Western Michigan the victory in a battle of nationally ranked programs. 

Up Next
Western Michigan will return to the WMU Soccer Complex for a 4 p.m. match against Illinois Chicago on Saturday, September 28. 

#WeWillReign