KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan women's soccer team concludes its regular season road schedule with a trip to Kent State on Thursday night. The Broncos and Golden Flashes will square off at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos took care of business against Eastern Michigan, handing the Eagles a 3-0 defeat last Sunday afternoon. WMU received goals from
Stephanie Currie,
Bria Telemaque and
Jaden Peck. For Currie and Peck, those marked their first goals of the season.
MAC CHAMPIONSHIP RACE
Western Michigan is in the hunt for the MAC regular season championship with three games to play in the conference season. The Broncos are currently tied with Ball State atop the standings.
The Broncos won the West Division back in 2013, but the program has never claimed an outright conference championship. WMU has won the MAC Tournament three times (2003, 2013 & 2015).
The Brown and Gold end the season with games at Kent State, vs. Buffalo and vs. Toledo. Senior day is set for Sunday, Oct. 22 against Buffalo.
DEFENSE PAVES THE WAY
WMU has been dominant on defense in MAC play this season, boasting a .50 goals against average in eight games. The Broncos have only allowed four goals in conference play and have five clean sheets.
Lauren Boafo is 5-0-3 in conference play and holds a .818 save percentage. The Broncos have done well in front of her, limiting opponents to just 45 total shots and 22 shots on goal. Furthermore, WMU opponents have gotten just 12 corner kicks.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State leads the all-time series 13-9-3, but the series is even, 5-5-2 in Kent, Ohio. Over the last 10 meetings, WMU is 3-6-1 versus the Golden Flashes. However, the Broncos do have the most recent win, defeating KSU 3-1 last season.
The Golden Flashes sit in fourth place in the conference standings, having five wins and three losses.
Alisa Arthur is the one to watch for on offense, as she leads the team in points with 15 on six goals and three assists. Siena Stamblich and Callie Cunningham have been strong passers for KSU this season, tying for the team lead in assists with four each.
In net, Sarah Melen has started all 15 games this season, holding a 1.15 goals against average and .800 save percentage. She has saved 68 shots and has three shutouts.
