Looking at the defensive success Western Michigan University's men's soccer team has had this season, the burning question could be, does the goaltender make the defense look good or does the defense make the goaltender look good. 
 

WMU goaltender Ethan Brandt defers to his defense, while center-back Jaylen Shannon and head coach Chad Wiseman both choose the third option…they are both needed to have a championship team, which is what the Broncos have again this season. 
 

After having won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title, WMU (13-1-3 overall with a 16-match unbeaten streak) will try for the twofer this week, hosting Northern Illinois in a semifinal tournament game on Wednesday at 1 p.m. The other semifinal begins at 10 a.m. and features Missouri State vs. the University of Illinois-Chicago. The championship game is Saturday at 1 p.m. 
 

In a quirky deal, WMU is the defending league champion, just not in the Missouri Valley. The Broncos won the Mid-American Conference tournament last season, but when the MAC dropped men's soccer, MAC members WMU, Northern Illinois and Bowling Green joined the Missouri Valley. 
 

WMU's defense has been rock solid this season, even though Wiseman had to replace a goaltender and three backline starters. It worked out well as the Broncos are tied for third in the nation with 10 shutouts and fifth in save percentage, .822. Western Michigan is also seventh in goal differential, scoring 41 goals and allowing just 13. 

''The defense makes the goalie look good,'' Brandt, a graduate student, said without a hesitation. ''After every game, I go up to them and thank them. 

''I get credit for the shutout, but it's really the defense which stops me from having to make crazy saves. Being on a team with a really good defense is nice because I'm not getting many shots and the shots I do see are relatively blocked so I have a better angle to read it.'' 
 

Shannon, a graduate student defender, looks at it a little differently. 
 

''I think the goaltender and defense go hand in hand because we try to limit the amount of shots he gets in games and clean up anything that he is able to save,'' he said. ''He's our last line of defense, we've benefited from each other all season and it shows in our stats.'' 
 

The stat it really shows in is saves per game where Brandt is fifth in the conference at 3.06. The last thing a goaltender wants is a higher average. 
 

''Collectively, with our back five, it's a little bit of this and a little bit of that,'' Wiseman said about the goaltender-defense debate. ''You have to show you can pitch shutouts if you want to win a championship and we've shown that throughout the season.'' 
 

Growing up, Brandt didn't initially have much of a choice at being a goaltender. 
 

''I was always the tallest on the team (he's 6-feet, 3-inches),'' Brandt said. ''My mom was our coach and she would always tell me to get in goal. 

''Then I fell in love with the position.'' 
 

He came to Western Michigan as a walk-on and didn't play much in his first four years. 
 

''We had a good time going to the NCAA tournament last year, so I decided to come back and work for a starting spot,'' he said. 

And don't worry about Brandt handling the pressure. 
 

''There is a lot of pressure, which I like and I feel I perform better under pressure and I'm also training to become an airline pilot, so it's the same type of pressure,'' he said. ''You have a lot of people relying on you in your specific position.'' 
 

Shannon has always been a defender and has done it well. Last year, he was All-MAC second team, an academic All-MAC performer and he was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Third Team. This season, he has three assists to go along with his defensive work. 
 

''I transitioned to center back early and there was maybe two times when I was moved up for the last five minutes of a game,'' he said with a smile. ''The back is my bread and butter, I know my skill set and I feel I have a good understanding of the position. 
 

''It's always rewarding for me to stop or block a one-on-one situation as opposed to scoring or assisting.'' 
 

Wiseman looks at this year's team as being like last year's tournament championship squad, even though he had some replacing to do. 
 

''They have similar characteristics as last year as winning is in their DNA and they understand there are certain things which need to be done in each game in order to get the result they want,'' he said. ''We have 41 goals and that's tied for fifth nationally while we had the No. 1 defense in the nation last year, and we knew that would be hard to match his year. 
 

''It's pretty special about this team that if we have some adversity, there is always someone to pick us up and it's not always the same person. We've done it on all four lines, Ethan has had his moments, Jaylen and the back line have had their moments, the midfielders have had their moments and the forwards have had their moments. It just shows how we go about our business every day.'' 
 

The business of trying to win their second straight tournament title starts on Wednesday.