KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Coach
Chad Wiseman and the Western Michigan men's soccer team are looking to extend the Brown and Gold's winning streak against in-state opponents to 14 consecutive victories as they host Detroit Mercy at the WMU Soccer Complex this Wednesday at 5 PM. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats information is available under the men's soccer schedule.
Over the course of the young season, the Brown and Gold have registered an abundance of goals during their 3-1-1 start to 2023. As a group, the Broncos have remained consistent in the offensive third of the field and have tallied nine goals during their first five games for the second consecutive year.
Due to the well-rounded play of the team, as of Sunday, September 10, many Broncos saw themselves ranked among college soccer's best, including Ethan Brandt, Carson Hodgson, and Charlie Sharp. Brandt opened the week tied for 19th in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer with two shutouts, while Hodgson was tied for 12th in assists with three helpers of his own. In the offensive department, the Broncos' go-to forward Sharp ranked seventh in the NCAA in total points with 11. As for goal scoring, Sharp's hot start to the season placed him sixth in Division I soccer after netting five goals through the team's first five games. Most recently against Dayton this past Sunday, Sharp led the Brown and Gold with a three-goal barrage in their 5-4 victory. After his hat trick, Sharp sits five away from claiming the second most goals in program history for the men's soccer program. Currently, Randy Wojtala (1976-79) holds the second-place position with 29 goals scored. As the Brown and Gold enter the second half of their homestand, they will continue to use their balanced attack to their advantage. Among the NCAA, Western Michigan as a team ranks 13th in assists per game at 2.40 and is tied for 11th in all of college soccer with 12 total assists.
Looking at Detroit Mercy, they are following up on the 2022 campaign, where they collected a 4-7-6 record last season. The Titans enter Wednesday's contest against Western Michigan with a 0-5 record and are looking for their first victory since October 15, 2022. This season, junior midfielder captain Alex Diac and senior forward Saeid Jannoun have led Detroit Mercy on the offensive third of the field for the Titans. The upperclassmen duo has combined for the team's two goals, and Diac and Jannoun are on pace for personal career years, as both are shooting at a scorching 50% clip-on goal.
The two teams will meet for the 32nd time Wednesday and the first time since October 29, 2019. Entering the matchup, the Brown and Gold trail the Titans in the series 11-16-4. After losing eight contests and tying one match from 2008-2016, WMU has turned the series back in their favor: The Broncos are riding a four-game winning streak into Wednesday's action and are poised to capture their first five-game win streak in the history between the two programs.
Coach Wiseman continues to make his mark on the WMU soccer program. As of today, he is one win away from becoming the second coach in program history to eclipse 110 career victories for the men's soccer team. Wiseman with 109 career victories for Western Michigan, sits 16 wins from sharing the all-time wins record (125 wins) with Blake Glass (1983-1997).
For ticket information click the link here and for the latest updates make sure to follow the men's soccer team on Instagram @wmu_menssoccer, Twitter @wmumenssoccer, and Facebook @wmumenssoccer.
