KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan women's soccer team is set to open Mid-American Conference play tomorrow at 4 p.m. when the Broncos host Northern Illinois at the WMU Soccer Complex. WMU finished non-conference play with a 4-3 record, including a win over Butler. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos were upended 2-1 at Marquette last Thursday night, as the Golden Eagles scored two second-half goals to claim the victory. WMU received a goal in the first half from Jen Blitchock, which was her team-leading third of the season. 

MAC PLAY BEGINS
The Mid-American Conference season is set to begin on Thursday, Sept. 21, with six games going on across the conference. 

WMU has lofty expectations after making the MAC Tournament a season ago and earning four wins in non-conference play this season. The Broncos were picked second in the preseason coaches poll, received three first-place votes and got one vote to win the MAC Tournament. 

Reigning champion Buffalo led the poll with 112 points, while WMU (104 points), Ball State (100 points), Bowling Green (98 points) and Miami (86 points) rounded out the top five. 

SHARING IS CARING
Western Michigan has been very unselfish with the ball this season, having dished out 11 total assists for an average of 1.57 per match. Those two numbers are tied for the MAC lead with Toledo.
It's been a group effort for the Broncos, as seven players have tallied at least one assist with four having multiple. Abby Werthman, Drew Martin, Emily Pagett and Heidi Thomasma each have two assists so far this season.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Western Michigan has dominated the series, holding a 20-6-3 all-time advantage. The Broncos have been excellent against the Huskies in Kalamazoo as well, boasting an 11-2-1 record at home. Over the last 10 meetings, Western Michigan is 8-1-1 against the Huskies and is currently riding a seven-match win streak against NIU. 

The Broncos and Huskies have one common opponent in Oakland. WMU claimed a win against the Golden Grizzlies, 3-0, while NIU played them to a 0-0 draw. 

Offensively, Isabel Struble is one to watch, as she leads the Huskies in goals with two. Five other NIU players have scored goals this season, but Lea Gruennagel is the only one to have multiple assists. 

In net, Sadie McGill has started all seven games, boasting a 2-3-2 record, .722 goals against average and .750 save percentage.