KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan men's soccer head coach Chad Wiseman announced Thursday, June 13 the addition of two transfers – incoming sophomore defender Carter Cormier, and graduate student defender David Ogbonna to the 2024 roster. The duo will look to reboot the Brown and Gold's defense, which had the fourth-best goal differential in the NCAA at +35 in 2023.

Carter Cormier | D | 6-4 | Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Cormier joins the Brown and Gold after helping the University of Akron to a Big East best 12 goals allowed in the 2023 campaign. With Cormier and Zips' defensive prowess, UA tallied a + 1.06 goals formed to allowed margin, which was the second-best plus-minus margin in the conference. 

"Carter is a ball-playing central defender with great size and feel for the game.  He comes from a great youth playing background in the Chicago Sockers," said Wiseman. "He has great composure on the ball, his range of passing checks all the boxes for us."

The defender helped Akron become a defensive juggernaut in 2023 and propelled UA to a league-best 10 shutouts in 2023. At the conclusion of last season, Cormier and the Zips earned the fourth-best team goals-against average at .667 on the year.

"Carter can dominate games with his ball-winning ability on both sides of the ball. At WMU, we have had a top-10 defense in the NCAA for two consecutive years. We expect Carter to have an immediate impact in helping us maintain our defensive form. Bronco fans are really going to enjoy watching and cheering for Carter over the next three seasons." said Wiseman.


David Ogbonna | D | 5-11 | Silver Spring, Maryland

Ogbonna transfers to WMU after logging 1,345 minutes as a senior at Ryder College in 17 games played (17 starts) last season. With the help of Rider's six shutouts, Ogbonna and his team allowed the second-fewest goals in the MAAC. 

"David is an unbelievable athlete and has great speed and quickness. What our staff likes best about him is his explosiveness." praised Wiseman. 

Ogbonna will play outside back position for WMU and is extremely versatile, with the ability to play on either side of the field. His ability to play on both sides of the field will make Ogbonna a valuable asset for the Brown and Gold during the 2024 campaign. 

"He has an incredible engine, and will commit to getting up and down the field all game, which fits our system," noted Wiseman.  "He has a lot of D1 experience, including playing in the NCAA tournament a year ago.  David has a bite to his game and often plays on that edge, he will be a handful for our opponents this fall." concluded Wiseman.

In the classroom, Ogbonna joins the Broncos after earning a 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District nod. To qualify, student-athletes must earn a 3.50 grade point average and must compete in 90 percent of the institution's games played or must start in at least 66 percent of the games.

Cormier and Ogbonna join five incoming freshmen and senior Colin Welsh and graduate student defender Donal Rahill, who transferred to WMU in June. The incoming group totals nine committed Broncos in the 2024 offseason class.  

For all things WMU men's soccer, make sure to follow the team on Instagram, @wmu_menssoccer, X, @WMUMensSoccer, and Facebook at @westernmichiganuniversitymenssoccer.