KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan women's soccer team will open its 2024 season with a game against Northern Kentucky tomorrow afternoon at 4 PM at the WMU Soccer Complex. WMU took down the Norse last season in Kentucky.
2024 PREVIEW
Western Michigan enters the 2024 season after collecting 12 wins and a MAC Championship in 2023. The Broncos return their top four offensive players and have 14 seniors on the roster.
PRESEASON FAVORITES
The Mid-American Conference announced its annual preseason poll earlier this week, with the Broncos being picked as the favorite to win the league for the second straight season.
WMU received eight first-place votes and topped the poll with 116 points. The Brown and Gold also earned six votes to win the conference tournament.
Ball State (101 points), Ohio (90), Kent State (88), Buffalo (86), Bowling Green (84), Northern Illinois (60), Toledo (50), Miami (47), Eastern Michigan (29), Akron (23) and Central Michigan (18) rounded out the poll.
BIG-TIME RETURNERS
WMU brings back six All-MAC performers and one All-MAC Tournament honoree from last season, including Defensive Player of the Year
Mira Pierre-Webster and Goalkeeper of the Year
Lauren Boafo.
Jen Blitchok,
Abby Werthman,
Jenna Blackburn,
Brielle Gomez and
Madi Canada also return to spearhead a veteran group for the 2024 season.
Leading the way will be Blitchok, who paced the team in goals, assists and points last season. In net, Boafo had 12 wins and nine shutouts.
SCOUTING THE NORSE
Northern Kentucky and Western Michigan will square off for the second consecutive season after the Broncos took down the Norse on the road last season.
NKU is fresh off of an 8-4-8 record in 2023 and a third-place finish in the Horizon League. The Norse return their nine leading scorers from a season ago, including Kylie Anderson and Erykah Cornett.
Anderson and Cornett combined to score 22 points on eight goals and six assists. Lilly Yordy is also back for another season after leading the team in assists with seven during last year's campaign.
In net, Northern Kentucky is looking for someone to step up after losing Mickayla Kowalski to graduation. Megan Gessner and Donna Bundy each played sparingly last season, with Gessner seeing action in two games and Bundy manning the net in one match.
