KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- After a long road trip, the Western Michigan women's soccer team will return home on Sunday afternoon to square off with Miami. The Broncos and RedHawks will begin play at 12 PM on ESPN+. 

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan opened the MAC season with a 1-1 draw at Ohio on Thursday afternoon. The Broncos trailed early but got a late goal from Abby Werthman to secure the tie. 

HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Prior to the season, Western Michigan was selected as the favorite to win the Mid-American Conference. The Broncos are the defending MAC Champions. 

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. 

UNBEATEN STREAK
Western Michigan has been dominant in MAC play during the last year and change. The Broncos are currently riding a 13- game unbeaten streak in regular season MAC play, which extends back to the end of the 2022 season. 

WMU has secured a 9-0-4 record in that stretch, including winning the 2023 MAC Regular Season Championship with an undefeated record. 

SCOUTING THE RED HAWKS
Miami has had a similar season to Western Michigan, holding a 4-1-3 overall record and 0-0-1 conference record. The RedHawks tied Northern Illinois this past Thursday. 

The Broncos trail the all-time series, 10-16-2. However, the Brown and Gold have been much better at home in the series, boasting a 6-6-2 record. WMU hasn't lost to Miami at home since 2016. 

The RedHawks have been led by Taylor Hamlett, who is one of the more prolific goal scorers in the conference. She has six goals and two assists this year. Makenna Morris is another player to watch out for, as she has added three goals of her own this season. 

In net, Dominique Popa has made six starts, earning a 3-0-3 record, 0.67 goals against average and .818 save percentage. She also has three shutouts.