KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- After picking up its first Mid-American Conference win of the season ths past Sunday, Western Michigan will look to keep that momentum going against Buffalo on Thursday, September 26. The Broncos and Bulls will square off at 4 PM at the WMU Soccer Complex.
LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan dominated Miami last Sunday, earning a 6-0 win at the WMU Soccer Complex.
Jen Blitchok tallied three goals, while
Madi Canada,
Maya Dean and
Abby Werthman all chipped in goals of their own.
Lauren Boafo notched her second shutout of the season and first in MAC play.
BLITCHOK'S BIG WEEK
Graduate student forward
Jen Blitchok had a great game in Sunday's 6-0 victory over Miami, earning her first career hat trick while adding an assist. She finished the game with seven points, which is the highest single-game total in the MAC this season.
For that performance, Blitchok earned a bunch of conference and national awards. She was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week and also earned the league's Scholar Athlete of the Week honor. She has a 4.0 in Business Administration. Along with that, she was named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week.
On the season, Blitchok has 22 points on 10 goals and two assists. She leads the league and is tied for third in the country in goals. Blitchok is just two goals away from tying the program record for goals in a season. Emma Kahn set the record during the 2015 season.
CLOSING IN ON 100
WMU head coach
Lewis Robinson is nearing his 100th career win in the college ranks. He sits at 97 entering Thursday's match.
He tallied 76 wins at Aquinas before taking over at WMU. With the Broncos, he has 21 victories, including 14 in MAC play.
SCOUTING THE BULLS
Buffalo has yet to be beaten this season, boasting a 7-0-2 record, including a win over then No. 7 Pittsburgh. The Bulls are 2-0-0 to begin MAC play with wins over Akron and Eastern Michigan.
WMU and Buffalo have been pretty even in the all-time series, with UB holding a slight 12-11-7 advantage. However, WMU has been solid at home against Buffalo, holding an edge of 7-3-5.
Buffalo has been pretty balanced on offense, having 10 different players with at least one goal. Jasmine Guerber leads the way with three.
In net, Lexie Thompson has started all nine games, producing a 0.33 goals against average and .906 save percentage. She has 29 saves on the season.
