PEORIA, Ill. -- The Western Michigan men's soccer team returns to the road looking for its first win in the Missouri Valley Conference.

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan picked up its second point of conference action on Saturday afternoon. The Brown and Gold remain undefeated in MVC play at WMU Soccer Complex after a 0-0 tie with Northern Illinois. It was also the first time in 2025 that the Broncos picked up a shutout against a Division I opponent. 

Bronco goalkeeper Alex Lindewirth earned his first shutout for Western Michigan in a 0-0 tie with the Northern Illinois Huskies on Saturday afternoon. The Brown and Gold controlled most of the match, keeping possession for almost 50 minutes and outshooting the Huskies 15 to 10. Sophomore midfielder Braden Stevanovic led WMU with 3 shots while four other Bronco players had two shots through 90 minutes.

ADDING A WEEKLY HONOR
Redshirt sophomore defender Christian Shannon earned the first weekly honor of his career on Tuesday. Shannon was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week after being one of the main offensive contributors for WMU in two home matches against Detroit Mercy and NIU. 

Shannon was the Brown and Gold's late-match hero on Wednesday, Oct. 8 in a 2-1 win over Detroit Mercy to end non-conference play. In the 86th minute, Shannon headed the ball into the bottom left corner of the net after a corner kick service from defender Emil Nieuwhof to give Western Michigan the win. It was Shannon's first goal of the season after having three scores in 2024. He also helped the Broncos defense limit the Northern Illinois Huskies to only five shots on goal through 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw on Saturday. 

SETTING CAREER HIGHS
Multiple Bronco players set new career highs over the past week against Detroit Mercy and NIU. On Wednesday,  redshirt freshman Liam Smith career highs in goals, points, and shots. Smith had one of WMU's two goals in the match for two points and recorded four shots through 57 minutes of play.

While on Saturday against the Huskies, two members of the Brown and Gold had new career highs. Goalkeeper Alex Lindewirth made five saves against NIU for a career high. He also picked up the first shutout of his career while facing Northern Illinois. While sophomore midfielder Braden Stevanovic set a career high in shots as he led Western Michigan on offense with 3 chances. 

KEEPING IT AT THE CORNERS
The Broncos continue to be one of the nations leaders in corner kicks per game. After adding 17 corner kicks last week, WMU is averaging 6.77 corner kicks through 90 minutes. The Brown and Gold led the Valley in corner kicks per game while also being tied for 11th in the country.