EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The Western Michigan men's soccer team will try to pick up its first road win of 2025 at the reigning MVC Tournament Champions.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos played their last road non-conference game at South Florida on Tuesday evening. In WMU's first trip to Tampa in over 40 years, the Brown and Gold weren't quite able to get a result in a 3-1 loss ot the Bulls. Western Michigan struggled in the first half of the match, allowing three goals to USF while only registering three shots through 45 minutes.

But it was a tale of two halves for the Broncos as their offense came alive in the second half. WMU posted 15 shots in the final 45 minutes, outshooting South Florida three to one to have the most shots during the game. The Brown and Gold broke the Bulls shutout in the 54th minute as sophomore forward Sahel Yessen scored his first goal as a Bronco. Yessen took a second chance opportunity on the far-right side of the six.

CORNERS FOR ALL
In Tuesday night's match Western Michigan continued its streak of having more corner kicks than its opponents. The Brown and Gold have been so successful at getting deflections at the back line of the offensive zone that they now lead the Missouri Valley in corner kicks per game. WMU is currently averaging 6.7 corner kicks a game to not only lead the MVC but to be ranked 18th in the nation.

The Broncos recorded their most corner kicks of the season only a week and a half ago against DIII Adrian. Western Michigan had 16 corner kicks against the Bulldogs and came close to that number again in the Sunshine State on Tuesday night. The Brown and Gold added 12 corner kicks to their resume against USF to bring their total to 67 on the year. For their first match in October, WMU is having 1.5 more corner kick opportunities than its opponents through 10 matches.

SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
Evansville was the only team to earn a win in the first match of MVC action last week. The Aces earned a 3-0 win over Bowling Green on the road at Cochrane Stadium to put themselves at the top of the conference standings. Overall UE has a 3-2-5 record after earning five draws in non-conference play to initially be in the middle of the pack. But Evansville has shot up the ranks since to big performances from the reigning MVC Offensive Player of the Week, freshman forward Andres Escudero.

Escudero added three goals for the Aces against Butler and Bowling Green to become the first freshman in Division I with a brace this season. Through five matches, the freshman has had six goals and is tied for the national lead in goals scored by a rookie to be in the Top 15 overall. UE's next closest offensive player is also a freshman, midfielder Devin Shepard, who has three goals and an assist on the year. 

FOLLOW ALONG
Tomorrow's match at Evansville will not be broadcast due to conflicts on campus. Bronco fans who will not be making the trip to southern Indiana can follow along with the team through live stats and WMU's social media channels.