KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan women's soccer team will play for another MAC Championship on Friday night at the Historic Crew Stadium. The Broncos will square off with Bowling Green at 7:30 PM.
LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan advanced to the MAC Championship, picking up a 1-0 victory over Ball State on Tuesday at the Historic Crew Stadium.
Abigail Baldridge scored the lone goal, while
Avery Peters notched the assist on the play.
Reagan Sulaver posted her ninth shutout in net.
RACKING UP THE AWARDS
The Broncos were well represented on the MAC postseason awards list, which was released by the league office on Oct. 31.
Drew Martin (Midfielder of the Year),
Mira Pierre-Webster (Defensive Player of the Year),
Lewis Robinson (Coach of the Year) and
Reagan Sulaver (Freshman of the Year) all earned specialty awards.
Martin has 22 points on five goals and a MAC-leading 12 assists. Pierre-Webster and Sulaver spearheaded the best defense in the league, limiting opponents to just eight goals during MAC play. Robinson has guided the Brown and Gold to a 26-1-7 league record over the last three seasons.
Joining them on the All-MAC Teams were
Abby Smothers (First Team),
Madi Canada (Second Team),
Avery Peters (Second Team) and
Heidi Thomasma (Second Team).
BALANCED BRONCOS
The Broncos have been the best offense in the MAC all season, thanks in large part to the depth in the lineup.
Abby Smothers (25) and
Drew Martin (22) have started every game for WMU, combining for 15 goals and 17 assists.
Western Michigan has 16 players with at least one point this season and six have eight or more. That depth was on full display on Tuesday against Ball State, as
Abigail Baldridge tallied her first goal of the season to help the Brown and Gold pick up a 1-0 win.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Bowling Green snuck in as the No. 6 seed in the MAC Tournament, making a surprise run to the championship match. The Falcons are 2-0-3 in their last five outings, defeating Miami in PK's in the semifinals earlier this week.
WMU leads the all-time series, 18-11-4. The two teams have never met at a neutral site. Western Michigan and Bowling Green tied 1-1 earlier in the MAC season.
Emma Stransky has been the go-to option on offense, leading the team with 17 points on eight goals and one assist. Aiding the attack has been Gabby Lamparty, as she enters Friday's match with three goals and three assists.
In net, Payton O'Malley has started all 21 games, boasting a 0.56 goals against average and .844 save percentage. She has made 65 total saves this season.
