KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Two straight Mid-American Conference regular season championships and being the defending league tournament champion is a very good place for Western Michigan University's women's soccer team to begin the 2025 season.

That also means the Broncos (13-2-6 overall, 8-0-3 MAC in 2024) are going to get the best effort by opponents who are looking to knock off the champions.

''We always feel we are the underdogs though,'' senior co-captain Heidi Thomasma said. ''We've always had that mentality.

''Even if we are up 1-0 or 2-0 at halftime, we have to look at it as if we're behind. And especially with all the new people we have, we're underdogs now. We don't have the same people this season.''

Talk about underdogs…the Broncos will definitely be in that role when they open the season on Thursday at Notre Dame, ranked second in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches poll. WMU isn't ranked.

''In the first game, we're looking to prove ourselves,'' senior co-captain Madi Canada said. ''We proved ourselves on the national stage last season and they are ranked second in the nation, so it's going to be a big task.''

The biggest graduation loss is All-American Jen Blitchok, who scored 18 goals and had 11 assists in 2024. In fact, the Broncos only return 15 of the 48 goals scored and 25 of the 57 assists from last season. WMU's home opener is Thursday, Aug. 28, against Creighton.

''I feel we all know you are never going to replace a center forward who, in my opinion, was one of the best in the country,'' fourth-year head coach Lewis Robinson said of Blitchok. ''The team will be different where unlike last year, when things got tough and we needed a goal, Jen was on the end of it, sometimes on her own and other times because that's how the team played and she got in the right position.''

What might be a preview of things to come this year happened against Buffalo in the MAC Tournament championship game last year. Blitchok was held to one goal, but Abby Wertham scored a hat trick to lead the Broncos to a 5-0 victory. Werthman, who scored 12 goals in 2024, is a senior this season.

Then, in the two exhibition games this season, WMU scored a total of four goals, senior Drew Martin getting two of them and sophomore Wisconsin transfer Kiya Gilland and sophomore Meredith Vance getting the other two.

''This year, I don't think we'll rely on just one person,'' Canada. ''This year, it will be a lot of people stepping up in the big moments, not just forwards, but defenders could score on corner kicks.

''Everyone has to have that killer instinct.''

Robinson added some talented scorers from the transfer portal this season, such as Michigan's Avery Peters, Kansas' Mikayla Coore-Pascal and Northern Michigan's Justina L'Esperance.

Add in 10 freshmen and that means a lot of new faces for the Broncos. One new/old face is redshirt senior defender and co-captain Mira Pierre-Webster, who missed last season with an injury. In 2023, she was an All-MAC first-teamer and the league's Defensive Player of the Year.

''This year, we have a lot of personalities who are quieter than the ones we had last season, so we have to work on getting everyone out of their shells,'' Thomasma said.

''We built this team in a way where we have three or four very good options to score and we'll see which of those options steps up,'' Robinson said. ''And maybe all of them step up.''

Between the pipes, Robinson is looking at 6-foot freshman Reagan Sulaver, 6-foot redshirt junior Ava Wilberding and 5-10 freshman Emily Kruntovski. Gone is graduated Lauren Boafo who had a 0.80 goals-against average last season.

''We have three goalkeepers who are battling every day, and I would feel confident with any of them,'' the head coach said.

As for the expectations of the team, ''Internally, we expect to win the championship and probably externally people feel we could,'' Robinson said. ''Everyone in this group expects to win both the regular season and the tournament, but that's not saying we're going to, but with that comes a ton of work and a ton of luck.

''But certainly, our goal is to not finish second and not just make the tournament final.''

ROSTER
Head coach: Lewis Robinson, fourth season.
Assistant coaches: Paige Eli, Nate Van Ryn, James DeCosemo.
Seniors/Graduates: Drew Martin, midfielder; Abby Werthman, forward; Avery Peters, midfield; Mira Pierre-Webster, defender; Madi Canada, midfielder; Taryn DeShane, defender; Heidi Thomasma, midfielder; Ava Beckett, defender; Abigail Baldridge, defender; Justina L'Esperance, forward; Olivia Brunink, forward.
Juniors: Ava Wilberding, goalkeeper. 
Sophomores: Kailah Newcomb, midfielder; Kiya Gilliand, forward; Laney Peterson, defender; Meredith Vance, midfielder; June Mullen, midfielder; Mikayla Coore-Pascal, forward; Sammi Glover, defender.
Freshmen: Emily Kruntovski, goalkeeper; Reagan Sulaver, goalkeeper; Kate Carrico, midfielder: RJ Wagamon, forward; Sophia Bowman, midfielder; Peyton Duffing, defender Jaida Manderson, defender; Zoe Hollander, midfielder; Brianna Langelaan, forward; Ella Simpson, defender.