KALAMAZOO, Mich – The Western Michigan Broncos earned their fourth straight MAC regular season championship with a 4-0 victory against UMass.
Reese Lynn scored her first collegiate goal, while Irelyn Sheldon added another goal to her season. Kaiya Stewart scored two second half goals to secure the victory.
FIRST HALF
In theme with the Broncos season so far, they established their offense early. Simone Sharpless, Tessa Fagerson, and Meredith Vance all recorded shots on goal within the first 20 minutes of the contest.
Building off that energy, a set piece opportunity from June Mullen found Taryn DeShane in the box, who dished it to her teammate Reese Lynn right in front of the net for a 1-0 WMU lead and the first collegiate goal for Lynn.
The Brown and Gold continued to dominate possession in their attacking third of the field, earning six corner kicks throughout the half.
After a hydration break, the Broncos continued their great play as Irelyn Sheldon broke away from the pack and sent a uncontested shot attempt right past the Massachusetts goalkeeper for a 2-0 Broncos lead in the 43rd minute.
At the end of the first half the Broncos led the shots category with 13 shots to zero for UMass, with six of those shots being on goal. WMU led 2-0 after the first 45 minutes.
SECOND HALF
The Broncos picked up where they left off in the first half as Tessa Fagerson put the 14th shot up for WMU in the 52nd minute.
Six minutes later Kaiya Stewart created an opportunity for herself at the top of the goalie box and sent a rocket past the UMass goalkeeper for a 3-0 Bronco lead.
WMU continued to dominate possession, heavily limiting opportunities for UMass. The Minutewomen would not record a shot on goal until the 62nd minute of the contest.
Keeping the trend going, the Broncos continued to fire shots on net. In the 70th minute, another Kaiya Stewart shot would trickle past the goalkeeper in the very bottom left of the net for a 4-0 lead and Stewart's second of the match.
As the half concluded, the Broncos led the shots battle with 24 shots to six for UMass, with 11 of those shots being on net.
With a 4-0 victory, the Broncos locked up their fourth straight MAC regular season championship and will head to Columbus as the first seed.
UP NEXT
The Broncos take on Akron in the final regular season contest of the season. The game is slated to kick off at 1 pm at the WMU Soccer Complex.
