KALAMAZOO, Mich -- The Western Michigan Broncos begin postseason play against Miami (OH) in Columbus, OH on Tuesday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ at 5 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos closed their regular season with a 4-1 win at home vs. Akron.
Kaiya Stewart and
Tessa Fagerson extended their conference lead in goals with eight each, while
Kiya Gilliand netted her first collegiate goal. The week saw
Kaiya Stewart and
Reagan Sulaver win MAC Player of the Week honors.
THREE PEAT?
The Western Michigan Women's Soccer team has once again clinched the MAC regular season championship and the first seed. Across their 11 MAC games, the Broncos have totaled 32 goals, good for an average of 2.9 goals per game in comparison to their 0.86 goals per game in non conference play.
The Broncos have scored three or more goals in seven of their 11 MAC contests, including a season-high seven goals against Kent State. On their way to a 8-2-1 MAC record the Broncos have outscored their conference opponents 32-8, a 24 goal point differential.
AWARD WINNERS
The Broncos placed four players on the All-MAC First Team, one on the All-MAC Second Team and four on the MAC All-Freshman Team. Fagerson, Newcomb,
Kaiya Stewart and
Meredith Vance earned first-team recognition, while
June Mullen was selected to the second team.
Camryn Huhn,
Simone Sharpless,
Gracie Lynn and
Reese Lynn rounded out WMU's postseason selections with All-Freshman Team honors.
Robinson earned his fourth straight MAC Coach of the Year award after guiding the Broncos to a 10-4-4 overall record and an 8-2-1 mark in conference play. Newcomb earned MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors after anchoring a Western Michigan back line that allowed just 16 goals in 18 games. Fagerson was named MAC Forward of the Year and earned All-MAC First Team recognition following an impressive offensive campaign for the Brown and Gold. Across eight goals and four assists, she led the Broncos in overall points with 20.
SCOUTING MIAMI
The Miami RedHawks come into the contest with a 9-6-5 record and a 5-2-4 record in the MAC. The No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament, Miami advanced to the semifinals after playing Bowling Green to a scoreless draw and winning the penalty shootout, 3-0. The RedHawks are one of just two teams to beat the Broncos in MAC play this season, winning 1-0 in Kalamazoo on Oct. 25.
Miami is led by Kayla Perfect, who has scored seven goals this season, while goalkeeper Dominique Popa has played every minute in net and saved
all three penalties in the quarterfinal shootout.
