KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan women's soccer team kicks off its 2026 season tomorrow night against Idaho. The Broncos and Vandals will hit the field at 10 PM ET in Honolulu, Hawaii.
EXCELLING IN EXHIBITION PLAY
Western Michigan dominated its opponents during exhibition play, securing a 3-0 record to begin the 2026 season.
WMU collected wins over Purdue Fort Wayne, Oakland and Saginaw Valley State, outscoring those three opponents by a total of 11-2.
PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS
Entering the season with three consecutive regular season MAC Championships, the Broncos were once again picked to lead the conference in 2026.
The Brown and Gold were runaway favorites in the league's preseason poll, earning 119 points and nine first-place votes. Miami (102), Bowling Green (101), Buffalo (97) and Kent State (82) rounded out the top five.
WMU has dominated the MAC over the last three seasons, losing just once in conference play. That lone loss came to Northern Illinois, which is no long a member of the conference.
NEW IN KALAMAZOO
Though expectations are high for WMU, the program will look to match its success with a variety of new faces. The Broncos have 16 newcomers in 2026.
Those new faces have gotten off to a fast start, including freshmen
Reese Lynn and
Irelyn Sheldon. The duo each scored twice in exhibition play, despite playing limited minutes.
Along with those two,
Tessa Fagerson,
Gracie Lynn and
Simone Sharpless each tallied goals of their own.
Charlotte Stavis joined the party on offense, dishing out an assist in her WMU debut against Purdue Fort Wayne.
SCOUTING THE VANDALS
Idaho is off to a strong start in 2026, winning its first two games of the season. The Vandals took down Washington State to open the season before topping CSUN a few days later.
This is the first ever meeting between Western Michigan and Idaho.
Alyssa Hamilton and Hallie Prinos-Grumbach have paced the team thus far, with each having a goal and an assist in two games. Five other players have at least one point for the Vandals.
In net, Paula Flores has been sensational. She has stopped all five shots she's seen, boasting a pair of clean sheets to start the 2026 campaign.
