KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan University men's soccer team will look to get back on track Saturday afternoon when the team hosts the No. 17 Cornell Big Red.

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan was shut out by the Seattle U Redhawks 3-0 on September 13. The Broncos outshot the Redhawks 15-12 on Sunday afternoon. With a season-high 11 shots on goal, WMU couldn't crack Seattle U goalkeeper Aleksander Kapciak in the loss.

Offensive leader Vitor Geromel set a new career high in 87 minutes on Sunday, taking six shots with four on net. Three other members of the Brown and Gold had multiple shots on the afternoon, with seven total players recording at least one attempt.

SHOTS ON SHOTS
Despite not getting a result on Sunday against Seattle U, Western Michigan put together a season-high performance in attempts. The Broncos took a total of 15 shots on Sunday afternoon, beating their previous season high by four shots. The last match when WMU had 15 or more shots was back during the 2025 season in a 1-1 draw with Bowling Green on October 25. The Brown and Gold recorded 23 shots in that match, the second most of the 2025 season.

Western Michigan also set a new season high for shots on goal in the 3-0 loss to the Redhawks. The Broncos put 11 shots on target, forcing 11 saves from Seattle U's goalkeeper. Only twice during the 2025 season WMU had 11 or more shots on goal, once against New Hampshire with exactly 11. And then once against Division III Adrian, a match where the Brown and Gold had a season-high 19 shots on goal.

KEEPING IT ACCURATE
With over 70% of its shots on goal in Sunday's match with Seattle U, Western Michigan has moved up both the conference and national rankings for shot accuracy. Before the match with the Redhawks, the Broncos were putting 0.385 of their shots on goal for fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference. Adding 11 on-net shots in Sunday's match moved WMU up to a shot accuracy of 0.463, good for second in the Valley. The Brown and Gold are just behind league leaders UIC in shot accuracy, as the Flames' shots are at 0.486 accuracy.

Nationally, Western Michigan moved up almost 100 spots between Saturday and today for shot accuracy. The Broncos are now 54th in the nation for their shot accuracy of 0.463 and only 18 spots behind UIC. Currently, West Florida leads all Division I soccer programs in shot accuracy, putting 0.680 of the team's shots on goal.

RANKED COMPETITION IN KALAMAZOO & BEYOND
For the second time this season, Western Michigan will be hosting an opponent ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll. With Saturday's match, all of the games that the Broncos have played against ranked adversaries will have been in the friendly confines of WMU Soccer Complex. On the road, the Brown and Gold have only played opponents who were receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll, but were not able to crack the Top 25.

So far through three matches, Western Michigan is looking for its first win against a team receiving votes. The Broncos earned a draw in their opening match at RV Kentucky but since have fallen to then #23 Wisconsin (now ranked #7) and RV Bryant within six days of each other.

SCOUTING THE BIG RED
Cornell recently moved up a spot to 17th in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll on Tuesday afternoon. But only seven hours later, the Big Red suffered their first loss ot a non-ranked team in 2026 to the Pitt Panthers in a 2-0 shutout. Cornell comes into Saturday's match now on a two-game losing streak, having lost to then No. 14 Akron the week prior on September 8. The Big Red have played only four matches compared to WMU's seven due to Ivy League restrictions on competition. Through the first four matches of their season, Cornell is currently 2-2 in 2026.

Three players on the Big Red's roster, forward/midfielder Liam May, midfielder Connor Miller, and forward Adam Schaban, lead the team in scoring with two goals each. Forward Sergio Zapata is Cornell's sole leader in assists with three so far this season. In net, the Big Red have only used junior goalkeeper Filip Versterre across four matches, where he has posted a 1.50 GAA, a .538 save percentage, and recorded one shutout.