KALAMAZOO, Mich – The Western Michigan Broncos continue their conference slate against the Ball State Cardinals this Sunday, Sept. 20. The game will kick off at 1pm at the WMU Soccer Complex.

LAST TIME OUT 
Western Michigan beat the Ohio Bobcats, 3-2, on Sept. 17 in Athens, Ohio. The Brown and Gold begin conference play with a win and push their conference record to 27-1-7 since the 2023 season.  
Kaiya Stewart recorded her second goal in as many games while Tessa Fagerson added her third and fourth goals this season. All three goals came unanswered in the 2nd half.  

THE COMEBACK KIDS 
On Sept.17 in Athens, Ohio, the Broncos erased a two-goal deficit at halftime, scoring 3 unanswered goals to propel the team to a 3-2 victory. Before the contest, the Broncos had only tallied two second half goals this season.
Kaiya Stewart, a transfer from Boston University, scored her second goal in as many games to get the Broncos started. DePaul transfer Tessa Fagerson put the game in her hands from there, scoring two goals, including the game winning penalty kick with just 2 minutes to go. It was her first two goal game in her collegiate career.
The game also marked Lewis Robinsons' largest comeback in his tenure at Western Michigan.

FOUR PEAT?
WMU has been the gold standard in MAC women's soccer over the last three years, dropping just one game in conference play over that stretch. The Brown and Gold boast a 26-1-7 regular season record against MAC foes over the last three seasons. Expectations are once again high for Western Michigan, as the conference's coaches once again picked the Broncos to finish atop the standings. WMU secured nine first-place votes and totaled 119 points in the preseason poll. Miami (102 points), Bowling Green (101), Buffalo (97) and Kent State (82) rounded out the top five. The Broncos also earned the most votes to win the MAC Tournament, securing four votes.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
The Cardinals are off to a 3-4-1 start to their season, including an 0-1 loss to UMass in the MAC opener. Their wins have come against IU Indy, Cincinnati, and Eastern Illinois.
WMU leads the all-time series 17-12-5, which includes a win against the Cardinals in the 2025 MAC Tournament.
Kaelyn Valleau leads the way on offense for the Cardinals, totaling two goals and 4 total points on the season.
In net, Kate Pallante posts a 1.25 GAA and .750 save percentage in eight games played, including three shutouts. She has 30 total saves this weekend