Men's soccer team hosts MAC championship
Nov. 10, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- Western Michigan University's men's soccer team earned the right to host the 2003 Mid-American Conference Tournament championship with a 5-4 penalty kick shootout victory over Akron Sunday afternoon (Nov. 9) in a tournament semifinal matchup.
With the victory, WMU improved to 11-6-2 for the season. Meanwhile, No. 4 seed Bowling Green upset No. 1 seed Kentucky in the other semifinal contest, leaving the third-seeded Broncos as the top remaining seed. WMU and Bowling Green will compete for the league title and automatic NCAA Championship bid Sunday, Nov. 16, at the WMU Soccer Complex. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
Scoreless through 110 minutes of regulation and overtime play, WMU and Akron were forced to decide which program would advance on penalty kicks.
"We recovered defensively better than we have all season," head coach Chris Karwoski said. "We came out strong and finished strong, attacking from the start."
The Broncos have claimed just a pair of victories in the 21 all-time meetings with Akron, but both have come in the MAC Tournament. WMU cost Akron a postseason bid in 1999 with a 2-1 opening round victory.
The WMU Soccer Complex is located on Parkview Avenue east of Drake Road.
Visit wmubroncos.com for match results and more information.
Media contact: Scott Kuykendall, 269 387-4138, scott.kuykendall@wmich.edu