Photo Credit: Ashley Huss - WMU Athletic Media Relations
Western Michigan Advances to the MAC Championship Game to Face Miami
Championship Central
Championship Bracket
Video: WMU Head Coach Nate Norman
Video: WMU Sophomore Emma Kahn
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Sophomore Emma Kahn finished a cross from classmate Candice Uhl in the 86th minute, advancing the Western Michigan women's soccer team to the 2015 Mid-American Conference Championship game with a 1-0 victory over Buffalo in the tournament semifinals Friday.
It is the third straight year Western Michigan finds itself headed to the MAC Championship. The Broncos won the conference tournament in 2013 and fell last year in the title game to Buffalo by a 1-0 score.
Western Michigan, the No. 2 seed, earned the right to host this year's tournament advancing out of the quarterfinal bracket as the highest seed. The Broncos will face No. 5 seed Miami at the WMU Soccer Complex Sunday in the championship game at 1 p.m. Miami defeated No. 8 seed Akron, 1-0, in the first semifinal match Friday.
The Broncos have not lost a game in their last 10 matches, tying the 2003 MAC Championship team for the longest unbeaten streak in school history.
It was also the 10th shutout of the season for Western Michigan, which improved its overall record to 13-3-4, one win shy of the school record of 14, also set in 2003. Redshirt sophomore keeper Stephanie Heber made four saves in goal for the Broncos.
Buffalo started out the game as the aggressor, but Western Michigan settled into form and controlled long periods of play in both halves. Junior Liz Abro had the first real good look of the day, firing a shot in the 56th minute that forced UB keeper Laura Dougall to make a diving save to her left.
Heber came up big in the box defending a Buffalo corner kick in the 71st minute, coming out and punching the ball away in a crowd of blue jerseys.
Western Michigan finally found the goal it was looking for with just under five minutes left in regulation. Uhl broke away and attacked up the sideline with pace, sending a cross from the right just out in front of her defender. Kahn was also 1 v 1 with her marker and rushed hard on the backside, finding a foot on the ball at the back post.
Kahn's goal was her team-leading 11 tally of the season. She is Western Michigan's most prolific scorer in single-season history, breaking the previous record of nine goals in a season earlier this year.
Buffalo's season comes to and end with an 11-7-3 record. Miami enters Sunday's championship against Western Michigan with an 11-7-2 mark. WMU won the regular-season meeting against the RedHawks on Oct. 16 in Kalamazoo, 2-0. The Broncos are undefeated on their home field thus far in 2015, going 7-0-3 over 10 games.
