Main Story

No. 3 Western Michigan opens its bid for a second straight Missouri Valley Conference tournament title by hosting No. 6 Drake in the quarterfinals Saturday. The Broncos enter on a 2-1 win over Bradley, while Drake earned the final tournament spot after finishing conference play with a 1-4-1 record. WMU won last year’s postseason meeting with Drake on penalty kicks.

By the Numbers
  • WMU leads the all-time series, 6-2-3.
  • The Broncos have won 3 postseason conference championships since 2022.
  • Drake goalkeeper Tomas Butkovic posted a 0.91 goals-against average and a .720 save percentage.
Yes, But

Drake has struggled in conference play, but the teams played to a scoreless draw in their regular-season meeting. WMU limited the Bulldogs to just one shot on goal in that game, and the Broncos will look to repeat that defensive performance.

State of Play
  • WMU is the tournament’s No. 3 seed after beating Bradley 2-1 to close the regular season.
  • Drake is 5-7-4 overall and advanced as the No. 6 seed.
  • The winner moves on to the MVC semifinals.
What's Next

The teams meet Saturday in Kalamazoo, with a semifinal berth on the line. WMU will rely on its home field and defense, while Drake will need to turn its recent narrow win over UIC into postseason momentum.

Bottom Line

Western Michigan has the stronger record and recent postseason edge, but the regular-season draw suggests this quarterfinal could be decided by a single goal—or penalties.