MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois hits the road this weekend for the Radisson Invitational, hosted by Western Michigan. The Leathernecks open up play on Friday, September 11, as the team takes on Detroit at 1 p.m. Following Friday's contest, the Purple and Gold wrap up play on Sunday, September 13, with a 1 p.m. contest against Western Michigan. WIU heads into invitational play with a 0-3-1 record in 2015. A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS: Detroit enters the Radisson Invitational with a 0-2-2 record on the year. Detroit opened the year with a 1-1 draw against Summit League foe IUPUI before falling 1-0 in overtime to Marshall. The following weekend the Titans played to a 1-1 draw with Stetson before dropping a 3-1 decision to Jacksonville. Adam Clauss and Tyler Moorman have each netted a goal for Detroit. The Broncos of Western Michigan is 3-0 on the season. Western Michigan opened with a 2-0 victory over Marshall before collecting a pair of 1-0 victories over Fort Wayne and IUPUI. Nick Qysong leads the attack as he has tallied two goals and an assist on the year while Drew Shepherd has recorded three shutouts in net to open the season. SERIES HISTORIES: Western Michigan and the Leathernecks have only met twice previously, with the series tied at 1-1. The teams last met in 2004. The Leathernecks and Broncos have met 10 times, with the Purple and Gold holding a 7-1-2. Last year, the Leathernecks welcomed Western Michigan to Macomb and picked up a 3-0 victory. LAST TIME OUT: The Leathernecks picked up its first decision of 2015 on Sunday, September 6, as Western played Green Bay to a 1-1 draw on the road. After conceding a goal in the opening half, Conrad Hager netted his second goal of the 2015 season in the 73rd season to even the score at 1-all. The two teams would battle through 20 minutes of extra time before settling for the 1-all draw. RETURNERS: Western Illinois returns a solid core from the 2014 team that made it to The Summit League championship game. Senior Erick Bloom, a First Team All-Summit League selection in 2014 anchors the back line while senior Austin Gochneaur, a Second Team honoree, leads the attack. Sophomore midfielders Jacob Bjornsen and Alejandro Pacheco were named to the All-Newcomer Team following the 2014 campaign. FRESH FACES: The Leathernecks welcome nine new members to the 2015 roster. Freshmen Sam Copp, Bruce Corrie, Jamison Kozar, Nathan Bergstrom, and Josh Illana come off of standout prep careers. Sophomores Amadeo Ramon and Aziz Tahir join the program, as do juniors Nick Arnold and Johnathan Goliday. WINNING LEGACY: Dr. Eric Johnson is the Summit League's all-time winningest coach, totaling 151 wins through his 18 years at the helm at Western Illinois. 2015 will mark Johnson's 19th season leading the Purple and Gold. He has earned the conference's 'Coach of the Year' award four times. PRESEASON POLL: Western Illinois was picked to finish third in The Summit League's preseason poll, which was voted on by the league's coaches. Western collected 30 points, including two first-place votes, while Omaha (31 points, 2 first-place) and Denver (32 points, 3 first-place) led the way. For the first time in Summit League history, the top three teams were separated by one point each. | 