KALAMAZOO, Mich.– Western Michigan men's soccer has released its 2016 schedule with 18 regular season games and two exhibition contests on the slate. Ten of those matches are at home.

Western Michigan is coming off one of its most successful seasons in 2015 and returns 14 players from that roster. The Broncos earned their first ever Top 25 national ranking and set a school record with 12 shutouts while posting 11 wins. Head coach Chad Wiseman collected Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honors and the Broncos produced four all-region players, six All-MAC selections and an NCAA statistical champion.

WMU warms up to its 2016 campaign with two preseason matches, traveling to Loyola-Chicago on Aug. 13 and hosting DePaul in an exhibition on August 21.

The season officially gets underway with a pair of road games, as the Broncos take on Marshall Aug. 26 and Dayton Aug. 28. Western Michigan welcomes Summit League opponents IPFW and IUPUI for the first regular-season home games, Sept. 2 and Sept. 5.

"The schedule is very balanced this year, including the exhibitions we will have 10 home matches and 10 away matches," Wiseman said. "We will certainly be tested in our non-conference portion of the schedule. For the first time in the history of the program, the Broncos are headed to California for a weekend of matches. I am looking forward to seeing many of our great alumni in that area of the country."

Western Michigan's non-conference schedule features schools from seven different conferences including Conference USA, Atlantic 10, the Summit League, West Coast Conference, Big Ten, Horizon League and the Missouri Valley Conference. Over the weekend of Sept. 9 & 11, the Broncos will play their first ever games in California, taking on St. Mary's and Pacific in Stockton, Calif.

Other highlights of the non-conference schedule include road games at in-state Big Ten rivals Michigan (Sept. 21) and Michigan State (Oct. 5). WMU's annual Alumni Weekend is marked for Sept. 18 as the Broncos host Eastern Illinois.

Western Michigan kicks off MAC play over Homecoming weekend, hosting Northern Illinois on Oct. 8. The Broncos only have two MAC games at home this year, also hosting West Virginia on Oct. 29. WMU is on the road at Bowling Green (Oct. 15) and Buffalo (Oct. 21) before concluding the regular season at Akron (Nov. 5). Last year, Western Michigan battled the Zips, who were ranked No. 5 in the nation, to a 1-1 tie in Kalamazoo.

"The MAC schedule is going to be challenging this season with three away games and only two home games," Wiseman said. "The conference from top to bottom is so strong, we will have to be at our best if we want to compete for the MAC Championship."

At the end of the regular season, the top four teams in the league earn a spot in the MAC Tournament semifinals, scheduled for Nov. 11. Winners advance to the MAC Championship game, Nov. 13. Both of those games will be played at campus sites.