KALAMAZOO -- The Western Michigan women's soccer team opens up the 2012 season hosting IPFW for an exhibition game on Friday at 4 p.m. at the WMU Soccer Complex.

The Broncos are coming off one of the best seasons in program history after tying the program record for wins and a season and making their second-straight Mid-American Conference Tournament finals appearance.

This will be the first game for newly hired head coach Nate Norman. Norman takes over the helm for former head coach Suzie Grech, who departed this summer for a position at Houston. Norman is new in a small sense as he was an assistant under Grech at WMU for the 2010 season. With Norman's help the Broncos made their first appearance in the MAC Tournament championship game since 2003.

The Broncos open the regular season at Illinois on Aug. 17 and have their home-opener on Friday Aug. 31 against Murray State at 4 p.m.