Courtesy: Zolton Cohen

KALAMAZOO -- The Western Michigan women's soccer team hosts Northern Illinois at the WMU Soccer Complex on Thursday at 2 p.m. to close out the regular season.

The Broncos are coming off a 1-0-1 road trip with a 1-0 win at Miami and a 1-1 tie at Ball State. The success on the road clinched a spot in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament, however, Thursday's game will play a big part in who the Broncos play in the first round.

Currently the Broncos sit in seventh place with 12 points and can retain the seventh place position or fall to eighth. Kent State sits behind the Broncos with 11 points and ahead of WMU is Miami with 16. Three points are awarded for a win and one point for a tie. If the Broncos finish in eighth place, they will play at Central Michigan on Sunday. If they finish in seventh place, they will have to wait to see the other results in the MAC, as second-through-fourth place is separated by just two points.

Northern Illinois comes to Kalamazoo in last place in the MAC, winning their first game of the season on the road against Ball State last Friday.

Kelsey Passaglia and Lisa Maier lead the Huskies in scoring, each with three goals and one assist. Lindsey Curnock has started every game this season in goal for NIU and has a 5-10-2 record with three shutouts. The Huskies have the 11th ranked offense, averaging 0.72 goals per game and the seventh best defense in the MAC, surrendering just 1.11 goals per game.