AKRON, Ohio – The West Virginia University men's soccer team battles in its first-ever Mid-American Conference Championship Final appearance against Bowling Green on Sunday, Nov. 17, in Akron, Ohio. Kickoff at FirstEnergy Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET.
 
Fans can follow along with the Mountaineers by viewing the match's live stream, courtesy of ESPN+. Live stats also are available at GetSomeMACtion.com.
 
"Our guys have worked very hard to earn this opportunity to play for a championship," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "We're certainly excited to be in this position, but we know there's still plenty of work to be done. Bowling Green is a talented, tough, group and is enjoying a great year. This will be a huge challenge, but we're up for it."
 
No. 6-seeded WVU (8-8-2) advanced to Sunday's final after earning a 3-2 win over No. 2-seeded Western Michigan in the semifinals on Nov. 15, in Akron, and a 1-0, quarterfinal win at No. 3 SIU Edwardsville on Nov. 12, in Edwardsville, Illinois. The squad is looking for its first conference tournament title since 1992.
 
The Mountaineers and No. 4-seeded Falcons (13-6-1) are set to meet for the 14th time, including the second time this season. BGSU took down West Virginia, 3-0, on Oct. 26, at a rainy Cochrane Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio.
 
The Falcons opened the scoring in the 36th minute, before tallied two more goals after halftime. Bowling Green outshot WVU, 12-8, including 7-3 in shots on goal. Bowling Green also held a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.
 
In all, BGSU leads the all-time series, 7-4-2.
 
The two teams last met in the postseason in 2014, when the Falcons topped the Mountaineers, 3-2 (OT), in the MAC Semifinal, in Akron. Sunday marks the fourth time the two schools will play against each other in the Rubber City, dating back to 1983.
 
Last time out, WVU secured a 3-2 win over Western Michigan in the MAC Semifinal on Nov. 15, at FirstEnergy Stadium. Sophomore forward Josh DiMatteo scored a pair of goals, while senior defender Albert Andres-Llop added his fourth career game-winner.
 
DiMatteo found the back of the net in the 24th minute, before adding on in the 27th to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead. After the Broncos cut the lead in half in the 58th minute, Andres-Llop scored on a penalty kick in the 66th minute to make it 3-1, before WMU scored again in the 86th.
 
Despite the loss, Western Michigan outshot WVU, 17-11, and held a 12-3 advantage in corner kicks. Along with DiMatteo and Andres-Llop, freshman midfielder Luke McCormick tallied two assists in the win, while junior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky made three saves.
 
Entering Sunday's match, freshman forward Rodrigo Robles Grajera leads West Virginia in goals, with seven. The mark is tied for No. 2 in the MAC this season. McCormick has tallied a team-leading seven assists this fall, good for No. 2 in the conference and tied for No. 4 nationally among freshmen.
 
In goal, Tekesky is tied for the MAC lead in shutouts, with five. He sits No. 3 in the league in saves per game (3.0).
 
The Mountaineers are 28-25-6 all-time in neutral-site contests. The squad is 6-0 when scoring first this season, as well as 6-1 when scoring multiple goals in a match. WVU also has won four straight matches at FirstEnergy Stadium, dating back to a 1-0 win over then-No. 7 Georgetown on Aug. 28, 2016.
 
Bowling Green is led by 11th-year coach Eric Nichols, who holds an 88-88-30 mark with the Falcons. BGSU took down No. 5-seeded Northern Illinois, 2-1 (OT), in the quarterfinals on Nov. 12, before defeating No. 1-seeded Akron, 1-0, in the semifinals on Nov. 15.
 
The Falcons enters Sunday's match on a four-game win streak. The team also has won six of its last seven contests.
 
Junior midfielder Chris Sullivan leads the Falcons in nearly every offensive category, including goals (7), assists (9), points (23) and shots (40). Defensively, senior goalkeeper Anthony Mwembia, an All-MAC First Team selection, has made 57 saves for Bowling Green this season. As a team, BGSU ranks No. 15 nationally in save percentage (.805).
 
Additionally, Bowling Green has conceded just 16 goals this season, the least in the MAC this season.
 
The winner of Sunday's MAC Championship Final earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers qualified for NCAA's last season and 13 times overall, while the Falcons haven't reached the national tournament since 1997.
 
Additional information on the 2019 MAC Men's Soccer Championship, including the event's schedule, bracket, ticket and live stream information and more, can be found at GetSomeMACtion.com or the conference's championship headquarters.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.