Bowling Green State University Athletics
Women's Soccer Loses At Marshall, 3-1
October 19, 2001 | Women's Soccer
Oct. 19, 2001
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team suffered a 3-1 loss at Marshall University Friday night (Oct. 19). The Mid-American Conference match was held at Sam Hood Field.
The Falcons (7-6-2 overall, 2-5-1 MAC) dropped not only the match, but also lost a chance to make a move toward earning a spot in the MAC Tournament. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season will qualify for the league tourney, and the Falcons remain in 11th place after Friday action.
Marshall improved to 7-6-1 overall and 4-4-1 in MAC action. The win was the Thundering Herd's first-ever victory over the Falcons, as BGSU now leads the all-time series by a 2-1-1 margin.
One bright spot for the Brown and Orange was the team's lone goal, scored by freshman Kristy Coppes. The goal was the 12th of the season for Coppes, tying the school record originally set by Tracy Gleixner (1998). Coppes now has 26 points on the year, ranking second on that school seasonal list (Gleixner had 29 in 1998).
The Herd got the lone goal of the first half, as Michelle Losekamp scored on a left-footed shot at the 19:12 mark. Erin Steinke and Jessica Mays were credited with assists on the play.
The Falcons had a goal by junior Susan Wallace nullified in that first stanza. Freshman Katie Piening fed Wallace for the goal, but BGSU was called offsides on the play.
Early in the second half, the hosts doubled the lead as Kelly Kennedy launched a shot from 35 yards out into the upper right-hand corner of the net. The unassisted goal came at the 52:36 mark.
Coppes cut the lead in half at 74:58, with Piening drawing the assist. Piening now has six assists on the year, tying her for the team lead with junior Jill Conover and freshman Nikki Pucillo.
But, the Falcons would get no closer. MU got an insurance goal off the boot of Mays at 84:24. Amanda McMahon and Erin Locy were credited with assists.
The Herd outshot the Falcons by a convincing 19-3 margin, and Marshall had 10 shots on goal to BG's two. Junior goalie Erika Flanders made seven saves for the Brown and Orange, while Marshall's Ashleigh Woods made one stop.
Marshall had six corner kicks to BG's one, and the Herd was whistled for one more foul than the visitors, 14-13.
"It was a heartbreaking result for us tonight," said BGSU head coach Andy Richards. "It really was -- especially after we tried so hard in the second half.
"We had quite a vocal halftime talk with the team. It was not for the faint of heart, but it was something that needed to be said to our team in order to get some fire and passion. And, it worked.
"In the second half, we played much better, and we looked as if we wanted to win the game. Unfortunately, the luck just wasn't with us. When a player from Marshall just kind of hits a ball from 35 yards, just to clear it back into our area, and it flies into the top corner of the net, you just know it's not going to be your day.
"But, when luck is going against you, you can not afford to sit and whine about it. You've got to work hard to put things right. We will be working very hard on Sunday to try to put things right at Ohio.
Kristy's goal, and Katie's assist, was a reflection of the kind of things we need to do. Katie laid herself on the line, and put a cross in, and Kristy did what she does best."
BGSU has seven points in MAC action (teams earn three points for a win, one for a tie), and the Falcons sit six points behind MU and Toledo, and the final playoff spot. UT was a 4-1 loser to Ohio Friday.
In other Friday MAC action, Western Michigan won at Ball State by a 2-1 count, while Central Michigan posted a 4-1 win over visiting Buffalo. Also, Eastern Michigan beat Kent State, 2-1, and Miami recorded a 2-0 win over Northern Illinois.
The Falcons, who have four MAC matches left, remain on the road for Sunday's (Oct. 21) match at Ohio. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Shafer Street Field.
MAC STANDINGS (through matches of Fri., Oct. 19)
Team (Overall record) MAC Pts. Remaining MAC Matches Central Michigan (8-5-1) 7-2-0 21 vs. KSU, vs. EMU, @BSU Buffalo (8-7-0) 7-4-0 21 @EMU Ohio (7-6-0) 6-2-0 18 vs. BGSU, @NIU, @WMU, @UA Miami (9-5-0) 6-2-0 18 vs. WMU, vs. BSU, vs. BGSU, @EMU Eastern Michigan (11-4-0) 6-3-0 18 vs. UB, @CMU, vs. Mia. Western Michigan (9-6-0) 6-3-0 18 @Mia., vs. Mar., vs. Ohio Marshall (7-6-1) 4-4-1 13 vs. UT, @WMU, @NIU Toledo (5-8-1) 4-5-1 13 @Mar., vs. UA Ball State (9-4-1) 3-4-1 10 vs. NIU, @Mia., vs. CMU Kent State (4-9-0) 3-6-0 9 @CMU, @BGSU, @UA Bowling Green (7-6-2) 2-5-1 7 @Ohio, vs. KSU, @Mia., @BSU Northern Illinois (2-10-1) 2-7-0 6 @BSU, vs. Ohio, vs. Mar. Akron (2-11-0) 0-9-0 0 @UT, vs. KSU, vs. Ohio
