Falcons Fall At WMU, 4-1, In MAC Championship Match

Sunday, November 9

Kalamazoo, Mich. (MAC Tourn. Champ.)

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

WESTERN MICHIGAN

November 09, 2003 | Women's Soccer

Nov. 9, 2003

Final Stats

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Host Western Michigan University scored twice in each half en route to a 4-1 victory over the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team in the championship match of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The match was held at the WMU Soccer Complex Sunday afternoon (Nov. 9).

With the win, the Broncos earn the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, and improve to 13-7-1 on the season. The Falcons see the 2003 campaign come to an end with a record of 8-12-3.

Junior Kristy Coppes gave BGSU a 1-0 lead at the 14:11 mark of the first half on an assist from sophomore Leah Eggleton.

The play began when sophomore Keeley Dayton stepped in front of a Western player at midfield, winning the ball and playing it ahead to Eggleton on the left side of the field. Eggleton slid a pass to Coppes, as a Bronco defender went to the ground in an attempt to stop the ball. Coppes was able to turn and, with one touch, poke the ball past charging WMU goalkeeper Kate Perz. Coppes headed in alone, with a WMU defender in pursuit, but the Falcons' career scoring leader took a dribble or two and rolled the ball into the open net.

The Falcon lead lasted exactly two minutes. WMU's Katie Ruzinsky played the ball toward the top of the penalty area, and Jessica Pattison took advantage of a miscommunication between the BGSU defense. No Falcon immediately got to the ball, as redshirt sophomore goalie Ali Shingler was coming out to defend, and Pattison lunged forward and booted the ball past Shingler to tie the score.

The Broncos took the lead for good after another BGSU miscue, as Nicole Primmer scored unassisted with 12:18 left in the half. The hosts took that 2-1 lead into the intermission.

BGSU had a good chance to equalize with nearly nine minutes elapsed in the second half. Sophomore Julie Trundle, slowed by an injury suffered early in the first half, limped across the field to take a free kick from the right side of the WMU penalty box. Trundle's kick found sophomore Britt Anderson in the box, but Anderson's header attempt went right to Perz.

WMU got a pair of late goals to provide some insurance, with both goals coming off the foot of Chantal Robinson. Robinson's corner kick curved into the net with 11:49 remaining, as Shingler slowed the ball, but could not stop its momentum.

Robinson closed the scoring with 8:03 left, as she drilled a free kick that curved into the upper left corner of the net.

The win increased the Broncos' school-record win streak to nine matches, and gave WMU a perfect 10-0-0 record at home this season.

Perz had four saves to pick up the win in net, while Shingler made seven stops. Jenifer Kernahan played the final 8:03 in goal for the Falcons, and did not face a shot on goal.

Just two players on the 26-woman BGSU squad have exhausted their eligibility, as co-captains Kasey Freeman and Carrie Richards each played in their final Falcon match on Sunday afternoon.

The Falcons were participating in the MAC Tournament final for the second time. The 2000 squad also made the championship match, in head coach Andy Richards' inaugural season.

Coppes, Freeman and sophomore Natalie Sampiller were named to the All-Tournament Team. The Broncos' Pattison, Megan Urbats, Chelsea McNally and Katie Ruzinsky also made the squad, which was rounded out by Ohio's Tiffany Horvath and Gina Siedentopf and Central Michigan's Cari VanDyck and Laura Roberts.

NOTES

Kristy Coppes' goal was the Falcons' first-ever score in a MAC Championship match ... in BGSU's other MAC Tournament appearance, the Falcons were blanked by Miami, in a 1-0, double-overtime RedHawk win in 2000.

Coppes' goal extended two of her own school records ... Coppes, just a junior, now has totals of 34 career goals and 73 points in the Brown and Orange ... this season, she had 21 points, including 10 goals to tie for the team lead.

Coppes tied for that team goals lead with sophomore Samantha Meister ... both Coppes and Meister finish tied for fourth on the BGSU single-season goals list ... 2003 marks the first-ever season that the Falcons have had two players reach double digits in goals.

Coppes owns a share of the school single-season goals record, having scored 12 goals in each of her first two seasons ... Coppes is the only player in school history to score 10 or more goals in three seasons ... she has three of the five double-digit goal seasons in BG history (Meister and Tracy Gleixner [12 in 1998] round out that list).

Sophomore Leah Eggleton missed six matches earlier this year due to injury ... she had a total of two assists in the first 12 matches in which she played this season, but finished the year with six points in her final five contests, on two goals and two assists.

Coppes becomes the first Falcon to score two goals in the MAC Tournament ... she also found the back of the net in the team's win over Buffalo in the 2002 quarterfinals ... Coppes and Meister (a goal and two assists) are tied for the top spot on the school list with a total of four points each in league tourney play.

Coppes is only the second BG player to be named to the MAC's All-Tournament Team twice, having also been named to last year's squad ... Erika Flanders made the all-tourney group in both 2000 and 2002.

QUOTING BGSU COACH ANDY RICHARDS
"I don't think we did enough on the day to win the game, although we got the first goal. It was tough for us to create defense in a very physical game that wasn't terribly well-managed. I'm not sure if we did enough to win the game, but we certainly didn't deserve (a) 4-1 (result); that was a little unjust. But, unfortunately, it came down to some individual errors that cost us pretty dearly on the day."

"We have to look at the whole, and see that we've come a long way from where we started. We had a magnificent run to beat the number-one seed on their own field, and then to beat the number-five seed in PKs -- Ali Shingler had a wonderful game on Friday to get us here. We've had a great run, and it's sad it has to come to an end, but that's the way sport is. Somebody has to lose, and somebody gets to go on. It's just tough to lose in that manner, because I really don't think that's a fair reflection of how the game was. I felt our team was much better than 4-1."

"Unfortunately, it's over, and we have to learn, and get some inspiration for next season. Hopefully, next year, we will be the team that is celebrating."

"We will miss our seniors, Kasey (Freeman) and Carrie (Richards), very much, both on and off the field. But, we have a lot of returnees that will help us come back strong next year, and hopefully we can build on some things. But, that's a long way away. This is a very sad part of the year from my point of view; you have to wait such a long time to get going again. But, we have to look forward with some positives, knowing that we're pretty much going to be the same team next year. And, if we can grasp the same kind of form that we did this year, we'll be a good team again."

"I didn't want to upset our team, but I wanted them to watch (the awarding of the tournament championship trophy and individual medals to WMU), so they could understand what it is. Last time we played in the finals, we graduated a big senior group and another big group the next year. So, the core of that team was pretty much dismantled. But, this team is going to stay together for a while. We have a huge group of sophomores, and a big junior group as well, and it's up to them to use that as motivation to get us back in this position again. And, hopefully it will be third time lucky for us."