Falcons Fall At Navy, 3-1

Friday, September 10

Annapolis, Md. (Navy Tournament)

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

NAVY

September 10, 2004 | Women's Soccer

Sept. 10, 2004

Final Stats

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Host Navy broke open a scoreless draw with three consecutive second-half goals, and rode that scoring flurry to a 3-1 win over the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team Friday night (Sept. 10). The non-conference match was part of the Navy Tournament, held at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

With the win, the host Midshipmen, ranked 15th in the Mid-Atlantic Region in the latest Soccer Buzz poll, improve to 2-2-1 on the season, while the Falcons drop to 1-4-0.

Freshman Tiernay Tilford picked up her first collegiate goal with just over two minutes remaining in the match, spoiling the hosts' shutout bid. Senior Nikki Pucillo drew the lone assist on the play.

The teams battled through a scoreless first half, with the Falcons holding a 7-4 advantage in shots during the first 45 minutes. But, BG goalkeeper Ali Shingler and her counterpart, Navy's Kim Bonafede, held tough as neither offense could put a ball in the net.

In the second half, however, the Mids got on the board with just under seven minutes elapsed. Sarah Hessinger scored the first goal of the match with an eight-yard shot at the 51:51 mark.

Navy's Brigitte Fox took over from there, scoring a pair of goals just under 10 minutes apart as the host school took a 3-0 lead with 17 minutes left in the contest. Tilford broke the shutout bid, putting a shot past relief 'keeper Haley Crain.

For the match, the Midshipmen held a slim 11-10 edge in shots attempted, including a 7-5 margin in shots on goal. Shingler made a total of four saves in the complete-match effort, while Bonafede made three stops in 83:17 of shutout work for Navy. Crain did not make a save in her 6:43.

The Falcons will look to rebound Sunday (Sept. 12), concluding action in the Navy Tournament with a noon contest vs. Delaware.

NOTES

Tilford's goal, as mentioned, was her first collegiate score ... she has moved into second place on the Falcon scoring list, with four points on the season ... Tilford had assists on two Kristy Coppes goals in the season-opening win over Duquesne (Aug. 27).

That DU match was the last time the Falcons had scored a goal, prior to Friday's action at Navy ... Tilford's goal snapped a BGSU scoreless streak of 367:22, since Coppes' sixth goal of the match late in the Duquesne contest ... the most consecutive matches in which the Falcons have been blanked is five, in the final four matches of the 2001 season and the 2002 opener.

Pucillo's assist was her first of the season and the 10th of her career ... she moves into a tie for seventh place on the BGSU career assists list ... Pucillo is deadlocked with teammate and classmate Katie Piening on that chart.

For the fifth time in as many 2004 matches, the Falcons held the advantage in corner kicks over the opponent ... BGSU had four corners to Navy's one in Friday's match ... on the season, the Falcons have a whopping 28-8 advantage in that category, including a 15-2 margin in the second half ... during the current four-match losing streak, the Brown and Orange has held a 25-6 advantage in corner kicks.

QUOTING HEAD COACH ANDY RICHARDS
"Unfortunately, we got the same result, a loss, as we've been getting. But, we played tremendously well tonight, especially in the first half. Had it not been for a goal-line clearance on a Britt Anderson shot, we would have been one (goal) up at halftime. We did a lot of very good things tonight, and we were very pleased with the way individuals played, as well as the way we combined as a team. We played very, very well against a solid Navy team."

"The second half was a little different. We still played well at times, but unfortunately went behind on three good goals in the space of about 20 minutes or so. But, again, there were some good things. Tiernay made a tremendous run to score her first goal. She took the ball from about 30 yards out, beat a couple of players, got inside the 18 (yard box) and then hit the ball low into the corner. It was a tremendous, exciting goal."

"Again, there were a lot of positives, and a lot of good support from people on the sideline. The players on the field are doing their best, but unfortunately it was the same old story. We are matching people in terms of shots and corners, but we just can not seem to get the magic goals. But, we'll keep working. Again, things are getting better, and there are a lot of encouraging signs. We look forward to Sunday's game with Delaware as a chance to put things right."