Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
EASTERN MICHIGAN
Falcons Win Seventh in a Row, 2-1 at Eastern Michigan
October 23, 2005 | Women's Soccer
Oct. 23, 2005
YPSILANTI, Mich. - Successful teams win games in many different ways. A win may be due to timely offense, solid team play, some nice individual efforts, and sometimes, a little divine intervention comes into play. For the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team, Sunday's (Oct. 23) match falls under the category "all of the above," as the Falcons posted a 2-1 win at Eastern Michigan University. The Mid-American Conference match was held at Scicluna Field.
For the Falcons, the victory is the seventh in a row, extending the school record winning streak, and BGSU is now 12-6-0 overall and 8-2-0 in MAC play. The host Eagles drop to 7-10-1 and 5-5-0, respectively.
The win, combined with Ball State's 2-0 win over Western Michigan on Sunday, puts the Falcons all alone in first place in the MAC standings with one match to play. BGSU has 24 points, two ahead of BSU (7-2-1, 22 pts.) and three ahead of WMU (7-3-0, 21 pts.).
BG closes the regular season with Friday's (Oct. 28) match at Toledo. A BG win would clinch an outright MAC regular-season title, while a tie would clinch at least a tie for the crown. Teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie.
Freshman Corbie Yee and senior Julie Trundle scored second-half goals for the Falcons, and senior Ali Shingler picked up the win in net, allowing only a Trisha Roberts goal with 1:28 left in the match.
The win clinches a home match in the MAC Tournament's quarterfinal round for the Falcons on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
The Eagles outshot the Falcons, 18-12, for the match, and Eastern saw two shots hit the crossbar and one hit the post while the contest was still scoreless.
On senior day at Scicluna Field, one of the Eagles' four seniors had the best scoring chance of the first 30 minutes. With 17-and-a-half minutes left in the first half, Michele Lawrence, the team's leading scorer, took a pass from Lindsay Hill and blasted a shot from close range. But, the one-timer sailed high.
Just three minutes later, Eastern's Jill Kehler hit the crossbar with a shot. And, in the final minute of the half, the hosts' Kai Harris struck a shot that glanced off the top of the bar and out of play. Despite the close calls, the teams went to halftime still scoreless.
In the second half, the Eagles again had a near-miss, as Ashley Upton drilled a Lawrence cross off the right goalpost with just under 30 minutes remaining. The cross had come after the BG defender guarding Lawrence slipped and fell. Upton's shot, easily the hardest shot of the afternoon, caromed to Cyndi Mullins, but her rebound try was saved by senior Ali Shingler.
Approximately seven minutes later, the Falcons drew first blood. Senior Samantha Meister stole the ball near midfield, and headed forward. Meister chipped a pass to Yee, who was streaking toward the penalty area. Yee cut to her right to elude a pair of defenders, and slipped the ball under EMU goalkeeper Sara Schiffbauer. The goal came at the 66:08 mark.
A through-ball by freshman Brianne Eisenhard sent Meister in on goal, but her shot was saved by Schiffbauer with 19:35 left in the contest.
With just over four minutes left, senior Britt Anderson's pass found junior Lindsay Carter heading down the right sideline. Carter cut into the penalty area, and was taken down by an Eastern defender, resulting in a penalty kick. Trundle calmly placed that shot just inside the left post, giving BG a two-goal lead with 4:07 left.
That goal would prove to be key, as Roberts' long shot found the upper left corner of the BG net two-and-a-half minutes later. The Falcons held onto the lead, however, and had a seventh consecutive win.
Shingler picked up the victory in goal, her 12th of the year. The fifth-year senior was credited with eight saves as EMU held a slim 9-8 advantage in shots on goal. Schiffbauer had six saves for the hosts.
"We are delighted with the win," said BGSU head coach Andy Richards. "But, I think we recognize that we had a little bit of good fortune, as Eastern hit the woodwork three times today. Often, however, successful teams seem to have some fortune on their side.
"That being said, the first goal of the match was very well-manufactured. Samantha Meister made a nice chip pass, and Corbie did what she does best, and that is deposit the ball into the back of the net.
"Julie Trundle had tremendous composure in a pressure situation to put the penalty kick away. That was a crucial situation in the game, and she did a great job of staying calm and composed.
"Now, we look forward to a battle with Toledo, and we know it will be one. Our destiny is in our hands, however. We know that we head there with a chance to win a MAC championship."
That match at UT begins at 3:00 p.m. at Scott Park. The starting time for BGSU's home MAC Quarterfinal match on Nov. 1 will be announced at a later date.
NOTES
MAC STANDINGS
(through Sunday's matches)
Team (Overall) MAC Pts. Bowling Green (12-6-0) 8-2-0 24 Ball State (14-3-1) 7-2-1 22 Western Mich. (9-7-1) 7-3-0 21 Miami (8-7-0) 6-4-0 18 Central Mich. (6-8-3) 5-3-2 17 Toledo (10-6-1) 5-4-1 16 Kent State (8-8-2) 5-4-1 16 Eastern Mich. (7-10-1) 5-5-0 15 Buffalo (5-11-1) 3-7-0 9 Northern Ill. (5-10-2) 3-7-0 9 Akron (4-11-2) 2-7-1 7 Ohio (3-13-0) 1-9-0 3
SUNDAY's RESULTS
Bowling Green 2, at Eastern Michigan 1
at Central Michigan 0, Toledo 0 (2-OT)
at Ball State 2, Western Michigan 0
at Kent State 2, Akron 1
at Buffalo 1, Ohio 0
at Miami 1, Northern Illinois 0
FRIDAY'S MATCHES
Bowling Green at Toledo, 3:00
Ball State at Miami, 3:00
Western Michigan at Northern Illinois, 4:00
Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan, 3:00
Ohio at Akron, 5:00
Kent State at Buffalo, 6:00
all times Eastern and p.m. -- End of Regular Season
