Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Kent State
BACK TO BACK: Falcons Win MAC Tournament Title For Second Consecutive Year
November 06, 2005 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 6, 2005
Final Stats | BGSU-KSU Photo Gallery
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team has won the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. The Falcons battled Kent State University to a scoreless draw through regulation and a pair of overtime periods Sunday afternoon (Nov. 6), but BGSU advanced by virtue of penalty kicks, 3-2, at Cochrane Field.
Bowling Green, the top-seeded team for the MAC Tournament, is now 14-6-2 on the season. Kent State, the seventh seed for the eight-team tourney, sees the season end at 9-8-5.
The Falcons will learn their NCAA Tournament opponent and destination on Monday afternoon, as the 64-team Women's College Cup bracket will be announced on ESPNews.
BGSU is just the third team to win back-to-back MAC Tournament titles. Northern Illinois won the first two league tourneys, in 1997 and 1998, while Miami won three-straight tourney crowns from 2000-02.
The Falcons had opened the MAC Tournament with the exact same result on Tuesday (Nov. 1). That afternoon, in the quarterfinal round, BGSU and Toledo played to a scoreless draw through 110 minutes, before the Falcons advances on PKs, 3-2.
Sometimes, lightning strikes twice. For the second time in six days, the Falcons battled to a scoreless draw in regulation, and a pair of overtime periods failed to produce a winner.
Alicia Fernandez and Ali Shingler headed to the north goal to begin the penalty kick phase. Both goalkeepers had been through this on Tuesday, as KSU advanced past Ball State via PKs in the quarterfinal round, while the Falcons had moved past UT.
As was the case on Tuesday, the Falcons went second in each round. KSU's Cassie Seten took the first PK, and her shot rang off the right goalpost and bounded away. BG senior Britt Anderson's shot was true, sailing into the lower-left corner to give the Brown and Orange the lead after one round.
In the second round, the Flashes' Lisa Kurz was stymied by Shingler's diving save. But, BG's Corbie Yee's shot was wide.
Kent State's Ashley Bohinc briefly tied things with her third-round shot, which was just under the crossbar. BG junior Lindsay Carter followed, and her shot actually hit the underside of the bar and landed behind the goal line. Through three rounds, the Falcons had a 2-1 lead.
In the fourth round, Shingler came up big again. KSU's Caitlin Hester shot toward the left side of the goal, but BGSU's 'keeper made a diving stop. Shingler deflected the ball, which rolled from the left side of the goalmouth toward the right post. The ball actually glanced off the post before rolling out of play. BG senior Leah Eggleton followed, but her shot sailed over the bar, leaving the Falcons one goal ahead entering the final round.
KSU's Catharine Marosszeky approached the penalty area with her team's season on the line. If the redshirt freshman failed to convert, the Falcons would advance. But, Marosszeky calmly placed her shot just inside the right post.
For the second time in less than a week, Falcon senior Julie Trundle was BG's fifth-round shooter. For the second time in the MAC Tournament, Trundle's kick came with the teams tied, 2-2, with a successful PK ending the match and an unsuccessful kick producing a sixth round. And, for the second time in six days, Trundle's kick was true, giving the Brown and Orange a win and sparking a massive celebration.
Sunday's match was the second championship game in MAC Tournament history to require penalty kicks. Eastern Michigan and Miami went to PKs in the 1999 final, with EMU advancing, 5-3, after a scoreless tie through regulation and the overtimes.
The Falcons become just the fourth number-one seed in the nine-year history of the tournament, and the first since Miami in 2002. Sunday's contest was the fifth league tourney final to require overtime.
On a day when the wind was 30 miles per hour, with gusts of 40 mph and higher, the Falcons played with the wind in the opening half. Going against the wind seemed to be no problem for the Flashes, at least in the early going, as the visitors produced the game's first scoring chance in the opening minutes. Just 1:02 into the contest, KSU's Brittany Fracasso took a cross and hit a one-timer, but the shot was right at Shingler.
Seven minutes later, Yee took a Carter pass and fired on net, but Fernandez was equal to the task. Anderson had a chance for the Brown and Orange midway through the half, off of a BG corner kick, but Fernandez was able to make a kick save of her shot.
In that opening half, each team had five total shot attempts. In the second half, though, the bulk of the play was in BG's defensive end of the field.
Whether it was Kent State's offense, the gusting wind at the Flashes' backs or a combination of both, the visitors had a 13-2 advantage in shot attempts in the second half. One of BG's best scoring chances came early in the half.
Freshman Brianne Eisenhard's pass put Yee behind the Flashes' defense, and Yee tried to flick the ball over the charging Fernandez. But, Yee's shot, from the left side of the 18-yard box, sailed wide.
Just three minutes later, Trundle took a corner kick, only to see the ball knocked back to her by the KSU defense. Trundle took a long shot that Fernandez had to punch away. That shot, at the 50:59 mark, was BG's last in regulation. KSU would produce 13 consecutive shot attempts over the final 39:01 of the second half.
With nearly 28 minutes left in regulation, a cross by KSU's Jen Frey was caught in a gust of wind and sailed toward the goal. The ball actually glanced off the crossbar before the Falcons could clear it over the end line.
With less than 19 minutes left in the half, the visitors' Kimberly Dimitroff had a quality scoring chance after a BG turnover at midfield. After the TO, a Falcon defender slipped, sending Dimitroff in on goal. But, her shot was right at Shingler, and the match remained scoreless.
Marosszeky played a forward ball to Dimitroff with 11:20 left, and the sophomore's shot was again saved by Shingler. The goalie made an acrobatic stop, but the rebound went to Fracasso, whose shot was high.
With approximately eight minutes left, BG was whistled for a foul just outside the 18-yard box. Marosszeky's free kick was blocked by Eggleton, in the defensive wall, and sailed over the goal.
A minute-and-a-half later, the Flashes threatened yet again, but Shingler was up to the task. The BG senior made a nice diving save on a try by Frey.
With only 1:20 left in the second half, Dimitroff's pass found an open Hester on the left side of the penalty area. Hester, with a step on her defender, took a shot that was headed toward the vicinity of the near post. But, again, Shingler made a diving stop, knocking the ball out of bounds. On the ensuing corner kick, Marosszeky's header was off the mark, for the final shot attempt of regulation.
BG had the only two shot attempts of overtime, both coming in the first extra session, but each was off the mark. Midway through the period, a Trundle free kick was just high. Then, two minutes later, off of an Ashley Wentzel free kick, Anderson's header try was just wide of the right post, setting up the climactic PK situation.
For the match, KSU outshot the Brown and Orange, 18-9, and the Flashes had a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal. Shingler made six saves in net to earn the shutout, while Fernandez had a shutout of her own, with four stops at the other end.
The Flashes doubled up on the Falcons in corner kicks and fouls, with a 6-3 edge in the former and a 26-13 margin in the latter. All six of KSU's corner kicks came in the second half.
Shingler, Yee, Trundle and senior Molly Bremen all represented BGSU on the MAC All-Tournament Team, while KSU's Marosszeky, Fernandez and Heather Gilbert joined them on the squad. Rounding out the all-tourney team were Central Michigan's Amber Delvecchio and Katy Boggan, along with the Miami duo of Lindsay Dunmead and Aimee Prevallet.
Quarterfinals - Tue., Nov. 1 (campus sites)
at #1 Bowling Green 0, #8 Toledo 0 (2-OT) (BGSU advances on PKs, 3-2)
at #4 Miami 2, #5 Eastern Michigan 1
#7 Kent State 0, at #2 Ball State 0 (2-OT) (KSU advances on PKs, 3-1)
#6 Central Michigan 1, at #3 Western Michigan 0
Semifinals - Fri., Nov. 4 (Bowling Green, Ohio)
#7 Kent State 1, #6 Central Michigan 0 (OT)
at #1 Bowling Green 2, Miami 0
Championship - Sun., Nov. 6 (Bowling Green, Ohio)
at #1 Bowling Green 0, #7 Kent State 0 (2-OT) (BGSU advances on PKs, 3-2)
Amber Delvecchio, Central Michigan
Katy Boggan, Central Michigan
Aimee Prevallet, Miami
Lindsay Dunmead, Miami
Heather Gilbert, Kent State
Catherine Marosszeky, Kent State
Alicia Fernandez, Kent State
Ali Shingler, Bowling Green
Corbie Yee, Bowling Green
Molly Bremen, Bowling Green
Julie Trundle, Bowling Green
QUOTES
Senior Julie Trundle
(What were you thinking today as you prepared to take the penalty kick?)
"I felt the same as Tuesday. This one, though, felt like there was a lot more pressure. Walking up there, I just wanted to hit it into the back of the net so we could get out of here. It was a long game, but give credit to everyone out there on the field -- Kent State, too -- we all played extremely hard for the entire 110 minutes."
(It seemed like Kent State carried the play in the second half, and you had to kind of survive)
"Definitely. In the second half, they dominated. I think the wind was a big factor, because in the first overtime, we had the wind and we dominated. Then, they came back at us in the second overtime."
(Did you feel confident when you were getting ready to take the PK?)
"Yes, I felt confident going up there, especially with the MAC championship on the line."
Senior Ali Shingler
(On her two saves of KSU penalty kicks)
"I just tried to do the same thing I did Tuesday. (Head coach) Andy (Richards) tells them before we go out there -- I try not to listen, because I try to do my own thing (to prepare for the PKs) -- but he always tells them, 'If you make your shots, Ali's going to make at least one save.' He said that two years ago, when we played Central (Michigan) in the semis, he said it Tuesady, and he said it again today. Each of those other times, I made one save, and today I was able to make two."
(In the second half, it seemed like KSU had the ball in your end of the field nearly the entire time)
"We have had a number of games in the last couple of years where we have been holding on to a one-goal or two-goal lead, and we have just played defense the whole time. We talk a lot about that; we can't sit back and play defense, we have to possess the ball. Today, with the conditions out there, Kent State was just putting it right back down our throats. Those two things made it that much more difficult to hold onto the ball and play possession like we normally do. But, we survived. If you have to push through to survive (the half) and then come back out in the overtime, that's what you have to do, and today we were able to do it."
Head Coach Andy Richards
(On advancing via penalty kicks again)
"We have practiced those a lot. We have kids who are able to step up and perform under pressure, none more so than Julie Trundle and Ali Shingler. And, they did it again. Twice in six days; it's incredible the way it worked out."
(Is that what you expect from seniors?)
"Yes, exactly. That's why you recruit kids in the first place, because you see they have potential, you train them and you select kids who you think can perform certain tasks. Julie Trundle has done unbelievably well, and I said to the team before the PKs, 'Shingler will save one for us, so let's make sure we get the others.' She excelled (by saving two), and of course they hit the post, which helped us out as well."
(On Kent State's second-half pressure)
"It was just a barrage. When we headed into overtime, we talked about how the game often has phases, and you have to take advantage when it's your phase to make sure you score. And, when it's not your time, you've just got to survive, and that's exactly what we did. Barely, but it was enough to get us through to the PK shootout. It's always a little different when you look back on it, but I felt that, once we got into the PK shootout, we would do well."
(You guys couldn't seem to get anything going offensively)
"No. The wind was tough, but it was the same for both teams. I think Kent knew that, the longer they could keep us at bay and prevent us from scoring, the better chance they would have. I think it was in their interests to keep it tight until the end, and try to sneak one in at the end. Our plan was to go on the offensive early, which we did; we just couldn't score. So, neither plan really worked."
(How important is a win like this for the future of the program?)
"Well, I don't know whether winning the MAC regular-season and postseason helps you, other than the fact that it gives you experience. Your kids have been there before, they know what to expect, and sometimes that can give you a little comfort level. We took last year's trophy into the locker room before the game today. It was like a familiarity thing, a comfort, rather than a stressful. The kids were very determined to get it done today. It might have been more exciting to get the win in regulation or overtime, but it doesn't matter. We'll take it any way we can get it."
