Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons to Meet Michigan State in NCAA Championships First Round
November 07, 2005 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 7, 2005
Official NCAA Championships release from NCAASports.com
The bracket, also courtesy NCAASports.com
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team will meet a familiar foe in an unfamiliar place to begin NCAA Championships play. The Falcons (14-6-2) will face Michigan State University (11-5-5) in a first-round match Friday (Nov. 11) in Notre Dame, Ind. Kickoff has been set for 5:00 p.m.
The BGSU-MSU winner will play the winner of Friday's other match, pitting Valparaiso (12-7-1) against Notre Dame (19-2-0) and scheduled for a 7:30 start. Both matches will be held at UND's Alumni Field (2,500).
The field of 64 teams, which will compete for the 24th NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, was announced Monday (Nov. 7) by the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee.
BGSU earned the Mid-American Conference's automatic bid by winning the MAC Tournament title for the second consecutive year. The Falcons of head coach Andy Richards made the school's first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships in 2004, losing a first-round match to Ohio State, 2-0, in Columbus. This season, Richards and the Falcons won both the MAC's regular-season and tournament crowns.
The Falcons have faced Michigan State more often than any other non-conference foe, as the teams have met in all nine years since BG added varsity women's soccer in 1997. The Spartans hold a 7-1-1 series lead, including a 1-0 decision in East Lansing in the Falcons' fifth game this fall (Sept. 9, 2005).
The current class of BGSU seniors played their first-ever collegiate match against MSU, as the Spartans downed the Falcons by a 4-0 count at Cochrane Field on Sept. 1, 2002. MSU has won the last four meetings since a 1-1 tie in 2001.
The BGSU-MSU winner will play either Valparaiso or Notre Dame on Sunday (Nov. 13). UND, the defending national champion, is the number-two seed in the Falcons' bracket.
QUOTING THE FALCONS
Senior Samantha Meister
"We have played (Michigan State) every year and every time we play them, it's a great game. We're looking forward to representing our program and the MAC."
(Last year you watched the selection show, knowing you weren't going to play in the NCAAs. Do you feel different this year?)
"Yes. I was more nervous, because I know I'm actually going to contribute more this year. It's exciting, I'm ready to show everyone what we've got."
Senior Ashley Wentzel
"It's very exciting. Having played against them earlier in the season, we kind of have an idea of them. We have grown so much as a team, and it will be very exciting to to play against them on a neutral field."
"We have nine seniors on our team, and -- having already been here -- that takes some of the weight off of our shoulders. We have been here before, and we want to use our experience to our advantage, like we did in the MAC Tournament."
Head Coach Andy Richards
"We played Michigan State earlier this year, and lost one-nil in a pretty tight game. Outside of MAC opposition, they are the one program that Bowling Green soccer has played every year. So, there is a little tradition going on, we have some familiarity with, and it's a game that our kids can get excited about."
(It seems like your team had a more business-like approach today than when watching the selection show last year)
"Any time you go through something for the second time, you are a little bit more at ease. You can still be more excited, but you are a bit more familiar. Last year, we were playing such a good team without some of our better players. We were almost to the point where we were hoping that we didn't get embarrassed. Now, against Michigan State, I think we feel that we have a legitimate shot. I can't predict whether we'll win, lose or tie on Friday, but the team is playing at a good level right now, and everyone is healthy. We just finished playing five tough games in two weeks; you want everyone to be healthy, and we're fortunate to be in that situation."
"It's going to be a very big moment for us to be playing on that field, and for us to be playing Michigan State. It's tremendous. It's groundbreaking stuff for this program, and I'm very honored and proud to be a part of it."
