Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcon Season Outlook, Part 2
August 18, 2005 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 18, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
MIDFIELD
There exists a veritable plethora of quality candidates vying for time in the midfield. The central midfield area alone features three senior standouts in Bremen, Eggleton and Meister. Meister, a former MAC Newcomer of the Year, already ranks third on the BGSU scoring list. Eggleton is an All-MAC and All-Ohio performer who has earned the team's "Hustle" Award two years running. Bremen had a breakout season in 2004, solidifying a starting spot while tying for third on the team in points scored.
Carter, Wentzel, sophomores Janie Babich and Rachael Ross, and freshmen Amanda Campbell and Susan Hunter all are part of the battle for spots in the midfield.
Meister is tied for second in school history with 20 goals, including a 10-goal, all-league first-team campaign as a sophomore in 2003. An explosive player, she scored four goals last year, but missed the last five matches due to injury.
"I think we'll see Sam Meister play in the central midfield this year, rather than up top," said Richards. "But, we know that she has the flexibility to play as the target forward or as the attacking central mid, depending upon how she's playing, how we're playing as a team, and how those around her are performing.
"Sam had a very bad ending to her (2004) year. She had that horrific injury at Toledo, and by her own admission didn't have a terrific season up until that point. So, she has a great sense of determination this year. She wants to make up for her disappointment in her own individual performance, but she's also just happy to be fit and healthy. She is very excited to be back on the field again, and we will look to her to provide some offensive punch for us."
While Meister missed the end of the season, Eggleton was sidelined at the start of the season. But, she recovered to lead the team and tie the school record with nine assists, en route to all-league and all-state second-team accolades. A sparkplug, Eggleton looks to continue the form that earned her team MVP honors in the midfield last fall.
"Leah is the classic case of an unsung hero," said Richards. "She just does so many good things, and I always feel that we're a more competitive and more assertive team when she's on the field. Leah is not a kid who scores a lot of goals, but she is part of the engine or the heart of our team, and we are a better team with her. If we can keep her healthy throughout the year, she can have a great influence."
 Senior Leah Eggleton  | |
"Molly took her time, in a way, to really establish herself with the team," said her head coach. "We knew she was a talent, but during her freshman and sophomore years, she never really quite asserted herself the way we had hoped. Last year, she really took her opportunity and forced her way into the team, and showed us that she deserved to stay there.
"If we can keep Leah, Sam and Molly all fit and playing well, they give us a very experienced and dynamic midfield with a myriad of different talents."
Carter and Wentzel could find themselves playing out wide in the midfield. Both players had successful seasons a year ago. Wentzel started 14 matches and was named to the all-tourney team as the Falcons won the league title. For the second consecutive fall, she had five assists and seven points, and she found herself in the starting lineup for the final seven matches of the year, during BG's stretch run.
Carter moved into the starting 11 as well, making 19 starts as a sophomore, and scored her first two career goals in the win at UT, as BG clinched a league tourney berth. She, like Wentzel, is arguably one of the most versatile players on a team blessed with great versatility.
"Though I mentioned Carter and Wentzel as defenders, they are really utility players who could play on defense, at midfield or at forward, depending on what system we decide to play," said Richards. "They are both very dynamic players.
"Being a senior, Ashley certainly will want to finish on a high, and as a co-captain, she will provide leadership off the field as well as on. Lindsay had another good spring for us, and has shown that we can use her at a couple of other positions, maybe even in the central midfield."
Babich made eight starts in her first collegiate campaign, while Ross saw action in five matches off the bench. Campbell continues the lineage of Cincinnati-area players to don the Brown and Orange, while Hunter, from Sidney, Ohio, scored nearly 50 goals during her career.
 Senior Molly Bremen | |
FORWARD
Even the casual fan will notice a slight difference in the Falcon front line this season: Kristy Coppes has graduated. Coppes, the only player in school history to score at least 10 goals in each of her four years, had a MAC-leading and school-record 18 goals last fall, as the Falcons led the conference with 40 goals.
Obviously, replacing those 18 goals will be no easy task, but Richards feels that the task will be easier if it is spread out among the team members.
"There is no question in my mind that we will miss Kristy Coppes," said Richards. "You don't lose a player who scores 18 goals in a season and 52 in a career without feeling the loss. But, I don't think we have been the type of team that has always played to her, or keyed our entire offense around her.
"Yes, we will certainly miss Kristy, and no, we probably will not have an 18-goal scorer this year. But, if we can get two or three players to score eight to 10 goals, then that will negate the effects of losing one individual."
Seniors Anderson and Trundle will be keys to BG's success up front. Anderson tied Meister for second on the team with four goals last year, and her 14 points trailed only Coppes on the 2004 Falcons. She already ranks among the school's career leaders with 11 goals and 32 points.
Trundle took on more of a defensive role, but will return to a left-wing position this season. A double-digit point-scorer every year, her nifty passing skills have resulted in 23 assists to date, just two shy of matching the BGSU career record. Eight of those assists came last year, including three in the MAC Tournament.
 Andy Richards talks to Britt Anderson. Anderson is one of nine seniors on this year's BG squad | |
"The emergence of Danielle Cygan has enabled us to move Julie back up front. We're looking for Julie to play up top on the left in a more dynamic attacking position. She did a great job of filling in in the back for us last year, but we would like to release her a bit more this year.
"Julie really stood out when we recruited her. She is a very willing defender, but she is also a very good offensive-minded player who can not only score goals herself, but can also produce great crosses for the likes of Britt and Sam. I know Julie is excited about getting up front again, and we are excited to have her there, too."
Sophomore Tiernay Tilford and freshmen Kristin McDonald and Corbie Yee round out the Falcon forwards. Soph Gina Rossi, who amassed nine points last fall, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the spring, and likely will miss the entire season.
Tilford made six starts in her first season at BG, and totalled eight points, including a pair of multi-assist matches. McDonald, a native of Troy, Ohio, scored 62 career goals and helped her high-school team to its first-ever league title last fall. Yee, from Berea, was an All-Ohio First-Team pick who joined fellow freshman Eisenhard on the NSCAA/adidas High School Girls All-America Team.
"Tierney's pace is something that really creates danger for other teams," said Richards. "She scored a great goal at Navy, which was created by both her speed and her aggression. With a year of experience under her belt, she needs to use that to her advantage as she looks to contribute up front in 2005.
"Kristin and Corbie are both very exciting prospects who scored a lot of goals for their respective high-school teams. We will have an opportunity to throw them in there, and see if they can make some progress as well."
Of course, Wentzel and Carter have the potential to find themselves in forward positions for the Brown and Orange.
SCHEDULE / THE MAC
The Falcons open the 2005 campaign with a pair of home matches in August, vs. Oakland and Wright State. A trip to Flagstaff, Ariz., for a tourney hosted by Northern Arizona, begins the month of September, as the Brown and Orange will face Boise State as well as the host Lumberjacks.
Non-conference trips to Big Ten schools Michigan State and Indiana are sandwiched around a two-match homestand vs. Eastern Illinois and Cleveland State. Then, on Sept. 23, the Falcons face Northern Illinois in the first of 11 consecutive MAC matches to close the regular season. Just four of those 11 matches will be played at Cochrane Field, as BGSU will host consecutive contests vs. Ohio, Akron, Kent State and Buffalo.
 Senior Samantha Meister | |
BGSU has been in that championship match two years running. Richards would not trade those experiences for the world, but he also knows that there are a number of league rivals that will be looking to exact revenge for season-ending defeats at the hands of the Falcons.
"It's a double-edged sword," he said. "We beat some teams last year in very emotional games. Inevitably, those teams want to get one back over you, so those games become a little more highly-challenged.
"But, we know we need our team to be more consistent. We will not sneak up on anyone, and we know we have to be on our game every time we take the field. It's the way the MAC is. It is a very strong conference again, as always. It is competitive every year, and (the 2004 tourney championship) adds an extra little twist, an element that we need to take care of."
Of course, the Falcons always seem to save their best for league tournament time. Three times, Richards-coached teams have been seeded seventh or lower for the tourney. In each of those three years, however, BG has advanced all the way to the final. Richards hopes the team's trend of tourney success will continue.
"I would like us to be a little more consistent and win games early in the season," he said. "But, the important thing is that we are able to rally at the end of the season and win games in the MAC Tournament. I hope we can keep that spirit about ourselves."
The 2005 edition of the Falcons appears to have depth, versatility and experience. If Richards' team can add chemistry to that list, while at the same time staying healthy, the coach sees no reason why this season can't extend into mid-November, just like last season.
"We have some great experience," he said. "And, we have some very good newcomers joining us. We have some stability, with a lot of kids who have played a lot of games, and can offer us some good options.
"More than anything, we seem to have a great amount of flexibility, and that will help us as we go through the year. Everyone on the team has the ability to contribute. They all have a shot at either starting or playing some good minutes off the bench. It's all up to them. They need to be fit coming into the season, stay healthy and be the best for the job, and they will get their time.
"We have had some stellar senior classes, with each one raising the bar a little bit higher for the program. Having won the MAC, obviously we would like to achieve that again, and perhaps advance a bit deeper (in the NCAA Championships). But, we also need to achieve some level of consistency, so that we are a good team throughout the entire year. If we can add that strong finish as well, we could really have some great confidence about ourselves, and could look back upon 2005 as a very special season."
