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Bowling Green State University Athletics
2006 Falcon Outlook/Notes
August 21, 2006 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 21, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team opens the 2006 season, the 10th season in school history, on Friday (Aug. 25) at Marquette ... to follow are some preseason notes on the Falcons ...
YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT ...
It's almost like some sort of perverse reality show.
The stakes keep changing for Bowling Green State University women's soccer head coach Andy Richards.
In 2003, his challenge was to try to win the Mid-American Conference Tournament as the eighth and final seed. Richards and the Falcons proceeded to upset a pair of higher-seeded opponents to advance all the way to the championship match before succumbing.
The Reality-Show Gods gave Richards and company another chance in 2004, as the Falcons again were seeded eighth for the league tournament. This time, the Brown and Orange downed three higher-seeded foes by a combined 8-2 margin en route to the first league tourney title in school history.
Last season, Richards and the Falcons experienced life as the favorite, rather than the underdog. BGSU ended the regular-season with a school-record eight-match winning streak to capture the MAC crown. That put the Brown and Orange in the unfamiliar postion of favorite, rather than underdog, for the league tournament.
In that tourney, the Falcons twice advanced by virtue of penalty kicks, including in the championship match, to garner a second-straight MAC Tournament crown and NCAA berth.
Richards, after passing all of these tests, now is faced with yet another mission in 2006: try to win without nine seniors from the '05 squad, seven of whom were starters on that championship team.
WHO'S GONE?
Those nine departed seniors include three of the top-five scorers in school history. The 2005 MAC Player of the Year, Samantha Meister, has completed her career, as has Britt Anderson, who joined Meister on the All-MAC First Team, and the school's career assists leader in Julie Trundle. Ali Shingler ended her career ranked either first or second on every BGSU goalkeeping list, while co-captain Ashley Wentzel started every match in 2005 and helped anchor the Falcon defensive corps. Leah Eggleton and Molly Bremen combined for 33 starts last fall, while co-captain Natalie Sampiller and Megan Rapp also concluded their BGSU careers.
Shingler picked up 29 career wins and made 334 saves as a Falcon, while the other eight players combined for over 250 career points.
WHO'S BACK?
At first glance, it would appear that Richards and first-year assistant coach Erik Burstein have a cupboard that's nearly bare. While the Falcons might not have the quantity of returnees as in years past, however, the quality is certainly there.
The returning Falcons combined for 38.9 percent of the team's goals, 34.2% of the overall points and just over 3.0% of the minutes played in goal last season. A total of 10 letterwinners are back from that `05 squad, including four starters.
Lindsay Carter is the lone senior on the 2006 team, and is the active career scoring leader. She had 10 of her 18 career points last season, including four goals. Corbie Yee earned the MAC Freshman-of-the-Year award in 2005, after scoring 15 points on six goals and three assists. Yee finished fourth on the Falcons in scoring last fall, pacing all underclassmen.
Rising junior Janie Babich was a mainstay in the Falcon lineup a year ago, making 22 starts, while sophomore Susan Hunter also made 22 starts a year ago. Another sophomore, Kristin McDonald, is back after totalling three goals and seven points in her initial collegiate campaign.
Danielle Cygan made nine starts, and picked a great time to score her first goal as a Falcon. Cygan, now a junior, found the back of the net in BGSU's 2-0 win over Miami in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament.
Juniors Karie Sahly, Rachael Ross and Tiernay Tilford are back, while Brianne Eisenhard and Christy Zabek enter their sophomore seasons. Zabek is the lone returning goalkeeper, having seen action in three matches off the bench a year ago.
Gina Rossi returns to the Falcons after missing the entire 2005 campaign due to injury. Rossi scored the match-winning goal in the 2004 MAC Tournament's championship contest.
Wentzel has completed her playing career, but remains in the Falcon program, serving as a student assistant coach in 2006.
The returning Falcons have been a part of a great deal of success, as the following few notes will attest.
THE SENIOR
Lindsay Carter, as mentioned, is the lone fourth-year member of the Falcon squad. In Carter's first three years, the Falcons have posted a combined record of 5-1-3 in MAC Tournament matches, advancing via penalty kicks in all three ties. BGSU has advanced to the championship match of the league tourney in each of her first three seasons.
THE JUNIORS
The junior class numbers seven players, five of whom began their careers at BGSU. Janie Babich, Danielle Cygan, Rachael Ross, Gina Rossi and Tiernay Tilford each are entering their third season as a member of the Falcon program. Those five players have helped BG to the MAC Tournament title in each of their first two falls, along with a regular-season championship last year as well. BG has advanced to the NCAA Championships in both of their seasons in the Brown and Orange.
THE SOPHOMORES
Brianne Eisenhard, Susan Hunter, Kristin McDonald, Corbie Yee and Christy Zabek comprise the sophomore class, knowing nothing but championships at BGSU. Last year, the first-year Falcons (including Karie Sahly, who transferred to BG from Valparaiso prior to the `05 season) helped the Falcons to the first MAC regular-season crown in school history, along with the league tourney title and NCAA berth.
WHAT'S NEW?
Richards and the Falcons have added 12 newcomers to the program for the 2006 campaign. Freshmen Alexa Arsenault, Samantha Bland, Jen Czapka, Renae Dietrich, Faith Juillerat, Katie Kirkhoff, Kaitlyn Kobe, Colleen Kordan, Stacey Lucas, Simone Toney and Kayleigh Zajaros join the program, and Tiffany Hansen will have two years of eligibility remaining after transferring from Louisville. A few notes about the class:
* The group includes a total of eight Ohio natives, as well as one student-athlete (Toney) from the state of Michigan ... the class also includes the first-ever Falcon women's soccer student-athlete from the state of Indiana (Kirkhoff), and the first two natives of Canada (Arsenault and Czapka) in program history.
* The class is the largest in the history of the program, with the exception of the first class in school history ... the last recruiting class that numbered in double digits was the 10-member class signed in February of 2002 ... the bulk of that group capped their careers last fall by winning the MAC regular-season and tournament titles, and advancing to the NCAA Championships for the second-straight year.
* In late May, women's soccer online publication Soccer Buzz listed Bowling Green's recruiting class at the top of the MAC for the second consecutive season ... several weeks later, Soccer Buzz rated the Falcons' class as the 10th-best in the Great Lakes Region, and ranked it at #70 in the entire nation ... BGSU was the lone MAC institution to be named in the national top-100 for the second-straight year.
THOSE WHO STAY PLAY FOR TITLES
The BGSU women's soccer program enters its tenth season in 2006. Through the first nine years, every player who has stayed with the program all four years has been a part of at least one team that has advanced to the MAC Tournament's championship match.
RICHARDS AGREES TO 3-YEAR CONTRACT
In February, BGSU reached an agreement with Falcon head coach Andy Richards on a three-year contract. The contract will run through June 30, 2009. Richards' new contract marks the first time in school history that a soccer coach has received a multi-year contract.
MUCH IMPROVED
The Falcons were one of the most improved teams in the nation from 2004 to 2005, according to a list released by the NCAA in February. BGSU made an improvement of 4.5 games, going 14-7-2 in 2005 after a 10-12-2 mark the previous fall. That tied BGSU for 24th on the list. BG was the lone MAC team on the list. The Falcon men's soccer program also was one of the most-improved teams in the country, making Bowling Green one of just four Division-I schools (Fairfield, Niagara, Sacramento State) to be cited on both lists.
HOME IS WHERE THE GAMES ARE
BGSU's 2006 schedule contains a school record-tying 11 contests at home. After playing just four of 11 MAC matches at home last year, the Falcons will meet seven of the 11 league foes inside the friendly confines of Cochrane Field in 2006.
BEST. SEASON. EVER.
What would constitute the best season in school history? The most wins? Fewest losses? A sweep of the league regular-season and tournament championships? This year's BGSU team accomplished all of the aforementioned feats and more. Even though many of them have already been listed, check out some of the accomplishments by the 2005 women's soccer Falcons ...
* Most wins in a season (14);
* Fewest losses in a season (7);
* First MAC regular-season title in school history;
* MAC Tournament championship for the second-straight year;
* Second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance;
* A sweep of the MAC's specialty awards (Player, Coach and Freshman of the Year)
FALCONS FINISH IN REGIONAL RANKINGS
Bowling Green was ranked 13th in the Great Lakes Region in the final Soccer Buzz poll of the 2005 season. It marks the first time in the history of the program that the Falcons were listed in the end-of-season rankings.
THANKS, SENIORS
There is little doubt that the Falcons' 2005 senior class - Britt Anderson, Molly Bremen, Leah Eggleton, Samantha Meister, Megan Rapp, Natalie Sampiller, Ali Shingler (fifth-year senior in `05), Julie Trundle and Ashley Wentzel - can stake a claim to being the most successful group in school history. The evidence, year by year ...
2002: As true freshmen (Shingler was in her second year), the class came to BGSU, joining a team that had made the MAC Tournament just twice in the program's first five years ... the group helped that team finish fourth in the MAC standings, set a school record with 12 total wins, and advance to the league tourney semifinals.
2003: The Falcons were the eighth and final seed for the MAC Tournament, but advanced all the way to the championship match before succumbing.
2004: The Brown and Orange again finished eighth in the regular season, and again earned the final berth in the conference tourney field ... but, BGSU outscored opponents, 9-2, en route to three wins and a MAC Tournament championship ... that team made the first NCAA Championships appearance in school history.
2005: Last year's team became the first-ever Falcon club to win the MAC regular-season title, finishing the regular season with eight consecutive wins to post a 9-2-0 league mark ... then, BGSU hosted and won the MAC Tournament to advance to the NCAAs for the second consecutive year ... in addition to league wins, the Falcons also set a school record for overall wins, with 14.
The Falcon senior class helped the Brown and Orange to a total of 44 wins since the start of the 2002 season, the most wins over a four-year span in the history of the BGSU program. Additionally, the 2005 seniors led the Falcons to four consecutive appearances in the MAC Tournament, after the team had never made back-to-back trips before. Finally, the group became the first in BGSU annals to advance to the MAC Tournament's semifinal round in all four campaigns, the first to qualify for the championship match in three seasons, and - obviously - the first group to win the MAC and advance to the NCAA Championships in back-to-back years.
HONORABLE FALCONS
BGSU took home a number of honors during and after the 2005 season. As mentioned earlier, the Falcons swept the MAC's specialty awards, with Samantha Meister being named the MAC Player of the Year and Corbie Yee earning Freshman-of-the-Year honors. Andy Richards was named the league's Coach of the Year, while Yee and Susan Hunter each were selected to the MAC's All-Freshman Team. Meister (second team) and Julie Trundle (third team) each were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas All-Great Lakes Region Team, becoming just the second and third Falcons to be selected to that squad. Meister was also named to the all-region second team by Soccer Buzz, while Yee was chosen to the region's All-Freshman Team by that publication. Soccer Buzz also named Richards the runner-up for Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year. There are 55 schools in the region. Trundle and Meister were named to the All-Ohio First Team by the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association, while Britt Anderson was named to the second team and Ali Shingler garnered honorable mention. Meister was the `Midfielder of the Year,' as the top vote-getter among all players at that position. Shingler, Trundle, Yee and Molly Bremen all were named to the MAC's All-Tournament team after the Brown and Orange captured that title.
HOME SWEET HOME
* The 2005 Falcons set a school record for home wins in a season, as BGSU finished with a record of 7-2-2 at Cochrane Field. The `05 team was the first in school history to finish with a winning record at home. The 2002 Falcons held the old mark for home wins in a season, having gone 5-5-0. The 1997 (4-4-0) and 2001 (4-4-1) teams joined that `02 squad with .500 marks at Cochrane.
* The Falcons' home winning streak came to an end at six with the MAC Tournament quarterfinal-round tie vs. Toledo, but BGSU's unbeaten streak continues into the 2006 season. BG is 7-0-2 in the last nine matches at Cochrane. Both streaks are school records.
YOU CAN'T LOSE IF THEY DON'T SCORE
The Falcon defense was stingy, to say the least, during the 2005 season. Goalkeeper Ali Shingler and the BG back line set a number of records on the campaign. A partial list of the accomplishments ...
* The Falcons set a school record by putting together a consecutive shutout streak of 445:03 in mid-October. Shingler was in net for nearly all of that streak, stringing together a total of 432:19 without allowing a goal, also a BGSU record.
* In late October-early November, Shingler put together a streak that, while shorter, may be even more impressive. Shingler and the Falcon defense went a total of 397:40 without allowing a goal, before the streak was finally broken with an own goal in the NCAA match vs. Michigan State.
* A total of 310 minutes of that streak came in the MAC Tournament, as BGSU did not allow a single goal during a march to the title.
CAN'T LOSE IF THEY DON'T SCORE, HOME VERSION
* The MAC Tournament championship-match shutout vs. Kent State was the Falcons' eighth consecutive shutout at home. Entering the 2006 season, BGSU has not allowed a goal at home in a span of 814:44, since late in the first half of the Eastern Illinois match on Sept. 11, 2005.
* Prior to the current eight-match home shutout streak, BGSU had never recorded more than two consecutive shutouts at Cochrane Field. In fact, the Falcons had never had more than three shutouts in any home season, and BG recorded a total of 16 home shutouts in the first eight years of the program, prior to 2005.
* BGSU has not allowed a goal vs. a MAC team at Cochrane Field since Oct. 24, 2004. On that date, the Falcons rallied for a 2-2 tie vs. Western Michigan. BG's home shutout streak vs. MAC foes is at 720:52 heading into the 2006 conference home opener, vs. Northern Illinois on Sept. 22.
HIGH/LOW-SEEDED FALCONS WIN MAC TOURNAMENT
BGSU has enjoyed great success in the MAC Tournament over the last few years. Home or away, top seed or eighth seed, it hasn't seemed to matter for the Falcons. In 2005, BG won the league tourney title for the second consecutive year.. The `05 journey had some similarities to the 2004 run, with a few differences as well ...
* In 2004, the Falcons needed a win in the final MAC regular-season match to even qualify for the eight-team league tournament. BG won that match, at Toledo on Oct. 28, to earn the eighth and final seed. Then, the Falcons proceeded to beat #1 Kent State on the road in the quarterfinals, before dispatching fourth-seeded Western Michigan in the semifinals and #3 seed Central Michigan in the championship.
* In 2005, BGSU also won a road game at UT to end the MAC portion of the regular season, a year to the day after the `04 road win over the Rockets. This time, however, the win clinched the top seed for the Falcons in the league tourney. BG and UT met in the quarters, with the Brown and Orange advancing via PKs after a scoreless tie. That earned the Falcons the right to host the subsequent rounds of the tourney, and BG stopped #4 Miami in the semis, 2-0, before downing #7 KSU in the final via the penalty-kick route.
UNBEATEN STREAK FINALLY COMES TO AN END
The Falcons' unbeaten streak was finally snapped at 11 matches, with the loss in the NCAA Championships to Michigan State. The Brown and Orange, after losing to Ball State last Sept. 30, dropped to 5-6 on the year, but then went 9-0-2 to win the MAC's regular-season and tourney titles. That streak more than doubled the old school record, as had the Falcons' eight-match winning streak that ended the regular season. BGSU went a perfect 8-0-0 in the month of October. The old school mark was three consecutive wins, amassed on eight different occasions over the years. BG teams had posted two five-match unbeaten streaks, most recently in 2002.
`LINCOLN', `KENNEDY', `TOURNEY' AND `TRUNDLE' ALL HAVE SEVEN LETTERS (also titled, CONSPIRACY THEORIES)
There were some eerie similarities between the Falcons' 2005 MAC Tournament quarterfinal match vs. Toledo and the championship game against Kent State five days later. We're not saying outside forces were at work. But, submitted for your approval, here are some of those similarities ...
* Both matches took place at Cochrane Field;
* The UT and KSU matches each ended in scoreless ties after regulation and a pair of overtime periods, requiring the penalty-kick phase;
* The Falcons won the coin toss and went second in PKs;
* The opposing team missed the first shot of the PK phase;
* Britt Anderson scored the Falcons' first goal;
* Lindsay Carter scored in the third round of PKs;
* With the score tied, 2-2, in the fifth and final round, Julie Trundle stepped up and converted the match-ending penalty kick to enable the Falcons to advance, 3-2.
MAC TOURNAMENT SUCCESS: FOURTH FINAL FOR FALCONS
* In 2005, the Falcons qualified for the MAC Tournament championship match for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in school history, all under current head coach Andy Richards. BGSU lost to Miami in the 2000 final, in Richards' first year at the helm. The Falcons fell to Western Michigan in the 2003 championship, before winning the first MAC Tournament title in school history with a 2-0 win over Central Michigan in the 2004 championship match.
* In `05, the Falcons tied Miami for the most championship-game appearances in MAC history. MU made it to the final in four consecutive years. The Falcons (2003-05) and RedHawks (1999-2002) are the only two league schools to make it to at least three-straight league championship contests. Prior to 2005, each of BG's teams that had made the final were seeded seventh or eighth.
* BGSU's total of two titles ties the Falcons for second on that MAC list. Miami, of course, won three titles from 2000-02. Northern Illinois captured the first two league tourney crowns, in 1997 and 1998.
OCTOBER (AND NOVEMBER) SUCCESS
* The Falcons have enjoyed late-season success in each of the last two years. In 2004, BGSU went the entire month of September without a win (0-7-1), and the team was 1-8-1 overall when October began. But, the Falcons proceeded to have the winningest month in school history, going 6-3-1 (5-2-1 in MAC play). BG then went 3-1-0 in November, with the lone loss coming at Ohio State in the NCAA Championships.
* In 2005, the Falcons entered the month of October with a 1-2 MAC record, and had been outscored by a combined 7-0 in their last two matches, losses to Western Michigan and Ball State. But, BG was a perfect 8-0-0 in October -- breaking the school record for wins in a month for the second time in as many Octobers -- en route to capturing the MAC regular-season title. The Falcons began November, of course, with a win and two ties, and a league tourney championship, before falling to Michigan State in the NCAA's first round.
* In the 2004 and 2005 seasons, the Falcons went a combined 18-5-3 in the months of October and November. Two of the five losses came in the NCAA Championships.
* Since mid-October of 2004, the Falcons have gone 16-2-3 against MAC opposition. During that time, BGSU is 12-2-1 in regular-season league contests and 4-0-2 in the conference tournament, picking up one regular-season and two tourney crowns along the way.
WATCH OUT: WINS RECORDS FALLING
* In 2005, BGSU broke the school record for wins in a season, with 14. The 2002 team had 12 wins, going 12-8-2.
* The Falcons also broke the school single-season records for MAC wins and points, going 9-2-0 for a total of 27 points (teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie). That 2002 team held the old marks, having gone 7-4-1 to total 22 points. The 2005 team also broke the `02 squad's record for winning percentage in MAC play.
* The `05 team is just the second in BGSU history to finish with a winning record. That 2002 team was the only other Falcon squad to do so. The `02 squad also set a school record for fewest losses (eight), which the 2005 team broke.
* Senior Ali Shingler set a single-season mark for wins by a goalkeeper. Shingler was 14-7-2, having had the decision in each of last year's 23 matches. Erika Flanders went 12-8-2 for the 2002 team. Shingler, of course, also set the BGSU goalkeeping record for MAC wins in a season, with nine.
WORKING OVERTIME
The Falcons were 1-0-2 in overtime matches in 2005. In the history of the BGSU women's soccer program, the Falcons are now 11-11-16 in OT matches. BG is just 4-9-8 in home contests that have required extra time, but the Falcons are unbeaten in the last five overtime contests at Cochrane. The Falcons have never lost a road overtime match, having gone 5-0-7 on opposing soil. BGSU is 2-2-1 in neutral-site OT affairs. Overall, the Falcons are undefeated in the last seven overtime matches, having gone 2-0-5 since the last OT loss, to Ohio State on Oct. 31, 2003. The Brown and Orange are 2-2-3 in MAC Tournament contests that require overtime, with BG advancing in all three ties via penalty kicks.
IN THE RANKINGS
On Oct. 31, 2005, the Falcons broke into the Soccer Buzz regional rankings for the first time in school history. BGSU was ranked 15th in the 55-team Great Lakes Region. The next Monday, the Brown and Orange moved up two spots to 13th, and the Falcons ended the season at that number-13 spot.
COMING SOON...
* Tuesday - a season preview story, courtesy the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune;
* Wednesday - the first weekly release o' the 2006 season
