Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
EASTERN ILLINOIS
Falcons Blank Panthers, 2-0
September 10, 2006 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 10, 2006
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team made it two shutout wins in as many weekend matches, picking up a 2-0 victory over host Eastern Illinois University Sunday afternoon (Sept. 10).
With the win, the Falcons improve to 3-3-0 on the season, and BGSU has won three of the last four matches. The Panthers drop to 2-3-1.
The Brown and Orange saw the ball bounce in their favor in the first half, taking a 1-0 lead on an own goal. After an EIU foul, freshman Colleen Kordan played a free kick into the Panthers' penalty area, and an Eastern defender tried to clear it. The ball, however, caromed off the outside of her foot and into the net at the 13:12 mark. That was the lone goal of the opening 45 minutes.
In the second half, third-year Falcon Gina Rossi recorded her first goal of the season, an unassisted marker with just under 19 minutes left, to provide some insurance. From there, junior Tiffany Hansen and the Falcon defense locked down the shutout.
The Panthers outshot the Falcons by a 19-3 margin, but had only a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal. Hansen made three saves to earn her second shutout of the season, and she received a little help from her defenders, as junior backliner Karie Sahly cleared an EIU shot off the goal line for a 'team save' in the second half.
Three different players saw time in the nets for the Panthers, with all three making their respective collegiate debuts. Kellie Floyd played the first half, while Alexis Miller (30:37) and Abby Bohnenstiehl (14:23) each saw action in the second half. Miller made the lone save for the hosts.
"A couple of nights ago, after a Chinese meal, I had a fortune cookie that said, 'You will receive a pleasant surprise from an unexpected source'," said Falcon head coach Andy Richards. "After about 13 minutes today, we received the gift of an own goal, which turned out to be the game-winner.
"Colleen Kordan served a great free kick into the danger area which led to the own goal. Then, Gina Rossi scored later in the game after great perseverance in following up on the goalkeeper. The ball ran free and she put it away for a two-nil win.
"We did a much better job today of converting off the chances we had. We only had a few shots on goal, but we managed to put them away, and we got a well-deserved victory.
We need to work a little harder on competing against physical teams such as Eastern Illinois, which will be good preparation for MAC play. But, we have had a good weekend; we won two games, we didn't allow a goal in either game, and we are seeing improvement every day in practice and in games.
"Congratulations must go to Gina on her first goal of the season. Colleen played excellently in addition to the free kick, and of course we are pleased that Tiffany Hansen and the defense got another shutout. We are happy with our win, and we look forward to the final week of non-conference play."
The Falcons' final weekend of non-league action begins Friday (Sept. 15), as Michigan State comes to Cochrane Field in a rematch of a 2005 NCAA Championships first-round contest. Then, BGSU will head to Wright State for a Sunday (Sept. 17) match, the final game before the Sept. 22 MAC opener vs. Northern Illinois.
NOTES
* Although the Falcons have posted plenty of shutouts over the past year-plus, Sunday's game marked the first road shutout for the BG defense in nearly two years ... the last shutout on the road came on Oct. 28, 2004, as BG picked up a 3-0 win at Toledo in the final game of the regular season.
* Since that UT game, BGSU had posted 10 shutouts at Cochrane, plus two more in neutral-site contests.
* The Falcons now have won three of the last four matches, all by shutout ... Hansen has two of those shutouts, vs. Xavier (Sept. 1) and EIU, while sophomore Christy Zabek got the shutout win in Friday's (Sept. 8) game vs. Youngstown State.
* Hansen has two shutouts this season and four complete-game shutouts in her collegiate career ... she had one in each of her two seasons at the University of Louisville, prior to transferring to BGSU prior to the 2006 season.
* Freshman Katie Kirkhoff made her first collegiate appearance, playing the final 16:19.
