Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
WESTERN ILLINOIS
Western Illinois Blanks Falcons, 2-0
September 03, 2006 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 3, 2006
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Visiting Western Illinois University scored a pair of first-half goals just over three minutes apart en route to a 2-0 victory over the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team Sunday afternoon (Sept. 3). The non-conference match was held at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
With the win, the Westerwinds improve to 4-0-0 on the season for the first time in program history. The Falcons drop to 1-3-0.
WIU got goals from Misako Inaba and Jessicah Hughes to take a two-goal lead with nearly 29 minutes elapsed, and the Falcons could not chip into the deficit.
The Falcons saw two lengthy streaks come to an end, as the team's home unbeaten streak and home shutout string each were snapped.
The Brown and Orange got a good effort from freshman Stacey Lucas with just over 13 minutes gone in the opening half. Lucas, pressuring the WIU back line, nearly stole the ball deep in the Westerwinds' end of the field. Lucas, after blocking a pass attempt, tried to split a pair of defenders near the 18-yard box. The Falcon forward, however, was upended on the play.
Just seconds later, the visitors mounted a threat of their own. Inaba played a through-ball to Keeley Murray, who took a shot from the right side of the penalty area. The ball seemed ticketed for the far post, but junior Tiffany Hansen made a diving effort, getting a hand on the ball and deflecting it wide, before BGSU defender Colleen Kordan was able to clear it out of danger.
The Westerwinds, however, struck in the 26th minute, with the goal coming seemingly out of nowhere. Ashley Hoch played a ball forward to Inaba on the right side of the penalty area. Inaba, while facing slightly away from goal, kicked at the bouncing ball, popping it over her head, over Hansen's head and into the far (left) side of the netting. Hoch had the lone assist on the play, which came at the 25:40 mark.
Just 3:18 later, Hughes doubled the visitors' lead. Murray played a left-side cross that rolled through the area. Hansen, a WIU forward and a Falcon backliner all lunged after the ball at roughly the same time, but no one got a boot on it. The ball rolled to Hughes, who was all alone on the right side of the box, and her one-timer from approximately eight yards out gave the Westerwinds a 2-0 lead. Western would take that lead into the halftime break.
In the second half, the Falcons showed some signs of life in the early going. Freshman Kayleigh Zajaros blocked a pass deep in the WIU end and was able to beat her defender to the ball by a split-second and poke a shot on goal. The try was saved, but the Falcons had a little bit of momentum on their side.
It was not to be, however, as the Westerwinds defense held, allowing no more BG shots the rest of the way.
Sophomore Christy Zabek, who played the second half in goal, made several saves to keep the Falcons' deficit at two goals. With under 18 minutes left, the BG defense deflected several crossing tries by the Westerwinds, but the latter deflection sent the ball directly to WIU's Robyn Ruypers in the box. Her hard shot, however, was right at Zabek.
With 11-and-a-half minutes remaining, Zabek made a point-blank save on Kelsey Brown, who had broken through the BG defense after the ball took several wacky caroms off of players from each side. Brown's shot was the last grade-A scoring chance for either club.
Samantha Clark and Lindsey Wilson each played 45 minutes in goal and each made one save for the visitors. Clark came out of the game at halftime, after colliding with a BG forward in the final minute of the first half.
Hansen played the first half in net for the Falcons, making two saves. Zabek worked 45 minutes of scoreless relief, and was called upon to make three stops.
The Westerwinds held advantages of 11-3 in shot attempts, 7-2 in shots on goal and 5-1 in corner kicks.
The Falcons will conclude a three-game homestand on Friday (Sept. 8), taking on Youngstown State in a 5:00 p.m. kickoff at Cochrane Field.
NOTES
* The Falcons saw two impressive streaks come to an end in Sunday's loss to Western Illinois ... BGSU's home shutout streak came to an end just eight days shy of a year ... the Falcons allowed a goal at Cochrane Field for the first time since Sept. 11, 2005 ... BG kept opponents off the scoreboard for a span of 946:02.
* That streak included a school-record nine consecutive shutouts at Cochrane Field ... prior to that streak, BGSU had never before recorded more than two consecutive shutouts at Cochrane ... in fact, the Falcons had never had more than three shutouts in any home season, and BG had recorded a total of 16 home shutouts in the first eight years of the program, prior to putting together eight-straight shutouts at Cochrane last year ... Friday's (Sept. 1) Xavier match marked the ninth consecutive home shutout for the Brown and Orange.
* The WIU match marked the Falcons' first home loss in over a year ... BGSU sees a school-record 10-match home unbeaten streak come to an end ... the Brown and Orange had been 8-0-2 since a home setback to Wright State on Aug. 28, 2005.
* A personal shutout streak continues for sophomore Christy Zabek ... Zabek has not allowed a goal in the five career matches in which she has seen action ... she has played a total of 119:02 ... Zabek had three saves on Sunday after making one during all of last season.
