Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Youngstown State
Falcons Blank Youngstown State, 1-0
September 08, 2006 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 8, 2006
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - A pair of young Bowling Green State University women's soccer standouts posted career firsts Friday afternoon (Sept. 8), helping the Falcons to a 1-0 win over Youngstown State. The non-conference match was held at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
Freshman Stacey Lucas scored her first collegiate goal, and sophomore goalkeeper Christy Zabek, making her first career start, picked up her first complete-match shutout. Junior Danielle Cygan picked up an assist on the lone goal of the afternoon.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 2-3-0 on the season, and conclude a three-game homestand with a 2-1 record. The Penguins drop to 1-4-0 on the year.
The Falcons controlled the play for the majority of the afternoon, with Youngstown's forays into BG's end of the field few and far between. BGSU held a 24-6 advantage in shot attempts, with 12 shots in each half, and the Falcons had seven shots on goal to the visitors' two.
BG's first scoring chance came in the game's first minute. The Falcons won a corner kick, and senior Lindsay Carter's kick found the head of junior Karie Sahly in the penalty box. Sahly's header sailed just wide.
With approximately four-and-a-half minutes gone, many of the fans (as well as the official scorer) thought that Lucas had put the Falcons on the scoreboard. Cygan played a cross from the left side, and Lucas redirected it toward goal, but the spinning shot hit the outside of the netting.
Four minutes later, off of a Cygan corner kick, freshman Colleen Kordan played a cross to sophomore Corbie Yee, but Yee's header went just a few feet over the crossbar.
The BGSU offensive onslaught continued, as junior Janie Babich unleashed a hard shot from the right side of the box. But, YSU goalkeeper Caitlin Bodzioney was able to make a diving save.
With 23:28 elapsed, the home team got on the board. Once again, Cygan took the ball down the left side of the field and played a low crossing ball. The ball rolled past several players to a wide-open Lucas, stationed on the right side of the six-yard box. With a player at the scorer's table ready to check in for her, Lucas hit a one-timer that found the right side of the net (the inside of the netting this time). The goal, as mentioned, was the first of her collegiate career.
Junior Gina Rossi had the next quality scoring chance for the Falcons. Rossi, who was the player that replaced Lucas in the lineup, redirected yet another Cygan cross. Bodzioney, however, was able to stop the point-blank shot and prevent a rebound, as Yee was lurking on the doorstep.
In all, the Falcons had the game's first 11 shot attempts before YSU registered one. The Penguins' lone first-half shot, by Jordan Gapczynski, was well wide of the mark.
Again in the second half, it was nearly all Falcons. With less than five minutes gone, Lucas beat her defender down the right side, and hit a low cross, but the Penguin defense was able to clear it just a split-second before a BG forward arrived. Less than a minute later, Bodzioney went up and grabbed another Lucas cross.
Midway through the half, Yee's left-side pass found Lucas heading across the penalty area. As Bodzioney made a lunge for the ball, Lucas poked it away from her and right to a charging Carter. Carter uncorked a rocket, but the shot skimmed just over the bar.
Less than a minute after Carter's blast, sophomore Brianne Eisenhard fired a shot that was just wide left.
With approximately 18 minutes remaining, Lucas played another dangerous cross from in close on the right side, after carrying the ball along the end line. The YSU 'keeper, however, made a nice diving catch to end that threat.
Four of Youngstown's six total shots came in the final six minutes of the match. Two of those four tries were on goal, but Zabek was able to turn them aside. For the Falcon soph, in her first career start, those were the only two stops she was called upon to make.
At the other end of the field, Bodzioney made a total of six saves.
"Prior to the game, we asked the team to give an intense performance that showed a passion for the game and a determination to win," said Falcon head coach Andy Richards. "In that respect, we achieved our goal, because we created many good scoring opportunities, we played with good intensity and we won the game.
"It was a very encouraging display, considering the amount of opportunities we created. We just need to do a better job of finishing off a higher percentage of those opportunities. If we can do that, then I think we could have a good amount of success this season.
Also, congratulations should go to Stacey Lucas on her first collegiate goal and Christy Zabek for her first 90-minute shutout. Achievements like those are always special, and we are proud of both of them. Now, we look to get ready for a tough Eastern Illinois team on Sunday."
The Falcons will make the trip to Charleston, Ill., for that Sunday matchup with EIU. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. locally (2:00 p.m. Eastern).
NOTES
* All five of this season's matches have resulted in shutouts, with two going in favor of the Falcons and three against.
* As mentioned, sophomore Christy Zabek was making her first career start ... junior Janie Babich made her first start of the season ... through five games, a total of 17 different BGSU players have made at least one start.
* At least three freshmen have been in the starting lineup in each of the five contests ... on Friday, Colleen Kordan, Stacey Lucas and Kayleigh Zajaros were in the starting 11.
* For Zabek, the complete-game shutout was her first as a Falcon ... Zabek has now played a total of 209:02, over six games, in her BG career, and has yet to allow a goal ... she has five saves in 2006 and a total of six in her career.
* Both of BG's goals this season have been scored by freshmen ... Zajaros scored the Falcons' other goal, in last Friday's (Sept. 1) win over Xavier.
* Junior Danielle Cygan has had assists on each of those two goals, matching her career total entering the 2006 campaign ... three of her four career assists have come on match-winning goals.
