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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
MOREHEAD STATE
Falcons, Morehead State Battle to 1-1 Tie
August 25, 2007 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 25, 2007
Final Stats |
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team, after several weeks of practices and scrimmages against one another, finally got the chance to take on some unfamiliar faces Saturday afternoon (Aug. 25). The Falcons battled Morehead State University to a 1-1 deadlock in exhibition play at the BGSU men's practice field.
Freshman Katie Stephenson scored the Falcons' goal, heading home a cross from senior Danielle Cygan early in the second half. Freshman Jackie Tamerlano also drew an assist on the play.
Head coach Andy Richards used a total of 22 different players in the exhibition, including 12 who are in their first or second year with the program. Stephenson and sophomore transfer Carolyn Nesline each had two shots on goal as the Falcons held slim margins of 12-10 in overall shots and 6-5 in SOG.
Three different goalies saw action for the Brown and Orange, playing roughly a third of the game apiece.
Kelly Busch scored the visitors' goal, giving MSU the lead in the 17th minute of the match. With the Falcons pressing at the offensive end, a Morehead defender cleared the ball out of danger, and the ball found the feet of Busch just over the midfield line. She took a few dribbles, cut back to her right in an attempt to find some space, and fired a shot.
A BGSU defender got her foot on the shot, and ironically, that may have been what allowed the shot to get past the diving effort of senior Tiffany Hansen. Hansen likely would have been able to get to the ball had it not been deflected, and it instead nestled into the netting, just inside the right post.
Busch's goal was one of precious few scoring chances for either team in the first half. Soon after halftime, however, the Falcons struck back.
Tamerlano gained possession of the ball in the center of the pitch, and played it to Cygan on the left side of the field. The Falcon senior made a move to elude her defender and hit a spinning cross toward the far post. Stephenson was there to head the ball home. MSU goalkeeper Samantha Yocke was able to get a hand on the header, but had no chance to keep it from crossing the line, and the score was tied in the 49th minute.
Neither team would score again, although each club had several chances. Another shot by Stephenson with approximately 33 minutes remaining forced Yocke to make a diving save.
Six minutes later, junior Brianne Eisenhard's shot was blocked by Yocke, who pounced on the rebound before a Falcon forward could get to it.
With 16 minutes remaining, Busch fired a shot that seemed ticketed for the lower near (right) post, but redshirt freshman Alexa Arsenault made a diving stop to knock the ball out of bounds.
Several minutes later, Falcon sophomore Colleen Kordan cracked a shot -- possibly the hardest-hit ball of the match -- but Yocke was able to deflect the ball out of play for a corner.
Nesline hit a hard shot in the 80th minute, forcing the MSU 'keeper to make a diving stop, and Arsenault made another stop of a Busch shot at the other end of the field just under three minutes later.
The teams did not play any overtime periods in the exhibition match.
For the Falcons, Hansen made two saves in her 29-plus minutes of action in net, while Christy Zabek played 33:08 and did not face a shot on goal. Arsenault made the two aforementioned saves in her 27-plus minutes of work.
Leslie King played the first half in goal for MSU, and was not called upon to make a save. Yocke played the final 45 minutes and stopped five of the six shots on goal against her.
The Falcons now prepare for the season-opening match, as BGSU will head to West Virginia for a Friday night contest (Aug. 31). The Brown and Orange will open the home portion of the regular-season schedule Sunday (Sept. 2), facing Eastern Illinois at noon.
