Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Wright State
Wright State Squeaks Past Falcons, 2-1 in OT
September 14, 2007 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 14, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Jess Rooma scored two goals, with the second coming in overtime, to lift Wright State University to a 2-1 win over the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team Friday evening (Sept. 14). The non-conference match was held at Cochrane Field.
With the win, the Raiders improve to 4-2-0 on the year, while the Falcons drop to 2-3-0 on the young season.
Freshman Jackie Tamerlano scored the first goal of her brief collegiate career, chesting home a short diagonal ball from senior Tiernay Tilford in the last minute of the first half.
Junior Christy Zabek made three saves for the Falcons, including a save on a WSU penalty kick just before Tamerlano's goal.
Scoring opportunities were few and far between for either team at the beginning of the game. Less than five minutes into the contest, sophomore Stacey Lucas played a right-side cross through the penalty box, but the ball was just out of reach of a lunging Falcon teammate.
Midway through the half, however, the Raiders struck swiftly and suddenly. A Falcon foul led to a WSU free kick just over the midfield line, in front of the BGSU bench. Megan Mattioda played a long kick toward the right side of the goal. The ball appeared to be headed over the end line near the scoreboard at the north end of the field, before Rooma got a foot on the bounding ball.
The result was one of those great-play-if-she-meant-to-do-it plays, because Rooma's one-time effort from a seemingly impossible angle found the net, and the highlight-reel goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute.
With approximately 13 minutes left in the first half, freshman Meagan Moran stole the ball in the WSU end and drew a foul. But, Raider goalkeeper Meghan Hackerson was able to parry the ensuing free kick from Brianne Eisenhard.
A pair of plays, just a minute apart, seemed to sway momentum to the Falcons late in the first half. With 94 seconds before halftime, Wright State was awarded a penalty kick after a Raider player went down in the left corner of the 18-yard box. Zabek, however, saved the PK try of Amy Miller, as the Falcon 'keeper made a dive to her right to knock the ball away. The rebound went to Nicole Amador, who tried to roll her shot into the far corner. But, the ball hit the post, and Zabek was able to grab it to end the threat.
In the final minute of the half, Tilford played her right-side ball, and Tamerlano ran onto it. The Falcon freshman redirected the ball with her chest, in a play reminiscent of a track star breaking the tape at the finish line, or a scene from the movie "Titanic." In any event, the ball went into the net, Tamerlano had her first collegiate goal, and the match was tied, 1-1, at the half.
The Raiders outshot the Falcons by a 9-1 margin in the second half, but could not get a ball past Zabek. WSU had a flurry early in the half, with three shots in a 30-second span, but Falcon defenders blocked the first two shots, and Miller's shot hit the post.
WSU's Amber Kasmer also hit the post with a shot in the 61st minute, and Zabek punched away a dangerous crossing effort by Megan Bush with 14 minutes left in regulation. BG's lone second-half shot was Moran's effort with just over 68 minutes elapsed, but Hackerson was equal to the task.
In the overtime period, Miller had yet another near-goal, firing a shot that seemed ticketed for the lower right corner of the net. But, Zabek was able to dive and deflect the ball over the end line. The resulting corner kick, however, culminated with the game-winning goal.
The corner sailed near the goal, and Zabek, surrounded by numerous players from both teams, attempted to punch the ball out of danger. The ball deflected to Rooma, who was lurking near the right post, and she was able to knock it home for the unassisted winner.
WSU held a 17-7 advantage in total shot attempts, but had just a slim 5-4 margin in shots on goal. Hackerson made three saves in her complete-game effort, while Zabek, as mentioned, also had three stops.
"The first half of today's game was possibly some of the best soccer we've played this year," said Falcon head coach Andy Richards. "Particularly in our ability to keep possession and move the ball where we wanted to, I was very happy with what we did in the opening half.
"I was excited that we were rewarded for our efforts by getting back into the game with Jackie's goal. Christy had made a great save on the PK, and we got the late goal, and I thought we were in great shape at halftime. But, we didn't capitalize, and as long as we continue to score just one goal in a game, it's going to make it very difficult for us to win games.
"We're very disappointed in the loss, of course, but the performance in the first half was something to be proud of. And, we just have to keep working hard. We know we've got a tough schedule ahead of us in the remaining non-conference games, but hopefully, it will serve its purpose and prepare us to do well once we get into MAC play."
That tough non-league slate continues Sunday (Sept. 16), as the Falcons head to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on Purdue University. The Purdue match begins a three-game road swing, as BGSU's next home game is not until the MAC opener in two weeks (Fri., Sept. 28, vs. Northern Illinois).
FALCON NOTES
* Senior Tiernay Tilford's assist was her first point of the season, but the seventh assist of her BGSU career ... she is the team's active career leader in that category, one ahead of fellow senior captain Danielle Cygan.
* The Falcons now have an all-time record of 14-12-16 in overtime matches ... BGSU is now 6-10-8 in home OT games, and Friday's loss snapped an unbeaten streak of seven overtime contests at Cochrane Field ... overall, BG had been unbeaten in the last 10 OT matches ... the Falcons had gone 5-0-5 in extra sessions since a loss to Ohio State on Oct. 31, 2003, at Cochrane.
