Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
CINCINNATI
Bearcats Best Falcons, 3-1, in Season Opener
August 22, 2008 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 22, 2008
Final Stats |
Notes
BGSU-UC Boxscore in PDF Format 
CINCINNATI, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - The host University of Cincinnati got a pair of goals two-and-a-half minutes apart late in the first half, snapping a 1-1 tie and lifting the Bearcats to a 3-1 win over the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team Friday night (Aug. 22). The non-conference match was held at UC's Gettler Stadium.
The game was the season opener for both teams.
UC held a 26-4 advantage in shot attempts, including a 15-0 margin in the second half. All of the scoring, however, came in the opening 31 minutes of the match.
For the Falcons, fifth-year senior Gina Rossi scored the lone goal. Redshirt sophomore Alexa Arsenault made a career-high 12 saves in net.
For the Bearcats, Julie Morrissey and Erin MacDonald each had a goal and an assist, while Heather Neiser also found the back of the net. Andrea Kaminski picked up the win in goal, playing all 90 minutes.
The 'Cats had the first few shots of the evening, but the Falcons' first chance very nearly gave the visitors the lead with 14 minutes gone. Freshman Leah Johnson, making her first career start (obviously), had the scoring chance. Sophomore Jackie Tamerlano put Johnson behind the UC defense, and Johnson's resulting shot was deflected by Kaminski off the crossbar. Sophomore Meagan Moran's follow-up try was on target, but the UC 'keeper was able to make the stop.
Midway through the half, however, the hosts got on the board on a ball that was meant to be a cross. Neiser, possessing the ball on the right side of the field, played a crossing ball, and a miscommunication between Arsenault and a BGSU defender led to the ball bouncing into the far (left) corner of the goal. Just 15 seconds later, however, the Falcons would answer.
Immediately after the ensuing kickoff, Rossi took the ball down the left side and fired a ball toward the net. Kaminski got her hands on the shot, but couldn't corral it, and the ball landed beyond the goal line. The score was tied with 18:22 elapsed.
Several minutes later, Johnson played a right-side cross toward Rossi. The fifth-year Falcon was unable to get a shot off, but the ball wound up on the foot of senior Brianne Eisenhard. The co-captain fired a hard shot, but a UC defender was able to deflect the ball out of danger.
In the game's 29th minute, UC broke on top for good. MacDonald's nifty pass found Morrissey running down the middle of the penalty area. Morrissey broke in alone on Arsenault, and slid a shot past the Falcon 'keeper into the lower left corner of the goal.
Then, the Bearcats doubled the lead, as MacDonald gathered a bounding ball on the right side of the pitch, took a few dribbles to her left and fired a low shot into that same lower-left corner.
Despite UC's 15 shot attempts in the second half, the Falcons held the hosts off the scoreboard. Arsenault was tested numerous times, but rose to the task on each occasion, and the Falcon defense turned aside several UC scoring attempts as well. The visitors had difficulty generating much offense, however, and could not cut into the 'Cats two-goal lead.
"The bad news was that our individual and team defending in the first half caused us to concede three sloppy goals and put ourselves in a near-impossible situation," said BGSU head coach Andy Richads, "The good news is, we have the talent and experience in this program to quickly overcome these errors and move forward.
"It is good to get the first competitive game of the season out of the way, and blow away the inevitable cobwebs. Special congratulations go to Gina Rossi for scoring the first goal of the season, and especially for responding so quickly after Cincinnati's first goal."
The Falcons will have a week before the next contest, a Friday (Aug. 29) match at Oakland University. Two days later, the Brown and Orange will open the home portion of the schedule, facing Michigan State University on Sunday, Aug. 31, at Cochrane Field.
A FEW FALCON NOTES
* Leah Johnson, as mentioned, made her first collegiate start ... she was the lone Falcon freshman in the starting lineup.
* Several other Falcons made their collegiate debuts in Friday night's game ... freshmen Megan Amann, Courtney Beinlich, Kelsey Kovacs and Alyssa Zuccaro all saw action in the match.
* Fifth-year senior Gina Rossi's goal was the sixth of her career ... she now has a total of 15 points in a BG uniform.
