Falcons Face Toledo to Begin Three-Game Homestand

The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team, after opening Mid-American Conference play with two road matches last weekend, returns home for the next three conference contests. The Falcons of head coach Andy Richards will face the arch-rival University of Toledo on Friday (Sept. 30), with kickoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Cochrane Field.

LINKS
BGSU CUMULATIVE STATS: HTML   |   PDF
CAREER STATS OF CURRENT PLAYERS
2011 BGSU MEDIA GUIDE: PDF   |   Flip Interactive
Scroll to the bottom of the page for an interview with head coach Andy Richards

Then, the Brown and Orange will host Ball State University on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 2). Kickoff for that match is slated for 3:00 p.m. Both the UT and BSU contests will be the second half of doubleheaders at Cochrane Field, as the Falcon men host IUPUI Friday and Florida Atlantic on Sunday.

FALCONS vs. TOLEDO
Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 • 4:00 p.m.
VENUE: Cochrane Field; Bowling Green, Ohio
RECORDS:
• BGSU: 4-7-0, 1-1-0 MAC (4-12-4, 2-6-3 MAC in 2010)
• Toledo: 4-5-1, 2-0-0 MAC (15-4-2, 10-1-0 MAC in 2010)
SERIES*: Tied, 7-7-4   |   STREAK: Toledo - 3
LAST MEETING: at Toledo 1, BGSU 0 (Oct. 8, 2010)
LAST MEETING IN BOWLING GREEN: at BGSU 1, Toledo 1 (2-OT) (Oct. 30, 2008)
COACHES:
• BGSU: Andy Richards (Sheffield City Polytechnic [England], 1989), 106-115-26 in 12th year at BGSU and overall; 56-56-15 in MAC matches
• Toledo: Brad Evans (Wooster, 1992), 108-80-23 in 11th year at UT; 175-106-25 in 15th year overall; 62-42-11 in MAC matches
LIVE STATS: Available right here at BGSUFalcons.com

FALCONS vs. BALL STATE
Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011 • 3:00 p.m.
VENUE: Cochrane Field; Bowling Green, Ohio
RECORDS (heading into Friday's matches):
• BGSU: 4-7-0, 1-1-0 MAC (4-12-4, 2-6-3 MAC in 2010)
• BSU: 6-4-1, 1-1-0 MAC (7-10-2, 1-8-2 MAC in 2010) – BSU plays at Miami on Friday
SERIES*: Ball State leads, 7-3-3   |   STREAK: N/A ^
LAST MEETING: BGSU 3, at Ball State 3 (2-OT) (Oct. 10, 2010)
LAST MEETING IN BOWLING GREEN: at BGSU 1, Ball State 0 (2-OT) (Oct. 10, 2008)
COACHES:
• BGSU: Andy Richards (Sheffield City Polytechnic [England], 1989), 106-115-26 in 12th year at BGSU and overall; 56-56-15 in MAC matches
• BSU: Craig Roberts (Park, 1997), 13-14-3 in second year at BSU; 47-41-15 in sixth year overall; 2-9-2 in MAC matches
LIVE STATS: Available right here at BGSUFalcons.com
^ Ball State has a two-match series unbeaten streak
* Note: Series information can be found on pages 47-49 of the 2011 BGSU online media guide, which is available in both PDF and flip interactive formats here at BGSUFalcons.com

LIVE STATISTICS
Again in 2011, all BGSU home women's soccer matches, and most away contests, will have live statistics available on the web. If you can't make it to the field, simply log on to BGSUFalcons.com at game time. The live stats links can be found on the front page of the site (in the 'schedule' section) or by clicking on the women's soccer schedule and choosing the corresponding match.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
The Falcons will enter the weekend with an overall record of 4-7-0 on the season, and BGSU is 1-1 in MAC play. The Falcons opened the conference portion of the schedule on the road last weekend, and both matches were in doubt until the bitter end. BG picked up a 2-1 win at Buffalo on Friday night (Sept. 23), but fell at Kent State, 1-0 in overtime, on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 25). BGSU is 1-3-0 at home and 3-4-0 on the road this season to date.

Senior captain Alyssa Zuccaro leads the team in scoring, with eight points on a BG-best four goals. Zuccaro had both of the Falcons' goals at Buffalo, and also scored vs. Niagara and Youngstown State. Junior Sarah VonderBrink is second on the Falcons in scoring. Her five points include one goal and a team-leading three assists. Those assists include helpers on the game-winning goals at YSU and UB, and her goal was a match-winner as well, at Cleveland State.

In addition to VonderBrink, sophomores Ashley Miller, Kaitlyn Tobin and Tracy Togba and freshman Kaylee Draper each have one goal this season. Tobin's goal was a 90th-minute winner vs. the Penguins.

Senior Megan Amann has two assists this fall to date, while Miller and sophomore Madeline Wideman has one. Amann's assists came on VonderBrink's winning goal at CSU and Zuccaro's goal at YSU.

Redshirt junior Becca Ison has started 10 matches this season to date. Ison has played 900-plus minutes, and has 54 saves – the second-highest total in the MAC – along with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.90. Ison made a career-high 11 stops in the Illinois State game, and she had nine saves at MSU and eight vs. both Detroit and Niagara.

True junior Laura Arnold has seen action in two matches, playing the final seven-plus minutes at Buffalo before starting the Kent State contest. Arnold has a 1-1-0 record, two saves and a GAA of just 0.88.

Sophomore Alyssa Carmack is the lone player to have played every second of all 11 matches this fall, while Draper has played 985 of the 1,002-plus minutes. Zuccaro has been on the field for 954 minutes, while junior Emily Rothwell has played 947 minutes, Ison 900 and redshirt freshman Kylie Briem 866. Briem, Carmack, Draper, Zuccaro and redshirt sophomore Jenny Fowler each have started every match this fall to date, while Rothwell and Ison have made 10 starts apiece.

Head coach Andy Richards and his staff, assistants Kellie Evans and Jimmy Walker, welcomed back a total of 17 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last year's club. BGSU's returning players combined for nearly 67 percent of the team's goals and almost 73% of the assists a year ago. Four of the Falcons' top-five scorers returned from the 2010 campaign, including Zuccaro, who led the team in scoring. Zuccaro had one-third of the team's goals, with eight, and also led the Brown and Orange with six assists. Her total of 22 points was the highest by a BGSU player since the 2005 season.

LAST WEEKEND
The Falcons split a pair of road matches to begin the conference schedule, and neither contest was decided until the late stages. On Friday night (Sept. 23), senior captain Alyssa Zuccaro scored a pair of goals, the last coming with just 1:03 left in the second half, to lift the Falcons to a 2-1 win over Buffalo. Redshirt junior Becca Ison made two saves in 82-plus minutes in goal, while junior Laura Arnold played the last 7:57 and picked up the win without facing a single shot.

On Sunday (Sept. 25), Jaclyn Dutton's goal with just under four-and-a-half minutes gone in overtime gave host Kent State a 1-0 win over the Falcons. Arnold had two saves in her complete-match effort for the Brown and Orange.

FALCONS IN THE MAC STATS
Several Falcon players are ranked in the MAC's individual statistics. Senior Alyssa Zuccaro is tied for first in shots (37), and she ranks second in shots per game (3.36). 'Z' is tied for ninth in the league in goals (four).

Junior Sarah VonderBrink is tied for eighth in the MAC in assists (three), and is deadlocked for 10th in assists per game (0.30).

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Becca Ison is second in the league in saves, with 54. She is third in saves per game (5.40), seventh in save percentage (.740), tied for seventh in shutouts (two) and ninth in shutouts per game (0.20).

FALCON COACH ANDY RICHARDS
BGSU head coach Andy Richards, now in his 12th season at the helm, has proven himself to be one of the most successful mentors in MAC women's soccer history. He has guided the Falcons to an overall record of 106-115-26, and a record of 56-56-15 in MAC regular-season play. Richards picked up the 100th victory of his collegiate head-coaching career in the Falcons' 3-2 win at Indiana State last fall.

Richards' teams perennially play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the MAC. In his first decade-plus in BG, he has led the Falcons to the MAC Tournament on eight occasions, with the team advancing to the semifinals seven times. BGSU is 10-5-5 in MAC Tournament matches during his tenure, and no coach has more trips to the league tourney title game than Richards' five. Two of those appearances – in 2004 and 2005 – resulted in MAC Tournament titles and trips to the NCAA Championships. Richards and the Falcons also won the '05 regular-season crown.

A native of Warwick, England, Richards earned his Bachelor of Education degree from Sheffield City Polytechnic in 1989. He received his Master of Education degree from Oregon State in 1997.

RICHARDS IS IN THE TOP-FOUR
Falcon head coach Andy Richards is one of the winningest mentors in MAC women's soccer history. Currently, Richards ranks fourth on the conference's all-time wins list.
OVERALL WINS BY MAC COACHES
(since the MAC began sponsoring women's soccer in 1997 – totals through games of Monday, Sept. 19)
151   Bobby Kramig, Miami (1997-present)
125   Scott Hall, EMU (1999-present)
108   Brad Evans, Toledo (2001-present)
106   Andy Richards, BGSU (2000-present)
97   Stacy Strauss, Ohio (2000-present)
91   Jean-A. Tassy, Buffalo (1998-2007) *
89   Mike Haines, WMU (1998-2008)
86   Rob Marinaro, Kent State (2001-present)
70   Ron Rainey, Ball State (1999-2005)
* Tassy had 113 total wins at UB from 1995-2007, but the Bulls did not join the MAC until the 1998 season

YOU CAN'T SPELL 'GOALZ' WITHOUT 'Z'
Senior Alyssa Zuccaro's two goals in Friday's Buffalo match increased her career total to 19. She has moved into a tie for fifth place on the BGSU career list. 'Z' passed Michelle Lisy (18 goals from 1997-2000) and has tied her former teammate, Corbie Yee (19 goals from 2005-08). She is just one goal shy of both Jill Conover (1999-2002) and Tracy Gleixner (1998-2002), who are tied for third place on the BGSU list with 20 goals apiece.

A FEW MORE NOTES ABOUT ALYSSA ZUCCARO
• Senior Alyssa Zuccaro now has a career total of 48 points, tying her for seventh on the BGSU list. She is tied with both Tracy Gleixner and Michelle Lisy, and sits just one point behind sixth-place Britt Anderson (49 points from 2002-05).

• Zuccaro's multiple-goal game at Buffalo was her first of the season and the third of her career. She leads the Falcons with four goals and eight points this season.

• Zuccaro has scored a total of five goals vs. Buffalo in the teams' last two meetings. She had her first collegiate hat trick in last season's win over the Bulls at Cochrane Field (Sept. 24, 2010).

• Zuccaro led the Falcons in goals (eight), assists (six) and points (22) last season. Her 2010 goal and point totals were the highest by a BGSU player since 2005 (Samantha Meister, eight goals and 22 points).

• Last year, through Zuccaro had three points through eight matches, then proceeded to score 19 points over the final 12 games. This season, 'Z' had four points after nine matches, before scoring four points in the win at UB.

• In her Falcon career, Zuccaro has 24 points (nine goals, six assists) in home matches and 24 points (10 goals, four assists) away from Cochrane Field.

VONDY HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN SOME BIG GOALS
• Junior Sarah VonderBrink has played a major part in each of the Falcons' last four road wins. Last season, she scored with under 12 minutes left, giving the Brown and Orange a 3-2 win at Indiana State. Earlier this month (Sept. 2), 'Vondy' scored the lone goal in BG's 1-0 win at Cleveland State.

• The following weekend (Sept. 11), she had the primary assist on sophomore Kaitlyn Tobin's last-minute winner at Youngstown State. And, VonderBrink again had the primary assist on the winning goal on Friday (Sept. 23), as the Falcons downed Buffalo.

• VonderBrink is second on the team in scoring, with five points on a goal and three assists. She now has 14 career points on four goals and six assists.

THE STREAKS ARE OVER ... LONG LIVE THE STREAKS
• Kent State's win on Sunday (Sept. 25) broke several lengthy BGSU streaks. The Falcons had had an eight-match unbeaten streak against KSU, as BG had not lost to the Flashes since the teams' regular-season meeting in the 2004 season.

• Jaclyn Dutton's goal was the first by a KSU player against BGSU since that 2004 campaign. The Falcons' shutout streak vs. the Flashes ended at 841:06, or the equivalent of over nine matches. Prior to Sunday, KSU's last goal from scrimmage vs. the Brown and Orange had come on Nov. 2, 2004, late in the first half of a MAC Tournament quarterfinal-round match at Kent. BGSU's current freshmen were in sixth grade at the time.

DIGGING OUT OF A HOLE
Buffalo's Aubrey Stahl scored just 44 seconds into Friday night's match. It marked the first time in 11 years (and one day) that BGSU had surrendered a goal in the first minute of a match. On Sept. 22, 2000, Corrie Hasenjager gave host Toledo a 1-0 lead with only 56 seconds gone in a match in the Glass City. On that date, just as on Friday, the Falcons rallied back from a 1-0 deficit on the road to post a 2-1 win.

A FEW MORE NOTES FROM LAST WEEKEND
With Friday's win at Buffalo, BGSU matched the overall win total for all of last season ... through the Kent State match, the Falcons are 4-7-0 on the year ... BGSU went 4-12-4 in 2010 • BG now has a record of 3-4-0 on the road this season ... last fall, the Brown and Orange went 1-5-2 away from home • BGSU's totals of 23 shot attempts and 16 shots on goal in the Buffalo match both set season bests ... the overall shots total was BG's highest in nearly two years, since the Falcons fired 24 shots on Oct. 18, 2009 – also against UB • the Falcons' shots-on-goal total was the team's highest in exactly four years ... BGSU has 16 SOG in a win at Youngstown State on Sept. 23, 2007.

THE OPPONENTS
Toledo will enter Friday's match with an overall record of 4-5-1 this season, and the Rockets are the lone MAC team to have started conference play with a 2-0-0 mark. Last weekend, UT opened league action with a pair of one-goal wins on the road, downing Northern Illinois, 1-0 in overtime, and posting a 3-2 win against Western Michigan. Kristen Lynn leads the team with seven goals and 15 points, while Nicole Gyurgyik has five goals, three assists and 13 points. Rachel MacLeod's 12-point total includes three goals and a UT-best six assists. In net, Vicki Traven has started nine of the team's 10 matches, and has 16 saves, one shutout and a goals-against average of 1.62. Head coach Brad Evans welcomed back 17 letterwinners, including nine starters, from last year's team. The 2010 Rockets went 15-4-2 overall and tied for the MAC's West Division title with a 10-1-0 league record. The school's athletics web site is utrockets.com.

Ball State is 6-4-1 overall, and the Cardinals will take a 1-1-0 MAC mark into a Friday contest at Miami. Last weekend, BSU split a pair of matches to start conference play, falling at Western Michigan, 3-1, before blanking Northern Illinois by a 3-0 count in Muncie. BSU has won four of the last five games overall. Brigit Reder leads the team with five goals and 11 points, while Jasmine Moses has eight points on four goals to date. In goal, Aubrey Buehler has started nine of the team's 11 matches, and has 29 saves, three shutouts and a GAA of 1.24. Head coach Craig Roberts welcomed back a total of 18 letterwinners, including six starters, from a year ago. The 2010 Cardinals went 7-10-2 overall and 1-8-2 in MAC action. The school's athletics web site is www.ballstatesports.com.

THE SERIES
It would be fair to say that the overall series between the Falcons and Toledo has been closely contested. The series is tied, 7-7-4, and each team has scored 22 goals in the 18 meetings. BGSU is just 1-3-3 in home games vs. the Rockets, but the Falcons are 6-4-0 in road games in the series, including a 6-3-0 record at UT's Scott Park. The Rockets, however, have won each of the last three meetings, all by 1-0 scores and all at Scott Park. That includes last year's meeting (Oct. 8, 2010). Despite that streak of recent Rocket success, the home team has won only five times in the 18 series meetings. Seven of the 18 matches have gone to overtime, with six of those OT games coming in the seven prior meetings at Cochrane Field. The last time the Rockets ventured south to face the Falcons, the teams battled to a 1-1, double-overtime draw on the final day of the 2008 regular season (Oct. 30, 2008). Megan Amann scored the Falcons' goal in that match.
THE BGSU-TOLEDO SERIES
(Tied, 7-7-4)
Sept. 20, 1997 -- at Toledo 3, BGSU 2 $
Sept. 17, 1998 -- BGSU 2, at Toledo 1
Oct. 30, 1999 -- Toledo 2, at BGSU 1 (OT)
Sept. 22, 2000 -- BGSU 2, at Toledo 1
Sept. 9, 2001 -- at BGSU 2, Toledo 2 (2-OT)
Sept. 6, 2002 -- BGSU 1, at Toledo 0
Sept. 28, 2003 -- Toledo 1, at BGSU 0 (OT)
Oct. 28, 2004 -- BGSU 3, at Toledo 0
Oct. 28, 2005 -- BGSU 3, at Toledo 2
Nov. 1, 2005 -- at BGSU 0, Toledo 0 (2-OT) #%
Oct. 26, 2006 -- at BGSU 1, Toledo 0 (2-OT)
Oct. 29, 2006 -- Toledo 3, at BGSU 0 #
Nov. 1, 2007 -- BGSU 2, at Toledo 1
Nov. 11, 2007 -- BGSU 2, Toledo 2 (2-OT) !^
Oct. 30, 2008 -- at BGSU 1, Toledo 1 (2-OT)
Nov. 7, 2008 -- at Toledo 1, BGSU 0 &
Oct. 29, 2009 -- at Toledo 1, BGSU 0
Oct. 8, 2010 -- at Toledo 1, BGSU 0
$ at the Glass Bowl
# MAC Tournament Quarterfinal
% BGSU advanced, 3-2, on PKs
! MAC Tourn. Championship (Muncie, Ind.)
^ UT advanced, 3-2, on PKs
& MAC Tournament Semifinal

The Falcons trail Ball State, 7-3-3, in that series, and the Cardinals have a two-match unbeaten streak against BGSU. Last year, the teams played a wild game in Muncie, combining for five second-half goals en route to a 3-3, double-overtime draw. Alyssa Zuccaro scored the final goal in that match, which marked the fourth time in five meetings that a BGSU-Ball State game had required overtime. The Falcons are 2-3-0 in home games and 1-4-3 in road contests vs. the Cards. The last match between the teams at Cochrane Field came three years ago (Oct. 10, 2008), and Corbie Yee scored early in the second overtime for a 1-0 BG win.
THE BGSU-BALL STATE SERIES
(Ball State leads, 7-3-3)
Oct. 1, 1999 -- BGSU 2, at Ball State 2 (2-OT)
Oct. 8, 2000 -- at BGSU 3, Ball State 0
Nov. 1, 2001 -- at Ball State 3, BGSU 0
Sept. 22, 2002 -- Ball State 2, at BGSU 1
Oct. 3, 2003 -- BGSU 2, at Ball State 0
Oct. 10, 2004 -- Ball State 2, at BGSU 1
Sept. 30, 2005 -- at Ball State 3, BGSU 0
Sept. 29, 2006 -- Ball State 2, at BGSU 0
Oct. 19, 2007 -- at Ball State 3, BGSU 2 (2-OT)
Nov. 9, 2007 -- BGSU 0, at Ball State 0 (2-OT) #^
Oct. 10, 2008 -- at BGSU 1, Ball State 0 (2-OT)
Oct. 2, 2009 -- at Ball State 1, BGSU 0
Oct. 10, 2010 -- BGSU 3, at Ball State 3 (2-OT)
# MAC Tournament Semifinal
^ BGSU advanced, 3-0, on PKs

FALCONS PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH IN EAST
The Falcons have been picked to finish fifth in the MAC's East Division standings in 2011, according to the preseason coaches poll. The 2011 season marks the second year that a divisional format has been utilized for MAC women's soccer. Last year, the Brown and Orange tied for fourth in the East.

THE 2011 CAPTAIN
Senior Alyssa Zuccaro is the captain of the 2011 women's soccer Falcons.

UP NEXT
Following this weekend's matches vs. UT and BSU, the Falcons will conclude a three-match homestand by facing Eastern Michigan on Friday, Oct. 7. That match will begin at 4:00 p.m. Then, the Brown and Orange will begin a three-game road swing by facing defending MAC Tournament champion Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant two days later (Oct. 9).

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