Spartans Blank Falcons, 4-0, in Season Opener

Friday, August 17

Bowling Green, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

0-1-0

Michigan State

1-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Michigan State	3	1	4
Bowling Green	0	0	0

August 17, 2012 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Jessica Jarvis vs MSU - Aug 17 2012 - John Enright photo

Visiting Michigan State University exploded for three early goals in under four minutes en route to a 4-0 win over the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team Friday night (Aug. 17). The match, the regular-season opener for both teams, was held at Cochrane Field.

MSU 4, BGSU 0 - PDF Boxscore
MSU 4, BGSU 0 - HTML Stats
PHOTO GALLERY 1 - John Enright, BGSU Athletic Communications
PHOTO GALLERY 2 - Brandon Heiss, BGSU Marketing & Communications

The Spartans scored three times within a span of just 3:32 to take command of the match. Megan Marsack scored the first two goals for the visitors. Lisa Vogel, who had the primary assist on each of those two goals, scored a goal of her own to give MSU a 3-0 lead with exactly 13 minutes gone.

After surrendering those three goals, the Falcons righted the ship and played the Spartans on somewhat even terms thereafter. MSU did get a late goal from Allyson Krause, who scored with just 3:11 remaining to provide the final margin.

The Spartans had a 10-0 advantage in shots in the first half and a 16-3 margin for the match. Courtney Clem picked up the shutout in net for the Green and White, making one save. For the Falcons, fifth-year senior Becca Ison played the entire match and made four stops.

The Spartans had the lion's share of the possession in the early going, and MSU got on the scoreboard 9:28 into the match. Olivia Stander played a cross into the box from the right side. Vogel, on the left side of the six-yard box, headed the ball back across the goalmouth to Marsack, who knocked it home.

Vogel and Marsack hooked up again just 2:24 later, giving the visitors a two-goal lead. And, only 68 seconds after that, Vogel received a long forward pass from Stander and went in alone on Ison. Ison was forced to come out of her net in an attempt to cut down the angle, but Vogel was able to slot the ball inside the far post for a three-goal lead.

Ison and the Falcons then kept the visitors off of the scoreboard for the next 73-plus minutes. Ison had a nifty save on Vogel's volley try early in the second period, as the BG 'keeper blocked a point-blank shot at the top of the 17-yard box.

BGSU, held without a shot attempt in the opening half, had arguably the best chance of the night less than a minute after Ison's save on Vogel. Junior Madeline Wideman took a pass from sophomore Sidney Huth and fired a shot toward the far post, but the ball sailed just wide of the target.

With 18 minutes left in the match, the Falcons built an attack down the right side. Redshirt junior Jenny Fowler played a ball to sophomore Lindsey Thompson, who in turn knocked it to junior Tracy Togba. Togba played a cross toward freshman Emma Norris in the center of the box, but an MSU defender was able to reach the ball a split-second before Norris arrived, booting it out of bounds for a throw-in.

Krause scored the Spartans' final goal after picking up a ball just outside the box and behind the BG back line. She chipped a shot over Ison to close the scoring.

A total of 21 different players saw action for the Falcons, with 20 getting onto the pitch in the first half. Demy Whitaker was the lone freshman to start the match for BGSU, but three of her classmates -- Norris, Jessica Jarvis and Haley Parkinson -- each came off the bench to play double-digit minutes.

The Falcons are home again on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 19), when Cleveland State comes to Cochrane Field. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.