Fleak’s Overtime Goal Gives the Falcons a 1-0 Win at Akron

Sunday, October 5

Akron, OH

12:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

2-9-0, 1-3MAC

Akron

5-6-1, 1-3MAC

Team	1	2	OT 2	Final F
Bowling Green	0	0	1	1
Akron	0	0	0	0

Photo by: Larry Clapper

October 05, 2014 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML)

Akron, Ohio – Bowling Green State University freshman forward Skylar Fleak notched her fourth goal of the season in dramatic fashion, as the score came in the 95th minute of the overtime period to give the Falcons a 1-0 win over the Akron Zips on a very chilly Sunday afternoon in Northeast Ohio at First Energy Stadium at Cub Cadet Field in Akron, Ohio.

"This was a big win for us today and a huge moment in moving our process along. I'm so proud of this team's commitment to the unknown and doing the daily work to put them in a position to have success," stated head coach Lindsay Basalyga.

The overtime win pushes the Falcons to 2-9-0 on the season and 1-3-0 in the MAC. The loss drops Akron to 5-6-1 overall and 1-3-0 in conference play.

Fleak's game-winning goal gives the Falcons their first MAC win since defeating Northern Illinois 2-0 at home on Oct. 23, 2011. The conference road win on Sunday is the first MAC road win for the Falcons since BGSU won at Buffalo 2-1 on Sept. 23, 2011.

"Our backline and Lauren (Cadel) did a great job shutting down a dangerous Lani Smith and we had a lot of fun in the attack," continued Coach Basalyga. "The composure on Skylar's (Fleak) game-winning goal was a perfect way to end the fight on the day."

With both teams having played a well-balanced 90 minutes during regulation, the Zips looked to put the game away early in the overtime period with a shot from Lani Smith from the top of the box in the 92nd minute. However, BGSU goalkeeper Lauren Cadel made a stop on the play to keep the Falcons alive.

That save proved to be vital, as Fleak, who missed wide left of the goal on a shot attempt in the 94th minute, put her next shot from in close on the left side of the box past the Akron keeper and into the back of the net for the game-winning goal in the 95th minute.

"We had our chances to score, but we knew we had to keep going with everything we had and that it would all fall in to place. We have been working on the process and working hard every day in practice so we knew it (the win) would come," stated Fleak. "It was just an awesome feeling when the ball found the back of the net."

Like the match at Buffalo on Friday night, the Falcons' defense found itself under some early pressure as Akron fired off four shots over the first 21 minutes of the contest. Cadel made saves on the first and third shot attempts, while the BGSU defense blocked the second scoring chance inside the box to keep the match scoreless.

Both Sarah Quimby and Leah Runkle looked to put the visitors in white on the scoreboard first in the 30th minute. Quimby's shot from the far left wing was halted by Akron's Klaire Adee, while Runkle's attempt from the right side just under 20 seconds later was again stopped by the Zips' Adee in goal.

The Falcons' defense would come up big again in the 33rd minute with a block of a Smith shot from close in on the right side of the goal, while less than a minute later Cadel tallied yet another save on a Loreana Lonigro laser in the box to keep the home team off the scoreboard.

Bowling Green had four more chances to get on the scoreboard over the final 10 minutes of the opening half. Sophomore Paige Amodio had a shot from the top of the box stopped by the Zips' keeper in the 37th minute, Alexa Cheripko saw her try blocked by a defender in the 44th minute, while both Madison Schupbach and Quimby had their attempts knocked away by the Akron defense in the final minutes of the half to send the contest into the halftime intermission tied at 0-0.

The two teams' traded shots to start the second period, as Bowling Green's Fleak put a shot wide left of the goal from the right side in the 48th minute and junior Haley Parkinson missed wide right from close in on the right side in the 55th minute for the Falcons.

Following a save from Cadel on a Karin Norman shot in the 59th minute and three straight shots from the Zips, which all sailed offline, over the next three minutes, the Falcons' Schupbach looked for the go-ahead goal in the 65th minute that flew wide left and out of play.

Refusing to give in, the Falcons weathered three straight shots from the Zips once more, including another stop by Cadel in the 78th minute, and again looked to break the scoreless tie with a shot from Fleak in the 80th minute which was hauled in by Adee for Akron.

Another save from Cadel in the 83rd minute on a shot from in the box from Akron's Sarah Sivic would send the game into overtime where Fleak would give the Falcons the 1-0 win in the 95th minute.

Cadel registered her second win of the season, as the redshirt-sophomore total seven saves for the game.

"We as a defense stayed disciplined for the entire 90-plus minutes and gave a solid effort for the entire match," commented Cadel. "Everyone played hard for the entire 90-plus minutes and everyone gave it all their effort and played with a lot of heart."

Despite being outshot 21-13 for the game, the Falcons placed six shots on frame which was just one less than the Zips seven shots on goal.

BGSU held a 7-5 advantage in saves and an 8-2 edge in fouls, while Akron totaled six corner kicks to the Falcons' three on the afternoon.

It is also the Falcons' first win over Akron since winning 2-0 at Akron back on Oct. 5, 2008.

"We can't wait to spend the next four conference games at home in front of our family and friends," ended Coach Basalyga.

Bowling Green will return home to host Central Michigan on Friday night, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. at Cochrane Field. Friday night's match will kick-off a four match home stand for the Falcons over the next two weeks.

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