BGSU Women’s Soccer Ties WSU in Final Preseason Exhibition

Friday, August 15

Bowling Green, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Wright State (Scrimmage)

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

August 15, 2014 | Women's Soccer

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

Box Score (PDF)
Box Score (HTML)
Video: Postgame Interview with Coach Basalyga
Video: Postgame Interview with Kylie. Briem
Audio: Postgame Interview with Coach Basalyga
Audio: Postgame Interview with Kylie. Briem
Photo Gallery

Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team got a goal late in the second half from freshman Mikaela Couch to finish in a 1-1 tie with the Raiders of Wright State University in exhibition play on Friday night at Cochrane Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio.

The match, which was the Falcons final preseason tune up gives the Falcons two draws over their two exhibition matches this season.

BGSU trailed for most of the contest, yet refused to quit and battled back to tie the match up late in the contest when in the 85th minute freshman defender Elisa Baeron played a ball towards the middle of the field to fellow newcomer Skylar Fleak. Fleak received the pass just outside of the 18-yard box and played the ball towards the left side of the box where Couch snuck past a defender and put a shot across the box and past the goalkeeper into the right side of the net for the equalizer.

The Falcons found themselves down early in the match, as Wright State scored in the sixth minute of the contest to go up 1-0 early.

The Raiders' Natalie Sedlock sent a pass into the middle of the box where fellow teammate Savannah Carmosino settled the ball, turned and fired off a shot with her left foot that sailed over BGSU's Evelina Hellgren's head and into the goal to put the visitors on top 1-0.

Bowling Green quickly tried to get the goal back, as junior Haley Parkinson had a shot halted by WSU's goalkeeper Halle Pyle in the 10th minute, while fellow BGSU teammate Kara Ross attempted to take advantage of a misplayed ball by the Raider defense only to see her shot roll into the arms of the goalkeeper in the 14th minute.
The BGSU defense stepped up big minutes later, as the Falcons made a team save on a Mackenzie Hamilton shot attempt in the 17th minute and then saw Hellgren haul in a WSU header that was on target five minutes later to keep the score at 1-0 where it would stand going into the halftime break.

The intensity and energy level picked up for both teams in the second half of play, as the Falcons came out looking to put pressure on the Raiders defense with shots from Couch and Baeron in the opening 12 minutes of the frame.

After BGSU's Jessica Creech had a shot go across the goal and just wide of the post in the 60th minute, the Falcons saw a great chance to tie the match up minutes later when Ashley Garr sent a laser towards the goal from just outside the top of the box. However, the ball went right into the waiting arms of WSU's Pyle in the center of the goal to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard with 25 minutes to go in the match.

Each keeper would make a save over the next several minutes until Garr again put a shot on line, this time off a free kick from 30 yards out which was caught by Pyle once more, this time in the 81st minute.

With the Falcons continuing to put pressure on the WSU defense, the Raiders looked for an insurance goal late and take advantage of a misplayed ball by the Falcons' Hellgren. In the 82nd minute, the freshman goalkeeper attempted to clear a ball out, but was unable to and found herself out of position when Kalee Thompson lined up a shot in what appeared to be an open net. However, freshman defender Rachel Winters flew into the box at the last second to clear the ball out before it crossed the goal line.

The team save proved to be huge, as just three minutes later the freshmen trio of Baeron, Fleak and Couch combined to score the equalizer in the 85th minute in the 1-1 draw.
BGSU outshot WSU 12-11 for the match, including 7-5 in the second half of play, while five different Falcon players placing at least one shot on goal for the match.
Both Baeron and Fleak were credited with an assist on the Couch goal.

Hellgren made two stops on 11 Raider shot attempts over the 90 minute contest.

The Falcons will return to the pitch in exactly one week, when BGSU will open up the 2014 regular season slate against Morehead State on Friday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.

###