Despite a Kennedy Goal Early in the Second Half, Falcons Fall to EMU

Thursday, October 6

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

7-6-0 (2-3MAC)

Eastern Michigan

3-8-2 (1-4MAC)

Eastern Michigan

Bowling Green

Despite a Kennedy Goal Early in the Second Half, Falcons Fall to EMU

October 06, 2016 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Jenna Jorgensen (Assistant Director of Athletic Communications)

Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Despite a push early in the second half, the Bowling Green women's soccer team fell to Eastern Michigan in Mid-American Conference play at home Thursday night. In the 2-1 loss, freshman Maureen Kennedy capitalized off of a free kick to earn her third goal of the season.

"I think we are lacking in our own self-belief right now," Bowling Green women's soccer head coach Lindsay Basalyga said. "I think for us right now, it's a mental shift and we aren't matching the energy and belief we have leading up to game time while under pressure. Eastern Michigan did well in the first half by knocking the ball around and we couldn't lock up possession once we got it, so we dug ourselves into a bit of a hole."

The Eagles were able to get on the board early, as sophomore Peyton Davis picked up a long through ball pass from centerfield and tucked it in the lower left corner of the net just under eight minutes into the match. Eastern Michigan then went up to a 2-0 lead 15 minutes before halftime with a ball headed into the lower right hand corner of the goal.

Kennedy made an impact early in the second half, as she took a long free kick just over three minutes into the start of play after halftime. The Cypress, Calif. native's attempt soared over the reach of the defenders and flew past the keeper into the middle right of the goal. The shot was the only one the freshman took all night, and was one of the Falcons seven attempted over the 90 minutes of play.

As the time wound down, Eastern Michigan had a chance to extend its lead with 26 minutes remaining, although senior Melissa Needham played a crucial role in tying up the attacker and splitting up the breakaway opportunity, to keep it at a one-goal deficit.

The Falcons continued to press the Eagles with offensive opportunities, including a chance created by junior Madison Schupbach, earning one of her two shots on the night. Other shots came from junior Skylar Fleak, redshirt sophomore Erica Hubert, and senior Alexa Cheripko, although Eastern Michigan's defense held it at a 2-1 mark. Redshirt sophomore Jennifer Reyes also tallied a shot in the first half as she took a chance on a ball far in front of the goal, and attacked straight on just 17 minutes in.

"We're still learning how to win. It's a process, and believing and buying into that process is a daily challenge for us," said Coach Basalyga. "It's just asking 11 people at a time to show up and be present in the moments they're on the field."

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Lauren Cadel started in goal for the Bowling Green squad and tallied three saves on the night, while freshman goalkeeper Kathleen Duwve came in at the half and denied Eastern Michigan's offense for the remainder of the match. The Sylvania, Ohio native earned three saves and deterred any goal-scoring opportunities over the course of her 45 minutes of play.

"We now have three tough games on the road coming up and we just need to get back to who we are in training and focus on the next opponent by not looking too far in advance beyond one specific game," Coach Basalyga added. "We need to get back after it tomorrow before we head up to Central Michigan this weekend."

The Bowling Green women's soccer team will now have a three-match stint on the road, beginning with MAC play at Central Michigan this Sunday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.