Kennedy's Free Kick Propels Falcons Past Ohio

Sunday, October 14

Bowling Green, OH

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

10-3-2, 8-0-0MAC

Ohio

6-6-3, 4-2-2MAC

Ohio

Bowling Green

Chelsee Washington (7), Maureen Kennedy v DePaul - Sept 13 2018

October 14, 2018 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Final Statistics (PDF)Rewatch the BGSU-Ohio Match

Junior sets up one goal & scores another as BGSU wins a school-record ninth-straight match

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Junior Maureen Kennedy had a goal and an assist as the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team remained undefeated in Mid-American Conference play with a 3-1 win over Ohio University Sunday afternoon (Oct. 14) at Cochrane Stadium.

Junior Chelsee Washington and senior Erica Hubert also scored as the Falcons improved to 10-3-2 overall and 8-0-0 in the MAC. Alivia Milseky scored the lone goal for the visiting Bobcats (6-6-3, 4-2-2 MAC).

The win was the Falcons' ninth in a row, a new school record. BGSU is undefeated in the last 10 matches (9-0-1).

Additionally, with the win, BGSU moves ever closer to clinching the second MAC regular-season championship in program history. The Falcons need just one point in the final three matches to clinch an outright title.

Washington scored just over seven minutes into the match, but Milesky tied the score at the 30:20 mark. It marked just the third goal the Falcons have allowed in eight MAC matches – and each of the other two goals BG surrendered came with under 10 minutes to play in a 3-0 game – but the home team needed very little time to respond.

Kennedy blasted a free kick into the far side of the net just over two minutes after Milesky's goal, giving the Falcons the lead for good. Hubert gave the Falcons a two-goal lead with just over eight minutes left in regulation.

Junior Kathleen Duwve made three saves in goal to earn the win for the Falcons. Sydney Malham had four stops for the Bobcats.

With the win, the Falcons have extended the best MAC start in program history. Prior to this season, no BG team had ever won more than three matches to begin conference play.

NOTE OF THE DAY
• During the Falcons' nine-match winning streak, junior Chelsee Washington has scored the first goal of the match on no fewer than six occasions. Five of those goals have come within the first 20 minutes of the game, and on four occasions, including Sunday vs. Ohio, she has given BGSU the lead less than eight minutes into the match.
• On the season, Washington has nine goals and 24 points. All nine goals, and 22 of the 24 points, have come during BG's nine-match winning streak.

FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 1' | Less than one minute into the match, redshirt sophomore Nikki Cox put senior Erica Hubert past the Ohio defense, but Hubert's shot went awry as she got under the bouncing ball a little too much.
• 3' | Junior Chelsee Washington played a through ball to senior Laura Bozzelli, who got tangled up with an Ohio defender. Bozzelli raced into the box, but Bobcat goalkeeper Sydney Malham beat the BG striker to the ball by nanoseconds.
• 8' | GOAL | The Falcons won a corner kick, and junior Maureen Kennedy's kick found the head of Washington near the far post. Washington headed the ball down, and a Bobcat backliner got a boot on the ball, but could not prevent it from crossing the line and hitting the side netting just inside the right post.
• 15' | Junior Kristin Tveit found Cox on the right side of the box, near the end line. Cox cut back to elude a defender and slid a pass across the box, but it was cleared away.
• 16' | After a Bobcat foul just outside the 18, Washington took the ensuing free kick. The junior uncorked a hard shot, but the rising ball went over the crossbar and thumped into the orange covering on the fence behind the north goal.
• 18' | The Bobcats took the ball into the BG end, and Maria Collica hit a low cross into the box from the right side, looking for a teammate near the far post. A BG defender cleared the ball out for a corner kick, and with the ball in the air after that corner, Falcon goalkeeper Kathleen Duwve was knocked to the ground and BG was awarded a free kick.
• 21' | Hubert made a long run with the ball from right to left, starting near midfield and winding up on the box on the left side, but her shot was blocked at the last second.
• 23' | Sophomore Nikhita Jacob stepped up to win a ball, heading it to Cox. Cox neared the top of the 18 and hit a shot that was deflected by a defender and ultimately grabbed by Malham.
• 29' | Kennedy won the ball and played a left-side cross, but Malham made a diving effort to snag the ball in the center of the box, just before senior Marissa Swindell could arrive.
• 31' | GOAL | Ohio tied the score, on a goal that was somewhat similar to BG's first goal of the day. Collica's corner kick was headed home by Alivia Milesky. Milesky got her head on the ball on the far side of the six-yard box, and headed it back across, into the upper-right-hand corner of the goal. It marked the first time in eight MAC matches this season that the Falcons had allowed a first-half goal.
• 33' | GOAL | It took the Falcons just two minutes and 20 seconds to answer. A Jacob pass found freshman Sarah Allen near the top of the box, and she slid the ball to classmate Mackenzie Reuber who was charging down the right side. Reuber was tripped up, and Kennedy took the ensuing free kick. The junior drilled a shot around the Ohio wall, through a maze of players and into the lower-left-hand corner of the net, giving the Falcons the lead for good.
• 43' | After receiving the ball from fellow freshman Ruby Linton, Allen made a nifty move to get around an Ohio defender near the end line on the right side. As Allen planted her foot in preparation of hitting a centering ball, she was knocked to the ground and dispossessed of the ball.

SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 51' | Bozzelli received a forward ball from Washington, and the senior laid the ball off for Cox. Cox hit a diagonal ball toward the far side of the net, where Hubert was racing to meet it. But, Malham was able to grab the ball just before the senior striker could arrive.
• 53' | Cox did nice work to keep possession of the ball near the end line, and she hit a right-side cross into the center, where Bozzelli met the ball. But, Bozzelli's shot from the six-yard line was blocked out for a corner, and as that corner sailed through the air, the Falcons were whistled for a foul.
• 62' | Off of a Bobcat corner, Milesky got her head on the ball in a bid for her second goal of the day. Milsesky's shot sailed toward the goal line, but Duwve made a diving save, plucking the ball out of the air.
• 75' | Senior Alexis Fricke served the ball into the box from the right side. Malham came off of her line in an attempt to knock the ball away, but only got her fingertips on it. The ball bounded in the box, and Jacob was able to get a shot off in traffic, but the shot sailed higih.
• 80' | A forward ball by Cox nearly put Hubert past the Ohio defense. Hubert attempted to settle the ball and take a touch, but as she prepared to shoot at the top of the box with a Bobcat player contesting her, the ball hit off of her knee and bounced toward Malham, who collected the ball to end the threat.
• 82' | GOAL | Cox played another ball forward to Hubert, who raced past an Ohio player and into the box, then toe-poked a shot under Malham and into the net to give the Falcons a two-goal advantage.
• 87' | Once again, Cox found Hubert with a pass. This time, the redshirt sophomore's ball found the senior sniper at the 18-yard line. Hubert took a touch, then a second touch to get around a sliding defender, and hit a hard shot. But, the blast was parried away by Malham, and the 'Cats were able to clear the ball to midfield.

STATISTICS
• BGSU had 17 total shots to Ohio's nine, and the Falcons had a 7-4 lead in shots on goal.
• BG also had a narrow advantage in corner kicks, 5-4. Each team scored directly off of a corner.
• Senior Erica Hubert led all players with six total shots and four shots on goal. Junior Chelsee Washington had five shot attempts for the Falcons.
• Alivia Milesky paced the 'Cats with three shots, putting all three on frame.

QUEST FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP
• BGSU, as mentioned, has drawn closer to earning the 2018 MAC regular-season championship. BG needs just one result – either a win or a tie – over the last three games to clinch the outright title.
• With a perfect 8-0-0 record, the Falcons have 24 points in league play (teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie). BG is eight points ahead of second-place Ball State and nine points in front of third-place Western Michigan.
• Only the Cardinals have a chance to pass the Falcons in the standings, and that would require three BSU wins and three BGSU losses. Similarly, WMU could tie the Falcons at the top with three wins and three BGSU losses.
• The Falcons have defeated both the Cardinals and Broncos in this season's head-to-head meetings.
• The complete MAC standings can be found later in this recap.

FALCON NOTES
• BGSU, as mentioned, is now 8-0-0 in the MAC. The eight conference wins is the second-highest total in school history. The 2005 team posted a 9-2-0 league record en route to earning BG's lone MAC regular-season title to date.
• BGSU has won nine-straight games (a new school record) dating to the final non-league match of the season, and the Falcons are unbeaten in the last 10 matches (9-0-1).
• Prior to the current streak, the longest winning streak in program history was compiled by the '05 team. That club, after beginning MAC play with a 1-2-0 record, won eight-straight matches to end the regular season, en route to a league regular-season title.
• During the nine-match winning streak, the Falcons have outscored the opponents, 26-3. In fact, two Falcons – junior Chelsee Washington (9) and senior Erica Hubert (8) – each have singlehandedly outscored the opposition in that time, while Nikki Cox has three goals during the streak to match the total of BGSU's foes.
• The 10-match unbeaten streak is the second longest in program history. The school record is an 11-match unbeaten streak (9-0-2) in 2005, beginning with the aforementioned eight-straight wins.
• After scoring the first goal of the match just once in the first five contests of the season, the Falcons have scored first in each of the last 10 matches.
• Washington has scored the first goal of the match six times in the last nine contests.
• On the year, BGSU is now 10-0-1 when scoring first, and the Falcons are 0-3-1 when the opponent scores first.
• Sunday's win was the Falcons' 23rd victory since Matt Fannon was named head coach prior to the 2017 season. BGSU has an overall record of 23-10-3 in that time.
• The Falcons are now 14-4-1 in MAC regular-season matches and 16-5-1 in all games vs. conference foes since Fannon assumed the BG helm.
• In the Fannon Era, BGSU is a perfect 22-0-0 when scoring at least two goals, and the Falcons are 1-10-3 when being held to fewer than two goals.
• Washington and Hubert each have nine goals this season, after both players found the back of the net vs. the Bobcats. Hubert now has a team-leading 25 points, while Washington is right behind with 24.
• Junior Maureen Kennedy had a three-point game vs. Ohio, with an assist on Washington's goal, and a goal of her own later in the first half. Kennedy now has 13 points, including three goals and seven assists. Kennedy is tied with Hubert for the team assists lead.
• Cox assisted on Hubert's clinching goal, for her second assist of the season. Cox now has 12 points on the year to rank fourth on the Falcons.
• In her collegiate career, Hubert now has 36 goals and 82 points (along with 12 assists). She ranked second in school history in both career goals and points, and is two assists away from moving onto that BGSU list.
• Hubert has a seven-match point-scoring streak, with 15 points in that time. She has 22 points during the Falcons' 10-match unbeaten streak.
• Washington now has 13 career goals, and has moved past Julie Trundle (2002-05) into sole possession of 11th place on that school list. Washington has a total of 37 career points.
• Kennedy also has 37 points, including eight goals, and her assist was the 21st of her career. She has moved into a tie for fourth place on the school list, matching Megan Amann's (2008-11) total. Trundle holds the school record with 33 career assists.
• Kennedy had the game-winning goal on Sunday, her second of the season and the third of her career.
• Cox now has collegiate totals of 12 goals, four assists and 28 points. She played at UNC Wilmington prior to transferring to BGSU in time for the Spring 2018 semester.
• Cox has a four-game point-scoring streak. After recording an assist at Central Michigan, she had the GWG in back-to-back matches, against Eastern Michigan and Kent State, before assisting on Hubert's goal Sunday vs. Ohio.
• BGSU, off to a school-record 8-0-0 start in the MAC, obviously has been atop the league standings since conference play began. Sunday marked the fifth time that the first-place Falcons played either a team tied with them at the top of the table, or right behind them in second place.
• Junior goalkeeper Kathleen Duwve allowed a goal for just the third time in eight MAC matches this season. She has a goals-against average of just 0.61 this season, and a career GAA of 0.96 in over 2600 minutes.
• In MAC play, Duwve's GAA is just 0.40. She has allowed just three goals in 675 MAC minutes, and has a saves percentage of .906 in conference contests this season.
• The Falcons have a record of 7-1-1 at home this season, and BGSU is 12-1-1 at Cochrane Stadium in the last 14 matches. In that time, the Falcons have outscored the opponents, 37-9, at Cochrane.

MAC STANDINGS
(through Sunday's matches)
SCHOOL (Overall) MAC Pts.
1. Bowling Green (10-3-2) 8-0-0 24
2. Ball State (9-3-2) 5-2-1 16
3. Western Mich. (11-5-0) 5-3-0 15
4. Ohio (6-6-3) 4-2-2 14
5. Kent State (8-6-2) 4-3-1 13
Toledo (8-6-2) 4-3-1 13
7. Buffalo (10-5-0) 4-4-0 12
Central Mich. (6-10-0) 4-4-0 12
9. Eastern Mich. (8-9-0) 3-5-0 9
10. Akron (5-9-2) 2-5-1 7
11. Miami (3-11-1) 1-7-0 3
Northern Ill. (2-14-0) 1-7-0 3

WHAT'S NEXT?
• The Falcons hit the road for a Thursday (Oct. 18) match at Akron. That contest will begin at 7:00 p.m. at UA's FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
• Then, BGSU closes the road portion of the regular-season schedule on Sunday (Oct. 21), taking on Buffalo in a 12:00 p.m. start at UB Stadium.
• The regular season concludes when Toledo comes to town on Thursday, Oct. 25. That match will begin at 3:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and admission is free to all BGSU regular-season home soccer action.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• For more information on the women's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUWSoccer), Instagram (bgsuwsoccer) and Facebook (bgsuwsoccer) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.