BGSU Battles Ball State in Sunday's MAC Tournament Championship

Sunday, November 4

Bowling Green, OH

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Ball State (Championship)

Erica Hubert Nikhita Jacob v Ohio - Nov 2 2018

November 03, 2018 | Women's Soccer

MAC Women's Soccer Tournament Info.MAC Championship Central

Falcons, Cardinals meet with tourney title, NCAA Tournament berth on the line

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

FALCONS vs. BALL STATE – Sunday, Nov. 4 – MAC Tournament Championship
• 1:00 p.m. | Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
• Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com | Twitter: @BGSUWSoccer
• Video: WBGU-TV (YouTube)

MATCH DAY / FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Links to any live audio/video/stats will be available on the women's soccer schedule page right here at BGSUFalcons.com on match day

BGSU WOMEN'S SOCCER LINKS
This Week's BGSU Notes
2018 BGSU Women's Soccer Releases/Notes
The Opponent: Ball State
Friday Recap (Nov. 2): Falcons in the Final! Reyes Goal Lifts BGSU Past Ohio
2018 Women's Soccer... Schedule | Roster | Media Guide/Record Book
Join the Falcon Club Today!

UP NEXT IN FALCON SOCCER
• The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team returns to the Mid-American Conference Tournament's championship match for the second-straight season. Head coach Matt Fannon and the Falcons, the MAC regular-season champions and the number-one seed for the league tourney, will face second-seeded Ball State University on Sunday (Nov. 4) afternoon, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.

TICKETS
Ticket prices for this weekend's MAC Tournament are as follows...
   • All-tournament pass....................... $10.00
   • Adult tickets...................... $6.00 per day
   • Youth tickets (age 12 and under)... $2.00 per day
   • College Students.......................... Free ^
   ^ students must present MAC institution ID

Twenty-four hours from now... pic.twitter.com/LnHuEiSRCu
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) November 3, 2018

THE FALCONS AND THE MAC TOURNAMENT
• BGSU enters the Ball State game with an all-time record of 15-7-5 in MAC Tournament matches. The Falcons' .648 winning percentage is the third-highest among all MAC schools.

• The 2018 season marks just the second time the Falcons have been the number-one seed for the MAC Tournament. BGSU now has a record of 3-0-2 as the top seed. The 2005 team did not allow a goal from scrimmage en route to the tourney title, but BG battled Toledo (quarterfinals) and Kent State (final) to scoreless draws before advancing via penalty kicks. On Sunday (Oct. 28), top-seeded BGSU downed Eastern Michigan, 2-1, in the quarterfinal round of the 2018 league tourney, and the Brown and Orange topped Ohio, 1-0, on Friday night (Nov. 2).

• Last season, Matt Fannon – the 2017 and 2018 MAC Coach of the Year – led the fourth-seeded Falcons to a pair of league tourney wins as BG advanced to the championship match before falling in overtime.

• The 2018 trip to the final marks BGSU's seventh MAC Tournament championship-game appearance in program history. The Falcons are tied for the league record in that category, as only Miami has also been to the final on seven occasions.

• BGSU qualified for the MAC Tournament just twice during the first five years of the program, before making the tourney in seven-straight seasons from 2002-08. The Falcons advanced to at least the semifinal round in six of those seven years.

• The Falcons have had a knack for pulling off upset victories in the MAC Tournament over the years. BGSU was seeded either seventh or eighth for the league tourney in 2000, 2003 and 2004, but advanced to the MAC Tournament's championship match in all three seasons, winning the title in '04.

• That 2004 MAC Tournament title was the first in program history. Then, in 2005, BGSU captured both the regular-season and tournament crowns, winning the league tourney title at Cochrane Stadium.

• After making the MAC Tournament in seven-straight seasons, BG then went eight years in a row (2009-16) without qualifying. The Falcons, as mentioned earlier, returned to the league tournament last season, downing Buffalo and upsetting top-seeded Kent State to advance to the final.

• BGSU is now 7-1-2 at home, 5-3-1 on the road and 3-3-2 in neutral-site matches in the MAC Tournament. The Falcons are 9-1-1 in the quarterfinal round, 5-3-2 in the semifinals and 1-3-2 in championship-match appearances.

• Five of BGSU's MAC Tournament matches required penalty kicks, and the Falcons advanced past the opponent in four of those five matches, meaning that BG has survived and advanced in 19 of 27 league tourney contests.

• Much more information on BGSU's MAC Tournament history can be found on page 15 of the PDF version of these notes.

THE FALCONS VS. BALL STATE IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
• Sunday's match marks the second meeting between BGSU and Ball State in MAC Tournament play. The teams met in Muncie in the 2007 tourney's semifinal round, and the fourth-seeded Falcons battled the top-seeded Cardinals to a scoreless tie through regulation and two overtime periods.

• Alexa Arsenault blanked the Cards through 110 minutes in that match, but BG coach Andy Richards made a substitution in goal prior to the penalty-kick phase, and Christy Zabek made her coaches look like geniuses. Zabek stopped two of the three shots she faced, and the other BSU attempt went wide, as the Falcons advanced, 3-0 on PKs.

BREAKING RECORDS
• The Falcons have broken the school records for most home wins in a season and most consecutive victories at home.

• After Friday's (Nov. 2) win over Ohio in the MAC Tournament semifinals, BGSU is now 10-1-1 at Cochrane Stadium this fall. The old record for home wins in a season was held by the 2008 team, which went 8-1-1. Three previous BG teams, including last year's club, posted seven wins at home.

• And, BG has won nine-straight matches at Cochrane, breaking the mark of seven set by that 2008 team.

MAC CHAMPS! FALCONS CAPTURE CONFERENCE REGULAR-SEASON CROWN
• With a 5-0 win at Buffalo on Oct. 21, the Falcons clinched the second regular-season championship in the 22-year history of the program. The 2005 team was the only previous BG club to capture a regular-season title.

• BGSU's 2-1 win over Toledo (Oct. 25) was the Falcons' 10th MAC victory this year, a new school record. The '05 club went 9-2-0 in league play. This year's BG team also finished with the highest MAC winning percentage in school history, and the 2018 Falcons tied for the third-best winning pct. in MAC history.

A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons have an overall record of 14-4-2, and BGSU finished the regular sesaon with a 10-1-0 record in conference play. The Falcons won the 2018 MAC regular-season title, the second league regular-season crown in program history, and BG's total of 14 wins this year ties the school record.

• Regardless of Sunday's result vs. Ball State, the 2018 BGSU team will finish the season with the best winning percentage in program history.

• BGSU won nine-straight games before a 1-0 loss at Akron (Oct. 18), but the Falcons bounced back with a 5-0 win at Buffalo (Oct. 21), then returned home and topped Toledo (Oct. 25) and Eastern Michigan (Oct. 28) by identical 2-1 scores. BG increased the current win streak to four matches with a 1-0 victory over Ohio on Friday night (Nov. 2).

• The Falcons are 10-1-1 at home, 4-3 on the road and 0-0-1 in neutral-site matches this season to date. BGSU has outscored opponents, 41-12, including 30-6 in the 13 total contests against conference competition this fall.

• BGSU has scored two or more goals in a match on 12 occasions this season, including 10 times in the 13 matches vs. MAC foes. The Falcons have allowed as many as two goals only once, in a 2-0 loss at then-No. 15 Northwestern.

• Following that Northwestern match on Sept. 9, BGSU never trailed at any point in any game until Akron scored with just 1:41 left in that contest. The Falcons had gone a total of 1008:19 – nearly 17 hours of match time – without finding themselves behind on the scoreboard. BG did trail for over half of the UT match before rallying to win.

• Senior Erica Hubert and junior Chelsee Washington have paced the BG attack. Hubert, who exploded for an eight-point match at Buffalo (with a hat trick and a pair of assists), has BGSU-leading totals of 12 goals, a school record-tying 10 assists and 34 points. Washington has nine goals, nine helpers and 27 points, and the junior has scored a team-leading four game-winning goals. She was named the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week on Sept. 25.

• Redshirt sophomore Nikki Cox and junior Maureen Kennedy have 18 points apiece, respectively. Cox has eight goals to rank third on the team, including both BG markers in Sunday's EMU match. Cox had all three goals in the two matches vs. the Eagles this year, and now has three game-winning goals this season.

• Kennedy also has three GWG this season. She had a goal and an assist in the Toledo match, and had another assist in the Ohio rematch, her 10th of the year. She is tied with Hubert for the team assists lead, and also has a share of the school single-season record.

• Additionally, Kennedy is one-third of a veteran back line (along with seniors Morgan Abbitt and Alexis Fricke) that helped BG to seven shutouts in 13 matches vs. MAC opponents.

• Junior Kathleen Duwve has started all 20 matches in goal this season, and has 73 saves and a goals-against average of just 0.62. She has posted six complete-match shutouts and combined on three other clean sheets.

• In MAC games only, Hubert led the league in goals (8), assists (7) and points (23), while Washington finished second in goals (7) and points (19). Kennedy was second in the entire conference in assists, and also was ranked among the top 10 in points.

• Duwve's GAA in MAC action was just 0.49. She allowed only five goals in 927-plus minutes, and had a saves pct. of .878 in conference clashes this season. She led/leads the MAC in GAA and saves pct., both overall and in league games only.

• Not surprisingly, the Falcons led the entire league in a veritable plethora of categories during conference play, including goals, assists, points, shots, shot percentage, fewest goals allowed, shutouts and GAA.

• Head coach Matt Fannon and his staff – assistant coaches Cian McDonald, Dan Ball and Erin Kielmeyer – welcomed back 18 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last year's team. BGSU finished the 2017 season with an overall record of 13-7-1, and the Falcons placed second in the MAC's East Division.

• The Falcons are 16-5-1 in MAC regular-season matches and 20-6-1 in all games vs. conference foes since Fannon assumed the helm prior to the 2017 season.

A FEW MORE FASCINATING FALCON FUTBOL FACTS
• Senior Jennifer Reyes scored the lone goal in Friday night's MAC Tournament semifinal. For Reyes, the goal was her first of the season, and it was the first game-winning goal of her career. Additionally, it was her first goal at Cochrane Stadium. She now has three goals and 13 points in her BGSU career.

• The win vs. Ohio was the Falcons' 27th victory since Matt Fannon was named head coach prior to the 2017 season. BGSU has an overall record of 27-11-3 in that time.

• BGSU's total of 27 overall wins since Fannon's arrival includes 16 MAC regular-season victories. During the previous eight seasons (2009-16), BG won a total of 15 MAC regular-season matches. The Falcons were 15-61-12 in MAC play in that eight-year stretch, but BG is 16-5-1 in the league over the last two years.

• Friday night marked just the second time since Fannon assumed the helm that BG won a match despite scoring fewer than two goals. In the Fannon Era, BGSU is a perfect 25-0-0 when scoring at least two goals, and the Falcons are now 2-11-3 when being held to fewer than two goals.

• The Falcons have a record of 10-1-1 at home this season, and BGSU is 15-1-1 at Cochrane Stadium in the last 17 matches. In that time, the Falcons have outscored the opponents, 42-11, at Cochrane.

• Redshirt sophomore Nikki Cox scored just 1:03 into Sunday's EMU match, the Falcons' earliest goal of the season. In 13 total games vs. MAC teams this fall, BGSU has scored a goal in under eight minutes five times. And, the Falcons have taken the lead with under 15 minutes elapsed in no fewer than seven of those 12 matchups.

• The regular season-ending win over Toledo was the Falcons' first come-from-behind win of the year. BGSU has trailed during regulation in only four of this season's 20 matches – the Loyola Marymount (Aug. 17), Northwestern (Sept. 9), Akron (Oct. 18) and UT contests.

• This season, BGSU has led for a total of 868:06 and trailed for just 185:08. In 1170 total minutes against MAC foes, BG has led for an eye-popping 731:49, and the Falcons were behind for a total of 59:15.

• On the year, BGSU is now 13-0-1 when scoring first, and the Falcons are 1-4-1 when the opponent scores first.

THE OPPONENTS
• Ball State is 14-3-2 overall, and the Cardinals went 9-2-1 in MAC regular-season play, good for second place. BSU began the MAC slate with a 1-1-2 record, but the Cards have won nine-straight matches since that time, including a 1-0, double-OT win over Western Michigan on Friday (Nov. 2). Each of BSU's last three wins, and five victories during the current streak, have come in OT. BSU is 7-1-0 at home, 6-2-2 on the road and 1-0-0 in neutral-site matches. Tatiana Mason, the MAC Freshman of the Year, has team-high totals of six goals and 15 points, while Paula Guerrero has 10 points. Tristin Stuteville has started every match in goal, and has seven shutouts and a GAA of just 0.70. Coach Craig Roberts welcomed back 19 players from a 2017 club that went 11-7-3 overall and 8-1-2 in the MAC.

THE SERIES
• The Falcons trail Ball State, 14-4-3, in the all-time series, but BGSU won this year's regular-season meeting, 3-0, in Muncie (Sept. 23), for the team's first win over the Cards since 2008. Last year, BSU pulled out a 2-1 win at Cochrane – BG's only home loss to a MAC team in the Matt Fannon Era. BG is 2-7-0 at home and 2-7-3 on the road vs. the Cardinals through the years.

DOWN THE ROAD...
• The BGSU-Ball State survivor earns the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. The 64-team NCAA tourney field will be announced on Monday (Nov. 5) at 4:30 p.m. ET, and 32 first-round games will be played at campus sites on Nov. 9, 10 or 11.

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