BGSU Welcomes NIU, WMU to Town for Second Weekend of MAC Slate

FALCONS vs. NORTHERN ILLINOIS – Friday, Sept. 28
• 7:00 p.m. | Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
• Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com | Twitter: @BGSUWSoccer
• Video: WBGU-TV | Audio: Bowling Green Radio Sports (BGRSO)

FALCONS vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN – Sunday, Sept. 30
• 1:00 p.m. | Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
• Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com | Twitter: @BGSUWSoccer
• Video: WBGU-TV | Audio: Bowling Green Radio Sports (BGRSO)

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 Opponents: NIU | WMU
Tuesday Afternoon: Washington Named National Player of the Week
United Soccer Coaches Release: USC Honors Seven with P-O-W Award
Earlier on Tuesday afternoon: Washington, Duwve Sweep MAC Weekly Awards
Top Drawer Soccer: Women's Team of the Week (Sept. 25)
Friday Recap: Falcons Strike Early in Win at Miami
Sunday Recap: BG Bests Ball State Behind Washington's Brace
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, off to a 2-0-0 start in Mid-American Conference play for the first time in eight years, returns home for a pair of conference contests this weekend. Head coach Matt Fannon and the Falcons host Northern Illinois University on Friday evening (Sept. 28), with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.

• Then, the Brown and Orange will face Western Michigan on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 30), with first touch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane. As always, admission to all Falcon home regular-season soccer action is free.

PROMOTIONS
• FRIDAY: Youth Soccer Night // Future Falcon Kids Club Night (autographs with team)
• SUNDAY: Dog Day (bring your dog to the game!)

GREAT START!
• The Falcons are off to a 2-0-0 start in the MAC for the first time since 2010, and only the fifth time in the 22-year history of the program. In addition to that 2010 campaign, BGSU also began the conference schedule with two wins in 1999, 2000 and 2006.

• The 2018 team is only the second to begin the league slate with a pair of road wins. The 2000 club picked up victories at Central Michigan and Toledo to kick off the conference schedule. BG opened with a pair of home wins in both '06 and '10, and the Falcons won one home game and one road contest to start the MAC slate in '99.

• The 2000 team is the only one in program history to begin the MAC schedule with a 3-0-0 record. That club won three road matches, then dropped the next three contests, all at home.

Chelsee Washington.

National Player of the Week.@BGSUWSoccer @UnitedCoaches https://t.co/BgbP6W3fNP pic.twitter.com/YA1oMwDZav
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) September 25, 2018

WASHINGTON WOWS 'EM
• Junior Chelsee Washington has enjoyed some success, to say the very least, over the past few weeks. Washington has a team-leading 14 points this season, including 13 over the last four games and 12 in the last three matches.

• Washington scored the first goal in each of the last three matches, after assisting on the opening goal in the match prior to that. Each of the three goals proved to be the game winner.

• Washington entered the Youngstown State match (Sept. 16) with a career total of four goals, but she has found the back of the net five times in the last three contests. Washington now has three multiple-goal matches in her career, including two in the last three games.

• Washington scored the first two goals of that YSU match, with those goals coming just 3:22 apart midway through the first half. She scored on a free kick only 1:50 into Friday's (Sept. 21) match at Miami, then had the primary assist in the second half of that 2-0 win.

• Two days later, she again found the net in the opening moments, with a blast from outside the 18 just 3:09 into the contest. She added a second goal later in the opening half.

• In addition to being directly involved in four of BG's five goals (three goals, one assist) during the MAC-opening weekend, Washington hit the crossbar with a header at Miami, and she hit the post with another shot at Ball State. Her final shot at BSU was knocked away by a defender on the goal line for a 'team save.'

DEFENSE DOES THE JOB
• While Chelsee Washington and the Falcons have gotten off to a quick start on offense over the last few matches, the BG defense has also gotten the job done. Junior goalkeeper Kathleen Duwve and the Falcons – including the starting back line of seniors Morgan Abbitt and Alexis Fricke and junior Maureen Kennedy – have posted three-straight shutouts.

• Duwve and fellow Falcon 'keepers Victoria Cope and Monica Florez shared the clean sheet in the YSU match, as their teammates held the Penguins without a shot on goal. In the MAC opener, BG limited Miami to only one shot on frame, and the Falcons held Ball State to a total of four shots on goal over the 90 minutes on Sunday.

• BGSU now has four shutouts in this year's eight matches, and the Falcons have a team goals-against average of just 0.62.

A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons are 4-3-2 this season, and BGSU enters the NIU match with a 2-0-0 MAC record. As mentioned, the Falcons posted victories at Miami and Ball State to open the conference slate, and BG is unbeaten over the last four matches.

• The Falcons are 2-1-1 at home, 2-2 on the road and 0-0-1 in neutral-site matches this season to date. BGSU has outscored opponents, 16-6.

• After playing a pair of overtime matches in Hawai'i to begin the campaign, BGSU topped Oakland, 3-0, in the home opener. The team's scheduled match at Valparaiso was halted late in the first half due to lightning and was ultimately cancelled, and BG then dropped matches against Xavier and No. 15 Northwestern.

• Then, BG battled DePaul to a 1-1, double-OT draw at Cochrane Stadium, before posting a 6-0 victory vs. Youngstown State to close the non-conference schedule.

• Sunday's win came against a Ball State team that had been 25-1-4 in home games and 16-1-0 in MAC regular-season home contests since the start of the 2015 season.

• Junior Chelsee Washington has a team-leading 14 points on the season, while
senior Erica Hubert has 13. Both Washington and Hubert have five goals, and Washington also has a BG-best four assists. Washington has scored 13 points and Hubert 10 over the last four matches.

• Redshirt sophomore Nikki Cox has three goals and six points on the year, while junior Maureen Kennedy has five points on a goal and three assists. She is tied with Hubert for second on the team in the latter category. Junior Kathleen Duwve has started all nine matches in goal this season, and has 35 saves, three complete-match shutouts and a goals-against average of just 0.65.

• A total of 27 players have seen action in at least one match this year, and 16 of those players have made at least one start.

• 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 were the most improved team in the Mid-American Conference a year ago, with a four-game improvement over the 2016 season. BGSU's turnaround tied the team for 28th in the country in that department.

• BG' total of 13 victories a year ago was the second-highest in school history, while the Falcons' six conference wins represented the team's most since 2008.

• Fannon was voted the 2017 MAC Coach of the Year, and the Brown and Orange had four All-MAC Team selections. Two of those four returned, as Hubert was one of three Falcons to earn all-league first-team honors a season ago, while Alexis Fricke was named to the all-conference second team.

HUBERT WATCH
• Redshirt senior Erica Hubert has proven to be a potent offensive threat for the Falcons every time she takes the field. Hubert enters the NIU match with a career total of 72 points, including 32 goals, for the Orange and Brown.

• Hubert has moved into second place on the BGSU career goals list, trailing only Kristy Coppes (52 goals from 2001-04). With 10 points in the Falcons' last four games, Hubert has moved into third place on that career list. She is behind only Coppes (111 points) and Samantha Meister (73 points from 2002-05).

• Hubert has scored eight career match-winning goals, tying her for third on that BG list. She is just one behind second-place Corbie Yee (2005-08). Coppes, not surprisingly, holds the BG mark with 14 match winners.

• Hubert now has 22 goals and 50 points at Cochrane Stadium, trailing only Coppes (28 goals and 60 points in home games) on this BG lists.

THE OPPONENTS
• Northern Illinois is 1-9-0 on the year, and the Huskies are 0-2 in MAC play after losses to Buffalo and Akron last weekend. Trudy Quidzinski paces the club with two goals and four points, while Megan Donnally has played in nine of the 10 matches in goal, and has 67 saves and a 2.35 GAA. Julie Colhoff is in her first season at the Huskie helm. Last year, NIU went 8-10-1 overall and 5-6-0 in the MAC.

• Western Michigan is 8-2-0 overall, and the Broncos, like BG, enter the weekend with a 2-0 MAC record. WMU topped UA and UB at home last weekend, and the Broncos are at Toledo Friday before meeting BG Sunday. Grace Labadie has 11 points, including seven assists, while Alyssa Burke has four goals and 10 points for the Broncos of first-year coach Sarah Stanczyk. Hannah Sargent has played every second in goal and has five shutouts and a GAA of just 0.90. Last year, the Broncos went 10-8-1 overall and 5-5-1 in the MAC.

THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Northern Illinois, 10-9-3, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Falcons have won the last two meetings, including a 2-1 verdict in DeKalb last year and a 2-0 triumph at Cochrane in 2016. BGSU is 4-6-1 in home matches, 5-3-2 on the road and 0-1-0 in neutral-site contests vs. the Huskies.

• The Falcons trail Western Michigan, 17-7-1, in that series, and the Broncos have won nine-straight meetings. Last year, WMU picked up a 2-1 win in Kalamazoo, and the Broncos captured a 4-3 decision at Cochrane in 2016, despite a first-half hat trick by Erica Hubert. BG's last series win came in the quarterfinals of the 2008 MAC Tournament. BG is 4-6-1 at home, 1-11-0 on the road and 2-0-0 in neutral-site matchups with Western.

DOWN THE ROAD...
• The NIU match begins a stretch which sees the Falcons play five of six games at home. Following Sunday's WMU contest, BG will take to the road to face Central Michigan on Thursday, Oct. 4.

• Then, three days later (Oct. 7), the Brown and Orange will begin a three-game homestand with a matchup against Eastern Michigan.

• Admission to all home regular-season matches is free.

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