Falcons Down UB, 2-1, to Advance to Championship Match for Third-Straight Year

Friday, November 8

Bowling Green, OH

4:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

14-5-2, 10-1-0

Buffalo (Semifinals)

9-8-3, 5-4-2

Buffalo

Bowling Green

Katie Cox scored what proved to be the winning goal on Friday vs. UB

Photo by: Isaiah Vazquez/BGSU Athletics

Falcons Down UB, 2-1, to Advance to Championship Match for Third-Straight Year

November 08, 2019 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Final Stats Second SF Stats: EMU 5, Ohio 2 BGSU-UB Photo Gallery (Isaiah Vazquez)BGSU-UB Highlights Chelsee Washington Interview Katie Cox Interview Matt Fannon Interview Photo Gallery

BGSU to face EMU in Sunday's final at Cochrane

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team scored two first-half goals less than seven minutes apart en route to a 2-1 win over the University at Buffalo on Friday afternoon/evening (Nov. 8). The match, a Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinal-round contest, was held at Cochrane Stadium on the BGSU campus.

With the win, the Falcons (14-5-2) advance to the conference tournament's championship match for the third consecutive year. BGSU, the top-seeded team in the league tourney, will meet seventh-seeded Eastern Michigan University in Sunday's final. The second semifinal saw the Eagles defeat sixth-seeded Ohio University, 5-2, behind four goals from Kristin Hullibarger.

For the Falcons, senior Chelsee Washington converted a penalty kick in the 18th minute, after a handball on UB in the box. With just over 24 minutes gone, freshman Katie Cox redirected a cross from sophomore Sarah Allen into the far side of the net.

The Bulls (9-8-3) scored on a PK by Marcy Barberic with just over 10 minutes to go, after a BG foul in the penalty area. But, the Falcons would hold UB without a shot attempt for the remainder of the contest.

NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• The Falcons, as mentioned, have qualified for the MAC Tournament final for the third consecutive season. BGSU will play in the league tourney final for the eighth time in program history, a MAC record.
• BGSU is now 17-7-6 in MAC Tournament matches, and the Falcons are now 9-1-3 in home league tourney contests.

BONUS NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• Friday's victory was the Falcons' 14th win of the season, tying the school record. The 2005 team originally set the mark, with a record of 14-7-2. That club won the first MAC regular-season championship in program history, then went on to capture the league tourney for the second consecutive year.
• After winning 13 matches in 2017, head coach Matt Fannon's first season with the Falcons, BG tied the school record for victories last year. The 2018 team went 14-5-3 en route to capturing the MAC regular-season and tourney titles.
• This season, BGSU is now 14-5-2 heading into Sunday's EMU match.

FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 9' | Sophomores Mackenzie Reuber and Sarah Allen combined to get he ball to Nikki Cox, and the redshirt junior in turn slid a pass to senior Hannah Dolfuss, who hit a shot from 15 yards out. But, it was blocked by a UB defender.
• 12' | The Bulls' Marcy Barberic hit a shot that forced senior goalkeeper Kathleen Duwve into her first save of the night.
• 14' | Senior Chelsee Washington and Nikki Cox worked a combination play before Washington played the ball ahead to Allen on the right side. Allen, on the end line, headed into the box and slid a low cross to Washington, but the senior's shot went over the bar.
• 16' | UB's Kara Daly took a pass from Barberic and hit a shot, but Duwve was there to make the stop.
• 18' | GOAL | Nikki Cox brought the ball into the right side of the penalty area, and attempted to cross it toward the center. The cross hit the arm of a UB defender, and a penalty kick was awarded. Washington stepped up and drilled a shot past UB goalkeeper Emily Kelly to give the Falcons the lead.
• 20' | Washington found Allen with a pass, and Allen hit a nice shot that forced Kelly into an equally-nice save, as she tipped the ball out for a corner kick.
• 25' | GOAL | Washington played the ball forward to Allen on the left side, and Allen crossed the ball into the center of the box. Freshman Katie Cox, near the six-yard line, redirected the cross into the far side of the net to give the Falcons a two-goal lead.
• 27' | Washington's through-ball put freshman Kennedy White behind the UB defense, but Kelly made a nifty kick save on White's breakaway attempt in the box.
• 28' | Less than a minute later, a dangerous shot from Nikki Cox forced Kelly into another impressive save.
• 42' | Freshman Jasmijn Dijsselhof won a corner kick, and classmate Lena Kovar's corner found the head of Washington, but the shot was off the mark. Washington displayed an impressive knack for getting her head on corner kicks all game long, at both the offensive and defensive end of the field.

SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 50' | Nikki Cox was fouled, and Kovar's free kick found the head of Washington, who nodded the ball down toward the ground. But, Kelly was able to grab the hard shot off of the bounce.
• 59' | Washington's through-ball put Katie Cox into the box on the left side, but her cross into the center of the area – with Allen lurking on the doorstep – was blocked.
• 66' | Reuber worked a combination play with White, with the return pass finding Reuber in the box. She poked a shot toward goal as she and Kelly collided, but the UB 'keeper made the save.
• 69' | Nikki Cox took a pass from her sister and made a long run into the UB box on a counterattack, but was dispossessed of the ball as she went to the ground.
• 72' | Allen took a Reuber pass and hit a hard shot, but Kelly made a great save to knock the ball out for a corner.
• 80' | GOAL | After a foul on BG in the box, a penalty kick was awarded, and Barberic converted that kick to cut the Falcons' lead in half.
• 81' | Roughly 30 seconds after the goal, the Falcons threatened to restore the two-goal lead. Sophomore Lynsey Spotts started the sequence, finding Washington, who played a pass to Nikki Cox. A low pass from the redshirt junior resulted in a hard shot by White on the far side of the box, but Kelly made a spectacular stop.
• 82' | Less than two minutes later, White took a pass from Washington and slid a ball toward Spotts, but the sophomore's shot spun wide of the far post. That proved to be the final shot attempt of the match.

STATISTICS
• BGSU outshot Buffalo, 16-6, and the Falcons had a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal.
• Chelsee Washington led the way with six total shots, while Kennedy White, like Washington, had two shots on goal.
• Marcy Barberic had three of UB's six total shots, putting all three on target.
• Kathleen Duwve made three saves to earn the win in goal. At the other end of the field, Emily Kelly made seven stops.
• Each team had six corner kicks in the match.

WHAT'S NEXT?
• The Falcons have advanced to the MAC Tournament's championship match for the third consecutive season. BGSU will face Eastern Michigan in Sunday's (Nov. 10) final. That match will begin at 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, with the winner earning the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

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

Gallery: (11/8/2019) Women's soccer v Buffalo - Nov 8 2019