Bowling Green State University Athletics
Thursday, August 22
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7:30 PM
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Photo by Elliott Hess | UK Athletics
Falcons, Kentucky Battle to 3-3 Draw in Season Opener
August 22, 2019 | Women's Soccer
The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team earned a result on the road, battling the University of Kentucky to a 3-3 draw on Thursday night (Aug. 22). The match, the regular-season opener for both teams, was held at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
Redshirt junior Nikki Cox got the Falcons on the scoreboard late in the first half, beating her defender on the right side of the penalty area and scoring from a difficult angle to tie the match at 1-1.
Less than six minutes later, Nikki's younger sister, Katie Cox, pounced on a deflected ball in the box and poked it past UK goalkeeper Steph Stull. The freshman's goal gave the Falcons a 2-1 lead with just 2:33 remaining in the half.
The Wildcats evened the score on a penalty kick early in the second half, but after a giveaway by the home side, Katie Cox was pushed to the ground inside the 18-yard box. Senior Maureen Kennedy stepped up and converted the ensuing PK to give the Falcons the lead with just over seven minutes to go in the second half.
But, Jordyn Rhodes headed home a corner kick just 33 seconds later, knotting the score and sending the match to overtime. Neither team could break the deadlock in the two 10-minute extra sessions.
NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• Thursday night marked the first time since head coach Matt Fannon took the helm that the Falcons scored two or more goals in a match and did not win. BGSU is now 25-0-1 when scoring at least two goals in a match since the start of the 2017 season.
QUOTING COACH MATT FANNON
"I'm really disappointed. We've made some naive errors and missed way too many chances. That made the game close, and now we've given the game away when it was ours to win. We will learn from this."
STATISTICS
• The Falcons had a 15-10 advantage in total shot attempts, and a slim 7-6 margin in shots on goal.
• Senior Kathleen Duwve made three saves for the Falcons, while her counterpart, UK's Steph Stull, was credited with four stops.
• Each team was whistled for 17 fouls, and the Wildcats were assessed the only yellow card of the match.
• UK's Marissa Bosco had five of her team's 10 shots and three of the Wildcats' six shots on goal. For the Falcons, redshirt junior Nikki Cox took four shots (including three on goal), while sophomore Sarah Allen had three shots and senior Chelsee Washington two.
FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 11' | GOAL | Kentucky took an early lead, as the Wildcats took advantage of a BGSU giveaway deep in the defensive end. UK's Miranda Jimenez was the first to reach the loose ball just outside the penalty box, quickly finding Rhodes charging into the area.
• 14' | Nikki Cox made a long run with the ball, heading from midfield to the top of the circle just outside the 18-yard box. Cox fired a low shot toward the right corner of the goal, but UK goalkeeper Steph Stull made a diving stop.
• 15' | Play quickly headed to the other end of the field, where senior Kathleen Duwve made a nice save on shot by Marissa Bosco from the top of the box.
• 19' | Nikki Cox took a pass from senior Chelsee Washington on the left side of the area, and Cox uncorked a hard shot that forced Stull into a diving save. The rebound went to Sarah Allen at the six-yard line, and the sophomore quickly knocked the ball into the back of the net, but the assistant referee's flag was raised, indicating an offside call against the Falcons.
• 31' | Washington's pass found Nikki Cox as BG looked to attack. Cox put Allen through the UK back line, but Stull came off of her line to cut down the angle and block Allen's point-blank one-timer approximately 12 yards from goal.
• 33' | Washington crossed the ball into the center of the six-yard box, but a UK defender was able to shield Nikki Cox from the ball for just enough time that Stull could corral it.
• 37' | BG won back-to-back corner kicks. The first kick by senior Maureen Kennedy found the head of Washington, but a Wildcat was able to deflect the effort out of play. Off of the second kick, sophomore Mackenzie Reuber's one-time effort went just over the goal.
• 37' | GOAL | BG quickly won the ball back, and Nikki Cox beat her defender just outside the right side of the box. She fired a shot from a difficult angle, putting the ball over the outreached gloves of Stull and just under the crossbar in the center of the net.
• 42' | GOAL | Five-and-a-half minutes later, Katie Cox pounced on the ball in the center of the box, knocking it home to give BG the lead. Washington drew the assist, as her pass toward Cox was deflected by a lunging UK defender before the Falcon freshman scored her first collegiate goal.
SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 47' | Washington's through ball found Allen in the box on the right side. The sophomore's cross/shot from near the end line was deflected out of play.
• 52' | Again, a through ball by Washington put Allen behind the UK defense. Stull came off of her line and hit the ball with a diving effort, but Allen blocked the clearing attempt and put a shot toward goal from near the end line on the left side. But, the shot was just wide of the near post.
• 56' | GOAL | The Wildcats knotted the score, as Hikari Yamada converted a penalty kick after a BG foul at the very edge of the box on the right side.
• 60' | A nifty over-the-top pass off the boot of junior Nikhita Jacob got past a pair of UK defenders, but the ball was just out of reach of a lunging Washington in the box.
• 64' | Washington's shot from outside the box forced Stull into a diving stop near the right post.
• 71' | Washington hit another shot from distance. This time, Stull was able to stop it on the short hop, again near the right goalpost.
• 74' | Off of a BG throw-in, a shot by Katie Cox from just outside the box sailed just over the crossbar.
• 81' | Katie Cox found Nikki Cox with a pass, and Nikki Cox threaded a ball to freshman Kennedy White who was charging into the penalty area. But, a defender bumped White just as she readied to shoot, and her shot went wide of the near post.
• 83' | GOAL | After a UK giveaway deep in the Wildcats' defensive end of the field, White got around the onrushing 'keeper on the right side of the box. She slid a pass across the goalmouth. Katie Cox tracked it down on the other side of the penalty area, and was pushed to the ground. A penalty kick was awarded, and senior Maureen Kennedy made no mistake, converting that PK for a 3-2 BG lead.
• 84' | GOAL | But, just 33 seconds later, Kentucky tied the match once again. Rhodes scored her second goal on a header after a corner kick by cores on a header at the far (left) post off of a corner kick by Gretchen Mills.
• 89' | BG had a close call in the late going. Kennedy's diagonal ball was deflected by White, and Nikki Cox then poked to her younger sister on the right side of the six-yard box. Near the line, Katie Cox got a shot off, but that shot was turned away by Stull at the right post.
FIRST OVERTIME
• 92' | Katie Cox nearly capitalized on a misplay by UK defender, but the 'keeper was able to dive on the ball just in time, before the Falcon freshman could poke it past her.
• 100' | An attempted clearing ball by Duwve was deflected toward goal, but junior Sophia Barnes was the first to reach the ball, clearing it out of danger.
SECOND OVERTIME
• 102' | A right-side cross by sophomore Ruby Linton was deflected by a defender out of the box. Classmate Alexis Miller settled the ball and hit a shot from distance, but the dipping shot landed on top of the net.
• 104' | After a steal by Barnes near midfield, a BG through ball was just out of Allen's reach, and Stull scooped it up.
• 106' | Washington made a long and slid a pass to Linton on her right. Linton's cross was deflected into the air, and the ball bounced off the top of the crossbar before caroming out of the box on the far side.
NOTES
• The Falcons' starting lineup featured two freshmen, Lena Kovar and Audrey Shea.
• In addition to the two frosh, Thursday night marked the first collegiate start for sophomore Ruby Linton. Classmate Sarah Allen made her second career start as a Falcon.
• And, in addition to Kovar and Shea, three other Falcon frosh made their respective collegiate debuts. That trio included Katie Cox, Jasmijn Dijsselhof and Kennedy White.
• Katie Cox became the first Falcon to score in her BGSU debut since ... Nikki Cox. The elder Cox, a transfer from UNC-Wilmington, scored in her first BGSU match, against Loyola Marymount.
• BGSU played to a double-overtime draw in the season opener for the second consecutive year. That LMU match last August, played in Honolulu, Hawai'i, wound up a 1-1 deadlock.
• The Falcons played just three overtime matches last season, including the first two games of the year and the MAC Tournament's championship match. BG went 0-1-2 in those three matches, although BG advanced past Ball State in the latter contest to capture the league tourney crown.
• Nikki Cox now has nine goals and 21 points in 23 matches as a Falcon.
• Chelsee Washington assisted on the Katie Cox goal. Washington now has career totals of 15 assists and 41 points. She is now tied for 11th on the BGSU career assists list.
• Senior Maureen Kennedy's goal was the 11th of her BGSU career, moving her into sole possession of 13th place on that school list. With 46 points, Kennedy is just two away from tying for 10th on that career chart.
WHAT'S NEXT?
• The Falcons return to the road on Sunday (Aug. 25), taking on Xavier University in a 1:00 p.m. start at the Xavier Soccer Complex in Cincinnati.
• Then, BGSU will prepare for the home opener, which is set for Friday, Aug. 30. The Brown and Orange will face Valparaiso University in a 7:00 p.m. start at Cochrane Stadium. Admission is free to all BGSU regular-season home matches.
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.
Redshirt junior Nikki Cox got the Falcons on the scoreboard late in the first half, beating her defender on the right side of the penalty area and scoring from a difficult angle to tie the match at 1-1.
Less than six minutes later, Nikki's younger sister, Katie Cox, pounced on a deflected ball in the box and poked it past UK goalkeeper Steph Stull. The freshman's goal gave the Falcons a 2-1 lead with just 2:33 remaining in the half.
The Wildcats evened the score on a penalty kick early in the second half, but after a giveaway by the home side, Katie Cox was pushed to the ground inside the 18-yard box. Senior Maureen Kennedy stepped up and converted the ensuing PK to give the Falcons the lead with just over seven minutes to go in the second half.
But, Jordyn Rhodes headed home a corner kick just 33 seconds later, knotting the score and sending the match to overtime. Neither team could break the deadlock in the two 10-minute extra sessions.
NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• Thursday night marked the first time since head coach Matt Fannon took the helm that the Falcons scored two or more goals in a match and did not win. BGSU is now 25-0-1 when scoring at least two goals in a match since the start of the 2017 season.
Our first goal of the season came from NIKKI COX! pic.twitter.com/jLWy42PO8i
— BGSU Women's Soccer (@bgsuwsoc) August 23, 2019
QUOTING COACH MATT FANNON
"I'm really disappointed. We've made some naive errors and missed way too many chances. That made the game close, and now we've given the game away when it was ours to win. We will learn from this."
Freshman KATIE COX scored her first goal as a Falcon in the Kentucky match!😍⚽😍 pic.twitter.com/3eZ0RSbdFg
— BGSU Women's Soccer (@bgsuwsoc) August 23, 2019
STATISTICS
• The Falcons had a 15-10 advantage in total shot attempts, and a slim 7-6 margin in shots on goal.
• Senior Kathleen Duwve made three saves for the Falcons, while her counterpart, UK's Steph Stull, was credited with four stops.
• Each team was whistled for 17 fouls, and the Wildcats were assessed the only yellow card of the match.
• UK's Marissa Bosco had five of her team's 10 shots and three of the Wildcats' six shots on goal. For the Falcons, redshirt junior Nikki Cox took four shots (including three on goal), while sophomore Sarah Allen had three shots and senior Chelsee Washington two.
Maureen Kennedy's PK gave the Falcons the lead, before UK equalized to send us to overtime... pic.twitter.com/WBPiNjP9Ky
— BGSU Women's Soccer (@bgsuwsoc) August 23, 2019
FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 11' | GOAL | Kentucky took an early lead, as the Wildcats took advantage of a BGSU giveaway deep in the defensive end. UK's Miranda Jimenez was the first to reach the loose ball just outside the penalty box, quickly finding Rhodes charging into the area.
• 14' | Nikki Cox made a long run with the ball, heading from midfield to the top of the circle just outside the 18-yard box. Cox fired a low shot toward the right corner of the goal, but UK goalkeeper Steph Stull made a diving stop.
• 15' | Play quickly headed to the other end of the field, where senior Kathleen Duwve made a nice save on shot by Marissa Bosco from the top of the box.
• 19' | Nikki Cox took a pass from senior Chelsee Washington on the left side of the area, and Cox uncorked a hard shot that forced Stull into a diving save. The rebound went to Sarah Allen at the six-yard line, and the sophomore quickly knocked the ball into the back of the net, but the assistant referee's flag was raised, indicating an offside call against the Falcons.
• 31' | Washington's pass found Nikki Cox as BG looked to attack. Cox put Allen through the UK back line, but Stull came off of her line to cut down the angle and block Allen's point-blank one-timer approximately 12 yards from goal.
• 33' | Washington crossed the ball into the center of the six-yard box, but a UK defender was able to shield Nikki Cox from the ball for just enough time that Stull could corral it.
• 37' | BG won back-to-back corner kicks. The first kick by senior Maureen Kennedy found the head of Washington, but a Wildcat was able to deflect the effort out of play. Off of the second kick, sophomore Mackenzie Reuber's one-time effort went just over the goal.
• 37' | GOAL | BG quickly won the ball back, and Nikki Cox beat her defender just outside the right side of the box. She fired a shot from a difficult angle, putting the ball over the outreached gloves of Stull and just under the crossbar in the center of the net.
• 42' | GOAL | Five-and-a-half minutes later, Katie Cox pounced on the ball in the center of the box, knocking it home to give BG the lead. Washington drew the assist, as her pass toward Cox was deflected by a lunging UK defender before the Falcon freshman scored her first collegiate goal.
SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 47' | Washington's through ball found Allen in the box on the right side. The sophomore's cross/shot from near the end line was deflected out of play.
• 52' | Again, a through ball by Washington put Allen behind the UK defense. Stull came off of her line and hit the ball with a diving effort, but Allen blocked the clearing attempt and put a shot toward goal from near the end line on the left side. But, the shot was just wide of the near post.
• 56' | GOAL | The Wildcats knotted the score, as Hikari Yamada converted a penalty kick after a BG foul at the very edge of the box on the right side.
• 60' | A nifty over-the-top pass off the boot of junior Nikhita Jacob got past a pair of UK defenders, but the ball was just out of reach of a lunging Washington in the box.
• 64' | Washington's shot from outside the box forced Stull into a diving stop near the right post.
• 71' | Washington hit another shot from distance. This time, Stull was able to stop it on the short hop, again near the right goalpost.
• 74' | Off of a BG throw-in, a shot by Katie Cox from just outside the box sailed just over the crossbar.
• 81' | Katie Cox found Nikki Cox with a pass, and Nikki Cox threaded a ball to freshman Kennedy White who was charging into the penalty area. But, a defender bumped White just as she readied to shoot, and her shot went wide of the near post.
• 83' | GOAL | After a UK giveaway deep in the Wildcats' defensive end of the field, White got around the onrushing 'keeper on the right side of the box. She slid a pass across the goalmouth. Katie Cox tracked it down on the other side of the penalty area, and was pushed to the ground. A penalty kick was awarded, and senior Maureen Kennedy made no mistake, converting that PK for a 3-2 BG lead.
• 84' | GOAL | But, just 33 seconds later, Kentucky tied the match once again. Rhodes scored her second goal on a header after a corner kick by cores on a header at the far (left) post off of a corner kick by Gretchen Mills.
• 89' | BG had a close call in the late going. Kennedy's diagonal ball was deflected by White, and Nikki Cox then poked to her younger sister on the right side of the six-yard box. Near the line, Katie Cox got a shot off, but that shot was turned away by Stull at the right post.
FIRST OVERTIME
• 92' | Katie Cox nearly capitalized on a misplay by UK defender, but the 'keeper was able to dive on the ball just in time, before the Falcon freshman could poke it past her.
• 100' | An attempted clearing ball by Duwve was deflected toward goal, but junior Sophia Barnes was the first to reach the ball, clearing it out of danger.
SECOND OVERTIME
• 102' | A right-side cross by sophomore Ruby Linton was deflected by a defender out of the box. Classmate Alexis Miller settled the ball and hit a shot from distance, but the dipping shot landed on top of the net.
• 104' | After a steal by Barnes near midfield, a BG through ball was just out of Allen's reach, and Stull scooped it up.
• 106' | Washington made a long and slid a pass to Linton on her right. Linton's cross was deflected into the air, and the ball bounced off the top of the crossbar before caroming out of the box on the far side.
NOTES
• The Falcons' starting lineup featured two freshmen, Lena Kovar and Audrey Shea.
• In addition to the two frosh, Thursday night marked the first collegiate start for sophomore Ruby Linton. Classmate Sarah Allen made her second career start as a Falcon.
• And, in addition to Kovar and Shea, three other Falcon frosh made their respective collegiate debuts. That trio included Katie Cox, Jasmijn Dijsselhof and Kennedy White.
• Katie Cox became the first Falcon to score in her BGSU debut since ... Nikki Cox. The elder Cox, a transfer from UNC-Wilmington, scored in her first BGSU match, against Loyola Marymount.
• BGSU played to a double-overtime draw in the season opener for the second consecutive year. That LMU match last August, played in Honolulu, Hawai'i, wound up a 1-1 deadlock.
• The Falcons played just three overtime matches last season, including the first two games of the year and the MAC Tournament's championship match. BG went 0-1-2 in those three matches, although BG advanced past Ball State in the latter contest to capture the league tourney crown.
• Nikki Cox now has nine goals and 21 points in 23 matches as a Falcon.
• Chelsee Washington assisted on the Katie Cox goal. Washington now has career totals of 15 assists and 41 points. She is now tied for 11th on the BGSU career assists list.
• Senior Maureen Kennedy's goal was the 11th of her BGSU career, moving her into sole possession of 13th place on that school list. With 46 points, Kennedy is just two away from tying for 10th on that career chart.
WHAT'S NEXT?
• The Falcons return to the road on Sunday (Aug. 25), taking on Xavier University in a 1:00 p.m. start at the Xavier Soccer Complex in Cincinnati.
• Then, BGSU will prepare for the home opener, which is set for Friday, Aug. 30. The Brown and Orange will face Valparaiso University in a 7:00 p.m. start at Cochrane Stadium. Admission is free to all BGSU regular-season home matches.
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.
Team Stats
BGR
UKY
Goals
3
3
Shots
15
10
Shots on Goal
7
6
Saves
3
4
Corners
5
6
Fouls
17
17
Scoring Plays
Jordyn Rhodes (2)
Assisted By: Miranda Jimenez
GOAL by UKY Rhodes, Jordyn Assist by Jimenez, Miranda.
10:27
Nikki Cox (1)
GOAL by BGR Cox, Nikki.
36:56
Katie Cox (1)
Assisted By: Chelsee Washington
GOAL by BGR Cox, Katie Assist by Washington, Chelsee.
42:27
Hikari Yamada
UKY Hikari Yamada PENALTY KICK GOAL.
55:29
Maureen Kennedy
BGR Maureen Kennedy PENALTY KICK GOAL.
82:57
Jordyn Rhodes (2)
Assisted By: Gretchen Mills
GOAL by UKY Rhodes, Jordyn Assist by Mills, Gretchen.
83:30
Game Leaders
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
F/D
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's SoccerM
/ Women's Soccer
F
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