WVU Tops Falcons, 2-0, in Final Non-Conference Match

Sunday, September 22

Morgantown, WV

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

2-4-2

West Virginia

5-3-1

Bowling Green

West Virginia

Photo by: Tim Goodenow

September 22, 2019 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Final Stats

BGSU outshoots the Mountaineers; Falcons now prepare for MAC opener

By: MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Alina Stahl scored a pair of goals, one early and one late, as host West Virginia University held off the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team, 2-0, Sunday afternoon (Sept. 22). The match, the Falcons' final non-conference contest of the 2019 campaign, was held at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

Stahl opened the scoring just two minutes into the match for the Mountaineers, now 5-3-1 on the year. But, after weathering the storm in the early going, BG got stronger as the game wore on. The Falcons (2-4-2) allowed four WVU shots, including three on goal, in the first 10 minutes, then gave up only four total shot attempts over the next 72-plus minutes.

BG possessed the ball in the WVU end of the field for much of the second half, but could not find the equalizer. Then, Stahl gave the hosts some breathing room, scoring her second goal of the day with just over seven minutes remaining.

QUOTING COACH MATT FANNON
"We feel really disappointed. Once again we think we have done enough to get something out of the game, but ultimately haven't had the cutting edge. We will continue to work hard and be ready for Friday."

FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 3' | GOAL | The Mountaineers took the lead just over two minutes in. A ball bounced over a BG defender just past midfield, and Alina Stahl made a long run with a Falcon player on her heels. Stahl entered the penalty area on the right side and fired a shot. BGSU senior goalkeeper Kathleen Duwve got a glove on the shot with a diving effort, but could not keep the ball from hitting the far-side netting.
• 7' | After a giveaway deep in the BG end, WVU's Jade Gentile took a shot from nearly the same spot as Stahl's effort four minutes earlier. But, Duwve was able to come up with a diving stop.
• 10' | The host stole a BGSU goal kick. Again, Gentile uncorked a shot from the right side and again, Duwve came up with a diving save.
• 14' | Redshirt junior Nikki Cox took a pass from senior Hannah Dolfuss and hit a shot from just outside the box, but WVU goakeeper Ryler Foster gathered it in.
• 16' | Duwve made a save on a header, in traffic, off of a Mountaineer corner kick.
• 23' | POST | Midway through the half, Lizzie Mayfield took a pass from a teammate on the left side of the field, cut back to her right as she entered the box and hit a shot that struck the near post.
• 28' | Nikki Cox took the ball across the top of the box on the right side of the field and played a pass back to senior Chelsee Washington, but Washington's resulting shot was high.
• 29' | Gentile made a long run down the field, but Duwve saved her shot.
• 29' | Quickly, BG went back the other way, as sophomore Sarah Allen headed upfield. She found Washington with a pass, and the senior hit a shot that sailed over the bar.
• 30' | BG immediately won the ball back after the ensuing goal kick, and Nikki Cox hit a shot from near the 18-yard line that whizzed wide left.
• 32' | Washington got her head on a right-side cross, putting a shot on frame, but Foster was able to make the stop.
• 37' | Falcons won a corner as Allen dribbled away from a WVU foul attempt and crossed the ball toward freshman Katie Cox. A Mountaineer defender knocked the ball out of play, but Foster was able to grab the corner kick, just beating a leaping Washington to the ball.
• 43' | Freshman Jasmijn Dijsselhof, making her first appearance after missing several weeks due to injury, stood up a WVU player attempting to take the ball into the box.
• 45' | Dijsselhof and sophomore Lynsey Spotts teamed up to win a corner with under a minute to go, but the WVU 'keeper was able to grab that curving CK out of the air near the goalmouth.

SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 46' | Sophomore Mackenzie Reuber took a throw-in, got the ball back from Allen, went around a would-be defender and fired a diagonal ball from the right side. But, Foster plucked the shot/cross out of the air.
• 52' | Pressure by Allen and Nikki Cox forced Foster to boot a ball out of bounds. Off of the ensuing throw-in, Cox went to the ground in the penalty area. The ball was knocked out to Reuber, but her shot from distance was off the mark.
• 53' | BG won the ball back, and the ensuing sequence culminated with a Washington shot that went wide.
• 54' | Nikki Cox and Allen teamed up on the right side of the pitch. Allen nearly lost possession, but immediately regained possession. She found Cox with a pass, and the redshirt junior was tripped as she attempted to split a pair of defenders on the right side, just outside the box. Dijsselhof's free kick, however, was headed out of the box by a defender.
• 59' | BG had enjoyed most of the second-half possession, but the home side mounted a counterattack, and Stahl received a right-side cross and fired a shot from the center of the box, about 12 yards out. But, Duwve came up with a point-blank save on the WVU striker.
• 64' | Dolfuss stole a WVU goal kick and slid a pass to Washington. Washington laid the ball off to sophomore Alexis Miller, and Miller hit a long diagonal ball into the box. But, the pass was just out of Nikki Cox's reach, and Foster snared it on one hop.
• 70' | WVU played a dangerous-looking cross into the box, but senior Kristin Tveit blocked a shot by Danielle Gordon, then cleared it out of danger.
• 82' | The Falcons played a long ball forward, and freshman Kennedy White settled it down for Nikki Cox. Cox hit a shot toward the far corner of the goal, but Foster made a diving save.
• 83' | GOAL | Stahl took the ball into the middle of the box, forced Duwve to come off of her line and tucked her shot into the corner.
• 86' | A blast from Miller, taken from approximately 30 yards out, forced Foster to make a leaping save, tipping the dipping shot over the crossbar. BG got back-to-back Dijsselhof corner kicks, and the first one found the head of Allen before being deflected out by Foster. The second corner kick trickled just past Reuber near the far post.
• 90' | WVU fouled Katie Cox in the final seconds of the match, and when a Mountaineer player did not give BG the required 10 yards of space on the ensuing free kick, the referee stopped the clock with six seconds to go. Miller's free kick found the head of Washington in the box, but her shot was hit directly at Foster, who gratefully made the stop as the last few seconds ticked away.

STATISTICS
• For the second consecutive Sunday, BGSU had a slim 11-10 edge in total shot attempts in a match on the road. The Falcons outshot both DePaul and WVU by those exact totals.
• WVU had a slim 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. Foster made five saves on the day, while Duwve had four stops.
• WVU also had a 6-5 lead in corner kicks.
• Washington led all players with a total of seven shots in the match. Both Washington and Nikki Cox put two shots on goal to tie for the BG lead.
• Stahl and Gentile combined for seven toatl shots for the hosts, and each player had three shots on goal.
• For the second-straight Sunday, a total of 21 players saw action in the match. Nineteen different Falcons played in the first half.

WHAT'S NEXT?
• It's All MAC, All The Time for the Falcons from here on out. BGSU opens Mid-American Conference play on Friday (Sept. 27), when Akron comes to town. First touch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and admission is free.
• Then, BG will face Buffalo next Sunday (Sept. 29) at Cochrane, meeting the Bulls in a 1:00 p.m. start. The UB match will be Senior Day for the Falcons.

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.