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Bowling Green State University Athletics
1999 Women's Soccer Releases
March 20, 2020 | Women's Soccer
1999 BGSU Women's Soccer Releases
(December 7 Release)
PICCIRILLO STEPS DOWN AS WOMEN'S SOCCER COACH
Bowling Green State University women's soccer coach Tom Piccirillo has stepped down, effective immediately, for family and professional reasons. Piccirillo, a member of the BGSU Athletic Department¹s Technology Committee, has agreed to serve in a technology-related position in the department through the remainder of his contract. He will work with the Marketing and Promotions and Falcon Club offices, with a number of technology- and computer-related duties, including the revamping of the BGSU Athletic Department's web site.
Piccirillo, who helped build the Falcon program from scratch upon coming to BGSU in September of 1996, led the team to a three-year record of 19-34-4. He has an overall record of 102-93-12 in his 12-year career as a collegiate head coach.
"I appreciate the opportunity I have had over the past three seasons to develop the BG program from scratch to its current level," said Piccirillo. "Both myself and my family are looking forward to the future opportunities in front of us."
Julie Reule, who has served as Piccirillo's assistant coach for the past three years, has been named the interim head women's soccer coach by BGSU Director of Athletics Paul Krebs and Associate AD Janna Blais while a national search is conducted.
(November 1 Release)
BGSU'S 1999 SEASON COMPLETE
Falcons Drop Two Close Matches at Home, Including Overtime Setback to Toledo
UP NEXT: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team (5-11-3 overall, 2-6-3 MAC) saw the 1999 season come to an end last weekend. BGSU played well in a pair of home matches last week, but lost to Ohio State, 1-0, Wednesday (Oct. 27) and Toledo, 2-1 in overtime, Saturday (Oct. 30).
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo has completed his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 19-34-4 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 102-93-12. BGSU's Sept. 12 win over Niagara was Piccirillo's 100th victory as a collegiate head coach.
Julie Reule has completed her third season as Piccirillo's assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: Bowling Green ended the 1999 season with an overall record of 5-11-3, and the Falcons finished in 10th place in MAC play with a 2-6-3 league mark. Last week, the Brown and Orange lost two matches at home, falling to Ohio State (1-0, Oct. 27) and Toledo (2-1 in overtime, Oct. 30) at Cochrane Field.
BGSU ended the season with a school-record 12-match winless streak, and the Falcons tied a school mark with seven consecutive losses to end the campaign. After opening MAC play with a pair of wins, moving the team's overall mark to 5-2-0 at that time, the Falcons went 0-9-3 the rest of the way.
On the season, freshman Jill Conover paced the Falcons with 20 points, followed by junior Michelle Lisy, with 19. Sophomore Desiree Erb and junior Autumn Harris scored nine and eight points, respectively, while junior Janice Mentrup had seven and sophomore Mandy Smith six.
Freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders had a 5-11-1 record and a goals-against average of 2.08. Sophomore Sarah Gawel was 0-0-1 with a 1.96 GAA, while classmate Beth Wechsler, normally a defender, earned a decision (a tie) after a stint of 3:34 when BGSU played with an "11th attacker" in the Oct. 10 match at Marshall.
BGSU finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. The Falcons went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: Bowling Green ended the season by dropping a pair of one-goal matches last week ... the Falcons put forth a solid effort, but fell just short in a one-goal loss to Ohio State Wednesday (Oct. 27) ... Lindsay Eckles scored the lone goal of the match at the 25:01 mark, one-timing a cross from Kiley Enmark ... BGSU goalie Erika Flanders got a piece of the shot, but the ball trickled under her and into the net ... the Big Ten Conference foes outshot the Falcons, 28-6, including a 15-2 advantage in shots on goal ... Flanders made 14 saves to set a school single-match record ... the 14 stops increased her seasonal and career saves totals to 88, setting school records in both categories ... BGSU ended the season with a heartbreaking overtime loss to Toledo, 2-1, Saturday (Oct. 30) ... the arch-rival Rockets got on the board first, at the 26:05 mark ... a Toledo pass deflected directly to Corrie Hasenjager, who one-timed the ball past Flanders ... the unassisted tally was the only scoring of the first half ... the Falcons, who were outshot by a 10-8 margin in the first half, dominated the second stanza ... the Brown and Orange controlled the ball for most of the half, outshooting UT, 10-4, in the process ... BGSU nearly got on the board with approximately 10 minutes remaining ... the Falcons were awarded an indirect free kick deep in the Toledo penalty box, when UT goalie Jen Hoffman picked up a ball passed back to her by a teammate ... junior Michelle Lisy surprised the Rockets with a quick free kick ... Lisy's pass found a wide-open Jill Conover, whose point-blank shot was blocked by Hoffman ... finally, though, the Falcons equalized with less than three minutes remaining ... after Lisy hit the crossbar with a shot, sophomore Desiree Erb finished off a frenzied flurry by tucking the ball past Hoffman ... junior Janice Mentrup and Lisy assisted on the goal, which came at the 87:23 mark ... BGSU junior Stephanie Heller just missed the net on a shot attempt with only one second left in regulation ... in the overtime, UT had the better of the play, and Odia Jahurally gave the visitors a victory with a goal at the 97:41 mark ... Amy Back, whose pass sent Jahurally in on a semi-breakaway, drew the lone assist ... for the match, BGSU held an 18-17 shot advantage, including a 9-5 edge in shots on goal ... Flanders made three saves, while Hoffman stopped eight shots for the Rockets.
FALCON PLAYER NOTES:
ANNMARIE APARO: Sophomore from Victor, N.Y. ... saw action in 15 matches, starting six ... started five of the last six contests ... only point came on an assist vs. Central Michigan.
LESLIE BUSE: Sophomore from Cincinnati, Ohio ... played in 11 matches, earning starts vs. both Miami and Central Michigan ... played in nine of the last 10 matches of the year ... had an assist in the Eastern Michigan match.
SARA CARRASQUILLO: Freshman from Toledo, Ohio ... saw action in two matches, playing against Valparaiso and Detroit ... a walk-on who made the team in August tryouts.
JILL CONOVER: Freshman from Grand Island, N.Y. ... exploded onto the scene with a team-high 20 points ... also led the Falcons with eight assists, and was second with six goals ... one of three players to start all 19 matches ... had two goals in a win at Northern Illinois ... had a goal and two assists vs. Valparaiso ... opened her collegiate career with a two-assist match vs. Michigan State ... scored a goal and added an assist against both East Carolina and Kent ... other goal came vs. Ball State ... had assists vs. Marshall and Eastern Michigan as well ... led the Falcons in shots on goal.
MEREDITH DAVIS: Sophomore from Gahanna, Ohio ... played in 12 matches, drawing starts against Ball State and Central Michigan ... primarily played defender ... did not record a point.
ASHLEY ENSER: Junior from Toledo, Ohio ... one of just three Falcons to start all 19 matches ... one of only two players to start all 57 contests in program history ... scored a goal on a penalty kick vs. Eastern Michigan ... had two assists on the season, against Miami and Marshall ... played mostly defender, but saw some time at a midfield spot.
DESIREE ERB: Sophomore from Wapakoneta, Ohio ... played in 18 matches, starting 12 ... finished third on the team with nine points ... scored BGSU's first two goals of the season, vs. Michigan State ... also scored the last goal of the campaign, against Toledo ... had two assists against Valparaiso and one vs. Northern Illinois ... the helper at NIU came on Janice Mentrup's match-winning goal.
JAMIE ESHLEMAN: Junior from Vacaville, Calif. ... saw action in 17 matches, making starts vs. Buffalo and Detroit ... scored the match-winning goal in the MAC opener vs. Kent.
ERIKA FLANDERS: Freshman from Mason, Ohio ... started all 17 matches in which she saw action ... missed the Marshall and Ohio contests due to injury ... had a 5-11-1 record in net, with a 2.08 goals-against average ... set a school record with 14 saves in a 1-0 loss to Ohio State ... also set a school single-season mark with 91 saves ... that total also represents the BGSU career record ... earned complete-match shutouts vs. Niagara and Kent, in back-to-back contests ... set a school mark by not allowing a goal in a span of 216:22 in mid-September.
MELISSA GALITZ: Freshman from Lake Zurich, Ill. ... saw field time in 14 matches, starting eight ... missed the last five contests of the year due to injury ... started her first eight collegiate contests ... had three assists on the year, vs. Valparaiso, Kent and Marshall ... her first two assists came on the winning goals in those respective matches.
SARAH GAWEL: Sophomore from Gahanna, Ohio ... played in four matches ... earned starts at Ohio and Marshall ... had a record of 0-0-1 on the year, with a 1.96 GAA ... blanked OU for 120 minutes, but only earned a tie as the Falcons could not score, either ... made nine saves in that match, and 10 at Marshall ... also saw action off the bench vs. Valparaiso and Detroit.
TRACY GLEIXNER: Sophomore from Hoffman Estates, Ill. ... sat out this season as a redshirt after suffering an injury ... will have three years of eligibility remaining ... scored a school-record 29 points in 1998.
AUTUMN HARRIS: Junior from Findlay, Ohio ... played in every match, starting 16 ... finished fourth on the team with eight points ... scored goals vs. Valparaiso, Niagara and Ball State ... had assists in the Kent and Marshall contests ... tied for third on the Falcons in goals.
STEPHANIE HELLER: Junior from Loveland, Ohio ... played in all 19 matches, starting 18 ... scored a goal vs. Marshall ... had a pair of assists against Niagara ... nearly scored in the final seconds of regulation vs. Toledo Saturday.
LESLIE HEPFINGER: Sophomore from Mason, Ohio ... played in all 19 matches, starting 18 ... had the first two assists of her career ... drew assists vs. both Northern Illinois and Miami ... one of the team's steadiest defenders.
ERIN INCORVAIA: Sophomore from Toledo, Ohio ... saw action in six matches ... earned a start vs. Niagara ... played in four consecutive contests in mid-October ... did not score a point.
MICHELLE LISY: Junior from Strongsville, Ohio ... led the Falcons with eight goals ... also had three assists, finishing second on the team with 19 points ... scored two goals in the last 3:18 of regulation at Marshall, rallying BG from a 3-1 deficit ... had a goal and an assist in the season opener vs. Michigan State ... also scored goals vs. Valparaiso, Niagara, Miami, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan ... her goals vs. MSU and Niagara were the match winners ... assisted on goals vs. Northern Illinois and Toledo ... played 20-plus minutes in goal in the Detroit match ... BGSU's career scoring leader, with a total of 38 points ... also the career leader in goals, with 14 ... is on track to graduate this spring, but has one year of eligibility left and may elect to begin graduate school next fall.
AMY McILWAIN: Freshman from Cincinnati, Ohio ... played in 10 matches, including the last five of the year ... her only start came vs. Toledo ... did not record a point.
JANICE MENTRUP: Junior from Cincinnati, Ohio ... one of just three Falcons to start all 19 matches ... one of only two players to start all 57 contests in program history ... had seven points to rank fifth on the team ... scored the match-winning goal at Northern Illinois ... also had an assist in that contest ... assisted on both BG goals at Ball State ... other assists came vs. Western Michigan and Toledo ... finished in a tie for second on the team with five helpers ... BGSU's career assist leader, with 16.
LEAH ROSNER: Sophomore from Dayton, Ohio ... suffered an injury early in the season, which slowed her progress ... saw action off the bench against both Miami and Detroit ... did not score a point this year.
MANDY SMITH: Sophomore from Middletown, Ohio ... played in every match, making five starts ... started against Niagara, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Indiana and Ohio State ... finished sixth on the team with six points ... had two goals, vs. East Carolina and Western Michigan ... drew assists against both Kent and Marshall.
SUSAN WALLACE: Freshman from Litchfield, Ohio ... played in all 19 matches, starting seven ... started three consecutive contests in early October ... scored all five of her points in the Niagara win, with two goals and an assist.
BETH WECHSLER: Sophomore from Cincinnati, Ohio ... played in all 19 matches, starting 18 ... did not score a goal, but tied for second on the squad with five assists ... had two assists in the season opener, vs. Michigan State ... assisted on Michelle Lisy's OT winner in that contest ... also had helpers vs. Valparaiso, East Carolina and Marshall ... in that MU match, played 3:34 minutes in goal as an "11th attacker" ... actually was credited with the decision (a tie) as BG rallied for a pair of goals in the final minutes of regulation ... now has 11 career assists, good for second in school history.
HEIDI WILLIAMS: ... Freshman from Hudson, Ohio ... saw action in two matches off the bench ... played against both Valparaiso and Detroit ... a walk-on who made the team in August tryouts.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK 1999 Season Complete LAST WEEK Ohio State 1, at BGSU 0 Wed., Oct. 27 - Cochrane Field Toledo 2, at BGSU 1 Sat., Oct. 30 - Cochrane Field 1999 RECORDS - FINAL Overall: 5-11-3 (.342) Mid-American Conference: 2-6-3 HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 19-34-4 Career: 102-93-12 (11th year) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 19-34-4 (.368) (1997-present / three years) MAC: 7-17-4 (.321) (1997-present / three years) 1999 MAC STANDINGS Team (Overall)_______________MAC__Pts. Eastern Mich. (15-3-2)_____8-1-2___26 Central Mich. (13-5-1)_____8-3-0___24 Miami (15-3-0)_____________8-3-0___24 Buffalo (13-4-1)___________7-4-0___21 Ohio (8-9-1)_______________6-4-1___19 Western Mich. (10-8-1)_____5-5-1___16 Northern Ill. (5-13-0)_____5-6-0___15 Kent (10-8-0)______________5-6-0___15 Toledo (9-8-0)_____________5-6-0___15 Bowling Green (5-11-3)_____2-6-3____9 Marshall (6-10-3)__________2-7-2____8 Ball State (1-17-1)_______0-10-1____1 (three points for a win, one for a tie ) 1999 MAC TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS Quarterfinal Round - Tues., Nov. 2 #8 Kent at #1 Eastern Michigan #7 Northern Illinois at #2 Central Michigan #6 Western Michigan at #3 Miami #5 Ohio at #4 Buffalo Semifinal Round - Fri., Nov. 5 - at site of highest remaining seed 1-8 winner vs. 4-5 winner 2-7 winner vs. 3-6 winner Championship Match - Sun., Nov. 7 - at semifinal site Semifinal winners BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076; choose option 4 (same-day scores and brief summaries from all Falcon athletic teams)
(October 25 Release)
BGSU HOSTS OSU AND TOLEDO THIS WEEK
Falcons Still Have a Chance to Qualify for MAC Tournament; Must Beat UT Saturday
TOP STORIES:
* BGSU completes the regular season with a pair of home matches this week, facing Ohio State and arch-rival Toledo ... the UT match, scheduled for Saturday (Oct. 30) morning at 10:00, was rescheduled from Sept. 29 ... on the original date, a traffic accident prevented the UT team bus from reaching BGSU.
* The Falcons still can qualify for the eight-team Mid-American Conference Tournament ... to do so, the Falcons must defeat Toledo while Kent loses at Buffalo Saturday (Oct. 30) ... the Brown and Orange would win a tiebreaker over Kent.
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team (5-9-3 overall, 2-5-3 MAC), looking to reverse its recent fortunes, completes the regular season with a pair of home matches this week. The Falcons continue a three-match homestand with a Wednesday (Oct. 27) contest against the Ohio State University (10-5-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
The OSU match is the first half of a soccer doubleheader at Cochrane Field, as the BGSU men's team will take on Oakland University later that afternoon.
On Saturday (Oct. 30), the Brown and Orange will host the University of Toledo (7-8-0 overall, 3-6-0 MAC). Start time for the match between the two arch-rivals is 10:00 a.m. at Cochrane Field.
Cochrane Field is located off Stadium Drive, just west of Doyt Perry Stadium. Cochrane is located directly east of Keefe Tennis Courts, which are behind the BGSU Ice Arena.
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo is in his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 19-32-4 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 102-91-12. BGSU's Sept. 12 win over Niagara was Piccirillo's 100th victory as a collegiate head coach.
Julie Reule is in her third season as Piccirillo's assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: Bowling Green is 5-9-3 on the season, and the Falcons are 2-5-3 in MAC play. Last week, the Brown and Orange lost three matches. BGSU fell at home to Detroit by a 6-0 count Wednesday (Oct. 20), before losing a 4-1 contest at Western Michigan Friday (Oct. 22). On Sunday (Oct. 24), Indiana beat the Falcons, 3-0, at Cochrane.
BGSU is looking to end a school-record 10-match winless streak. After opening MAC play with a pair of wins, the Falcons are 0-7-3 in the last 10 matches. BG has lost the last five contests.
Through 17 matches, freshman Jill Conover paces the Falcons with 20 points, followed by junior Michelle Lisy, with 18. Junior Autumn Harris and sophomore Desiree Erb have scored eight and seven points, respectively, while junior Janice Mentrup and sophomore Mandy Smith have six points each.
Freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders has a 5-9-1 record and a goals-against average of 2.17. Sophomore Sarah Gawel is 0-0-1 with a 1.96 GAA.
BGSU finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. The Falcons went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
MAC TOURNAMENT POSSIBILITIES: The Falcons enter the final week of the regular season fighting for the eighth and final berth in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. BGSU, currently tied with Toledo for ninth place, needs a win over the Rockets, and the Falcons must hope for a Kent loss to Buffalo Saturday (Oct. 30). Such a scenario would give BGSU and Kent 12 points each, but the Falcons would win the tiebreaker by virtue of a 2-0 victory over the Golden Flashes in the teams' Sept. 15 meeting.
Even if Toledo were to defeat Western Michigan Wednesday (Oct. 27), giving the Rockets 12 points, the Falcons could tie UT in the standings with a Saturday win, and would win the tiebreaker by virtue of that Saturday victory.
As mentioned, eight teams qualify for the tournament, with the top-four seeds hosting quarterfinal matches a week from Tuesday (Nov. 2).
If the Falcons were to qualify, the team's first-round site is not yet known. Just three points separate the first- through fourth-place teams - Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo and Miami. CMU hosts EMU Friday (Oct. 29), and a Central win or a tie would give the Chippewas the regular-season title. An EMU win would give the Eagles the crown.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: Ohio State is 10-5-2 overall, and the Buckeyes finished Big Ten Conference play with a 5-4-1 league record. OSU played just one match last week, dropping a 5-0 home contest to Penn State Friday (Oct. 22). OSU and BGSU have faced four common opponents this year - Ohio, Detroit, Indiana and Michigan State. The Buckeyes are 3-0-1 against those teams, while BGSU is 1-2-1. Last year, Ohio State went 13-8-1 overall and placed seventh in the Big Ten with a 3-5-1 league ledger. Lori Walker is 32-22-4 in her third year at the Buckeye helm. She is 45-45-5 in her fifth year as a collegiate head coach.
Toledo is 7-8-0 overall, and the Rockets will take a 3-6-0 MAC record into Wednesday's (Oct. 27) home match vs. Western Michigan. The Rockets enter the final week of the regular seaon in a ninth-place tie with BGSU. Last week, the Rockets lost a 2-1 match at Northern Illinois Friday (Oct. 22) before capturing a 3-2 win in non-league action at Wisconsin-Green Bay Sunday (Oct. 24). A year ago, the Rockets were 8-12-0 overall and 5-5-0 in MAC play to place fifth. Head coach R.J. Anderson is 42-44-0 in his fifth year as a collegiate women's soccer coach, all at UT.
THE SERIES: The Falcons lost the only previous meeting with Ohio State. In just the fourth match in program history, the Brown and Orange fell by a 3-0 count in Columbus (Sept. 6, 1997).
The Falcons are 1-1-0 vs. Toledo in the all-time series between the schools, having split a pair of one-goal decisions in the Glass City. Stephanie Heller and Ashley Enser scored goals in a 3-2 loss at the Glass Bowl two years ago (Sept. 20, 1997), with Autumn Harris adding an assist. Last year (Sept. 17, 1998), in the MAC opener, the visiting Falcons recorded a 2-1 victory at UT's Scott Park Complex. Beth Wechsler scored BGSU's first goal, and Desiree Erb netted the match-winner with under 10 minutes remaining. Sarah Gawel made six saves to earn the complete-match win.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: Bowling Green struggled offensively in losing three matches last week ... BGSU scored just one goal in the three contests ... Detroit handed the Falcons a 6-0 defeat at Cochrane Field Wednesday (Oct. 20) ... the Titans outshot the Falcons by just a 16-9 margin, but both Gwen Kilfoy and Tanya Tiselj recorded hat tricks ... three Falcons saw action in goal ... Erika Flanders made one save and surrendered a single goal before leaving the contest due to injury in the last minute of the first half ... Sarah Gawel played 25-plus minutes in net, while Michelle Lisy saw her first action of the year in goal, playing the final 20 minutes ... the Titans played the last 51 minutes a player down, after a UDM player received a red card ... on Friday (Oct. 22), host Western Michigan captured a 4-1 victory on a cold, windy afternoon in Kalamazoo ... with temperatures in the mid-30s and a rain/snow mix falling from the sky periodically, the Broncos took a two-goal lead on a pair of Katie Markey scores ... BGSU got on the board with just 59 seconds left in the half, as Mandy Smith scored her second goal of the year ... Janice Mentrup assisted on the play ... WMU, however, scored just five minutes into the second half and added an insurance goal with eight minutes left ... the Broncos outshot the Falcons, 18-14, including a 12-6 edge in shots on goal ... Flanders made eight saves in the BG net ... BGSU was blanked for the second-straight home match Sunday (Oct. 24), losing to Indiana by a 3-0 final ... the Hoosiers scored nearly 17 minutes into the match, and added another tally in the 39th minute ... the visitors' final goal came at the 72:40 mark ... IU held a 19-6 shots advantage, and had nine shots on goal to the Falcons' two ... Flanders made six saves ... BGSU's best scoring chance came in the first few minutes of the match, when Jill Conover was stopped from point-blank range by IU 'keeper Ashley Davis ... Davis and Chrissy Heubi combined to make two saves for the visitors.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK Ohio State at BGSU Wednesday, October 27 - 1:00 p.m. Cochrane Field Toledo at BGSU Saturday, October 30 - 10:00 a.m. Kalamazoo, Michigan LAST WEEK Detroit 6, at BGSU 0 Wed., Oct. 20 - Cochrane Field at Western Michigan 4, BGSU 1 Fri., Oct. 22 - Kalamazoo, Mich. Indiana 3, at BGSU 0 Sun., Oct. 24 - Cochrane Field 1999 RECORDS Overall: 5-9-3 (.382) Mid-American Conference: 2-5-3 (.350) HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 19-32-4 Career: 102-91-12 (11th year) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 19-32-4 (.382) (1997-present / third year) MAC: 7-16-4 (.333) (1997-present / third year) 1999 MAC STANDINGS Team (Overall)_____________MAC__Pts. Central Mich. (13-4-1)___8-2-0__24 Eastern Mich. (14-2-2)___7-1-2__23 Buffalo (13-3-1)_________7-3-0__21 Miami (14-3-0)___________7-3-0__21 Ohio (7-9-1)_____________5-4-1__16 Northern Ill. (5-12-0)___5-5-0__15 Western Mich. (9-7-1)____4-4-1__13 Kent (9-8-0)_____________4-6-0__12 Bowling Green (5-9-3)____2-5-3___9 Toledo (7-8-0)___________3-6-0___9 Marshall (6-8-3)_________2-6-2___8 Ball State (1-16-1)______0-9-1___1 (three points for a win, one for a tie) BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076; choose option 4 (same-day scores and brief summaries from all Falcon athletic teams)
(October 18 Release)
BGSU PREPARES FOR BUSY STRETCH
Falcons to Play Five Matches in 11 Days, Including Four at Cochrane Field
TOP STORIES:
* BGSU junior Michelle Lisy scored a goal in each of last weekend's two matches ... she has become the school's career leader in that category, and now has 14 goals ... Lisy also is BG's all-time leader with 37 career points ... she has scored five of the team's last seven goals.
* The Falcons play three matches in five days this week, part of a five-matches-in- 11-days stretch to end the regular season ... four of those contests will be played at Cochrane Field.
* Freshman Jill Conover's assist in Friday's Eastern Michigan match was her eighth of the year ... that total breaks the school single-season record of seven, held by Stefanie Sizemore (1997) and Michelle Hoyng (1998).
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team (5-6-3 overall, 2-4-3 MAC) completes a three-match homestand with a Wednesday (Oct. 20) contest against the University of Detroit Mercy (3-11-0). Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
On Friday (Oct. 22), the Brown and Orange will hit the road for the final time in the regular season, taking on Western Michigan University (8-6-1, 3-4-1) in a Mid-American Conference contest. That match is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. at the WMU Soccer Complex.
On Sunday (Oct. 24), the Brown and Orange will return home to begin another three-match homestand. BGSU will face Indiana University (2-7-6) in a match scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m.
Cochrane Field is located off Stadium Drive, just west of Doyt Perry Stadium. Cochrane is located directly east of Keefe Tennis Courts, which are behind the BGSU Ice Arena.
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo is in his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 19-29-4 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 102-88-12. BGSU¹s Sept. 12 win over Niagara was Piccirillo's 100th victory as a collegiate head coach.
Julie Reule is in her third season as Piccirillo's assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: Bowling Green is 5-6-3 on the season, and the Falcons are 2-4-3 in MAC play. Last week, the Brown and Orange lost a pair of home matches, falling to Eastern Michigan by a 4-2 count Friday (Oct. 15) before dropping a 2-1 decision to Central Michigan Sunday (Oct. 17).
After opening MAC play with a pair of wins, the Falcons are 0-4-3 in the last seven matches.
Through 14 matches, freshman Jill Conover paces the Falcons with 20 points, followed by junior Michelle Lisy, with 18. Junior Autumn Harris and sophomore Desiree Erb have scored eight and seven points, respectively, while three players -- junior Janice Mentrup, sophomore Beth Wechsler and freshman Susan Wallace -- have five apiece.
Freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders has a 5-6-1 record and a goals-against average of 1.95. Sophomore Sarah Gawel is 0-0-1 with a 1.07 GAA.
BGSU finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. The Falcons went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: Detroit is 3-11-0 overall, and the Titans have a 2-3 record in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. UDM played just one match last week, dropping a 2-1 home contest to Wright State Sunday (Oct. 17). The Titans have faced four MAC squads this year, losing to Central Michigan (3-1), Buffalo (5-1), Toledo (4-0) and Western Michigan (2-1). Last year, Detroit went 6-13-0 overall and tied for second in the MCC with a 3-2 league mark. Mike Lupenec is 69-56-5 in his seventh year as a collegiate head coach, all with the Titans.
Western Michigan will enter Friday's match with an overall record of 8-6-1, and the Broncos are 3-4-1 in the MAC. WMU's 10 points in league play puts the team in seventh place, one point ahead of BGSU and two other squads. Last weekend, WMU dropped a 3-1 decision at Miami Friday (Oct. 15), but rebounded to defeat host Ball State, 3-0, Sunday (Oct. 17). A year ago, the Broncos were 6-10-2 overall and 3-6-1 in MAC play to place eighth. Head coach Mike Haines is 14-16-3 in his second year at WMU. He is 46-19-6 in his fourth year overall.
Indiana is 2-7-6 overall, and the Hoosiers will take a 1-4-4 Big Ten Conference mark into Friday's (Oct. 22) home match vs. Purdue. Last weekend, IU battled Illinois to a scoreless draw Friday (Oct. 15) before dropping a 1-0 decision to Iowa Sunday (Oct. 17). The Hoosiers have struggled offensively this season, with 11 goals in 15 matches. Last season, IU finished 14-8-1, including a third-place Big Ten finish with a 6-3 league mark. Head coach Joe Kelley is 66-61-8 in his seventh year, all in Bloomington.
THE SERIES: The Falcons lost the only previous meeting with Detroit, dropping a wild, 6-4 decision in the Motor City last Oct. 27. The Falcons fell despite getting a hat trick from Tracy Gleixner and a goal from Autumn Harris. Ashley Enser, Michelle Lisy, Janice Mentrup and Beth Wechsler each had an assist in the match.
The Falcons are 0-2-0 vs. Western Michigan in the all-time series between the schools, having lost a pair of 4-2 decisions. Harris and Stephanie Heller scored goals in a road loss two years ago (Oct. 5, 1997), with Mentrup picking up an assist. Last Oct. 4, Mentrup had a goal and an assist vs. the Broncos at Cochrane Field. Gleixner had BG's other goal, while Wechsler had an assist.
Indiana captured the only previous meeting with the Falcons, a 6-1 decision in Bloomington on Sept. 12, 1997. The Hoosiers outshot BGSU, 44-2, and had a 19-1 advantage in shots on goal.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: Bowling Green lost two matches at home over the weekend ... BGSU fell to Eastern Michigan, at the time the MAC's lone undefeated team, by a 4-2 count Friday (Oct. 15) ... the Eagles scored the first three goals of the match ... junior Michelle Lisy got the Falcons on the scoreboard with her team-leading seventh goal of the year ... the goal, at the 77:55 mark, was assisted by freshman Jill Conover and sophomore Leslie Buse ... the visitors scored an insurance marker with just 6:20 left, and the Falcons could get no closer than the final two-goal margin ... junior Ashley Enser completed the scoring, converting a penalty kick with 1:48 remaining ... the Eagles outshot the Falcons, 18-13, including a 9-6 edge in shots on goal ... freshman Erika Flanders went all the way in goal for the Brown and Orange, making five saves ... on Sunday (Oct. 17), Central Michigan downed the Falcons, 2-1, to remain tied for first place in the MAC ... CMU opened the scoring at the 10:44 mark, but Lisy equalized with her team-leading eighth goal of the season at 21:39 ... sophomore Annmarie Aparo assisted on the play ... the match remained deadlocked until six minutes into the second half, when CMU's Leah McGrath one-timed a ball past Flanders ... the Falcons, who were outshot by a 16-8 count, could not get the tying goal in the remaining 40 minutes ... Flanders made six stops on the day ...the Chippewas held an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal.
FALCON NOTES: Junior Michelle Lisy continues to do her part for the Falcon offense ... Lisy scored a goal in each of last week's matches ... she now has eight goals this season, the second-highest total in school history ... Lisy has scored five of BG's last seven goals over the last four matches ... in her career, she now has 37 career points ... her goal vs. Eastern Michigan moved her past Tracy Gleixner for the BGSU career lead in that category ... Lisy now has 14 career goals, two ahead of Gleixner ... Krista Shamblin is third all-time with 10 career goals, while Stephanie Heller (eight) and Autumn Harris (seven) round out the top five ... Lisy's 37 points place her eight ahead of Gleixner, who had all 29 of her points last season ... Shamblin and Mentrup are tied for third all-time with 24 points, followed by Heller (23) ... Mentrup is the BGSU career assist leader, with 14 ... Beth Wechsler is second with 11, followed by Lisy (nine), freshman Jill Conover (eight) and Heller (seven) ... BG has posted a 1-0-1 record against the 1998 MAC regular-season co-champions, tying Ohio after beating Northern Illinois ... BGSU, a MAC Tournament semifinalist last year, went 2-0-1 against the other three semifinalists, but the Falcons are 0-4-2 against the rest of the league to date ... the Falcons' current seven-match winless streak ties the school record ... all time, BGSU is 3-1-0 in matches played in August, 9-12-1 in September, 5-15-3 in October and 2-1 in November.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK Detroit at BGSU Wednesday, October 20 - 3:00 p.m. Cochrane Field BGSU at Western Michigan Friday, October 22 - 3:00 p.m. Kalamazoo, Michigan Indiana at BGSU Sunday, October 24 - 2:00 p.m. Cochrane Field LAST WEEK Eastern Michigan 4, at BGSU 2 Fri., Oct. 15 - Cochrane Field Central Michigan 2, at BGSU 1 Sun., Oct. 17 - Cochrane Field 1999 RECORDS Overall: 5-6-3 (.464) Mid-American Conference: 2-4-3 HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 19-29-4 Career: 102-88-12 (11th year) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 19-29-4 (.404) (1997-present / third year) MAC: 7-15-4 (.346) (1997-present / third year) 1999 MAC STANDINGS Team (Overall)______________MAC__Pts. Buffalo (13-1-1)___________7-1-0__21 Central Mich. (12-3-1)_____7-1-0__21 Miami (13-2-0)_____________6-2-0__18 Eastern Mich. (12-2-2)_____5-1-2__17 Ohio (6-8-1)_______________4-3-1__13 Northern Ill. (4-11-0)_____4-5-0__12 Western Mich. (8-6-1)______3-4-1__10 Bowling Green (5-6-3)______2-4-3___9 Kent (8-7-0)_______________3-5-0___9 Toledo (6-7-0)_____________3-5-0___9 Marshall (4-8-3)___________0-6-2___2 Ball State (1-14-1)________0-7-1___1 (three points for a win, one for a tie)
(October 11 Release)
BGSU RETURNS HOME FOR TWO BIG MATCHES
Falcons Face Two of the MAC's Top-Three Teams in Eastern, Central Michigan
TOP STORIES:
* BGSU junior Michelle Lisy scored two goals in the last 3:18 of regulation to lift the Falcons to a 3-3 tie at Marshall Sunday (Oct. 10) ... Lisy scored the tying goal with just 26 seconds remaining ... BG was using an "11th attacker" when each of the two goals were scored.
* The Falcons return home for a three-match homestand, beginning with this weekend's contests vs. two of the MAC's top-three teams ... BGSU will play six of the final seven regular-season matches at Cochrane Field.
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team (5-4-3 overall, 2-2-3 MAC) returns home for a pair of Mid-American Conference matches this weekend, starting with a Friday (Oct. 15) match against Eastern Michigan University (11-1-2, 4-0-2). The Eagles are the only remaining undefeated team in MAC action. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
On Sunday (Oct. 17), the Brown and Orange will host Central Michigan University (10-3-1, 5-1-0) in a match scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. The Chippewas, with 15 points, enter the week tied for first in the MAC. Sunday's match will be the second half of a soccer doubleheader at Cochrane Field, as the BGSU men take on Northern Illinois at 1:00 p.m.
Cochrane Field is located off Stadium Drive, just west of Doyt Perry Stadium. Cochrane is located directly east of Keefe Tennis Courts, which are behind the BGSU Ice Arena.
BG PARKS AND RECREATION DAY: The EMU match Friday will be "BG Parks and Recreation Day" at Cochrane Field. Any child who plays soccer in the BG Parks and Recreation league will get into the match for free simply by wearing his or her uniform. Normal ticket prices are $4 for adults and $2 for children and BGSU students.
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo is in his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 19-27-4 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 102-86-12. BGSU's Sept. 12 win over Niagara was Piccirillo's 100th victory as a collegiate head coach.
Julie Reule is in her third season as Piccirillo's assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: Bowling Green is 5-4-3 on the season, and the Falcons are 2-2-3 in MAC play. Last week, the Brown and Orange battled to a pair of ties on the road, playing to a scoreless draw at Ohio Friday (Oct. 8) and a 3-3 deadlock at Marshall Sunday (Oct. 10).
After opening MAC play with a pair of wins, the Falcons are 0-2-3 in the last five matches.
Through 12 matches, freshman Jill Conover paces the Falcons with 19 points, followed by junior Michelle Lisy, with 14. Junior Autumn Harris and sophomore Desiree Erb have scored eight and seven points, respectively, while three players -- junior Janice Mentrup, sophomore Beth Wechsler and freshman Susan Wallace -- have five apiece.
Freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders has a 5-4-1 record and a goals-against average of 1.75. Sophomore Sarah Gawel, who had played just 14 minutes all season prior to last week, started both the Ohio and Marshall matches. She pitched a shutout at OU and now has a 1.08 GAA.
BGSU finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. The Falcons went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: Eastern Michigan is 11-1-2 overall, and the Eagles are the only unbeaten team in MAC play with a 4-0-2 league record. EMU brings a seven-match unbeaten streak into Friday's contest, including two wins and a tie last week. The Eagles won a 2-1 contest at Wisconsin-Green Bay Wednesday (Oct. 6), before playing to a scoreless tie at Western Michigan Friday (Oct. 8). Eastern defeated host Northern Illinois, 4-1, yesterday, and NIU¹s goal was the first surrendered by EMU in six MAC matches. Last year, EMU went 13-7-1 overall and finished third in the MAC with a 7-3-1 league mark. Scott Hall is in his first year as a collegiate head coach.
Central Michigan enters the week with an overall record of 10-3-1, and the Chippewas head into Friday's (Oct. 15) match at Toledo with a MAC record of 5-1-0. CMU enters the week tied for first place in MAC action. Last weekend, CMU fell from the ranks of the MAC unbeaten with a 1-0 loss at Northern Illinois Friday (Oct. 8), before bouncing back to capture a 2-0 decision at Western Michigan Sunday (Oct. 10). A year ago, the inaugural Chippewa squad went 6-10-1 overall and 2-7-1 in MAC play to place 10th. Head coach Mark Salisbury is 16-13-2 in his second year at CMU. He is 74-58-10 in his eighth year overall.
THE SERIES: The Falcons are 1-2-0 vs. Eastern Michigan in the all-time series between the schools, with all three previous matches taking place in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Eagles won a 1-0 decision two years ago (Sept 28, 1997), then captured a 5-2 regular-season contest last year (Sept. 20, 1998). Michelle Lisy scored BG's first goal in that match. A little over a month later (Nov. 3, 1998), BG upset EMU, 1-0, in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals, with Lisy earning the shutout in goal. Autumn Harris assisted on the lone goal of the match.
The Brown and Orange won the only previous meeting with Central Michigan, a 4-3 contest at Cochrane Field on Oct. 1, 1998. Lisy had two goals in the match, while Ashley Enser scored on a penalty kick. Beth Wechsler assisted on Lisy's second goal of that match.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: Bowling Green played to a tie in each of last week's two road matches ... the Falcons battled Ohio to a scoreless tie in Friday (Oct. 8) action ... sophomore Sarah Gawel, who had played just 14 minutes of action in 1999, drew the start in goal and responded with 120 minutes of shutout ball ... she made nine saves in earning the first complete-match shutout of her collegiate career ... the Falcons could not put the ball past OU's Lori Schmidt at the other end of the field, however ... the match marked the first scoreless tie in BGSU history ... OU held a 27-11 advantage in shots, including a 9-6 margin in shots on goal ... on Sunday (Oct. 10), the Falcons used some late heroics to send the match to overtime at Marshall ... the contest ended in a 3-3 tie ... after MU got on the board at the 8:15 mark, neither team scored again in the first half ... the Falcons, outshot by a 10-2 count in that stanza, got on the board early in the second stanza on a goal by junior Stephanie Heller ... the goal was Heller's first of the season ... junior Autumn Harris and sophomore Beth Wechsler drew assists on the play ... the contest stayed tied until a Thundering Herd goal with 16:27 left ... the Herd took a two-goal advantage with just 8:43 remaining in the second half ... with exactly four minutes remaining, coach Tom Piccirillo substituted for Gawel, and Wechsler, normally a defender, was moved to the goalkeeper spot ... Wechsler played as an "11th attacker," a move that paid off in a big way ... 42 seconds later (3:18 left in the half), junior Michelle Lisy scored, with freshmen Melissa Galitz and Jill Conover drawing assists ... Lisy slammed home a rebound of a Galitz shot that had hit the crossbar ... as Lisy scored her second goal of the match with just 26 seconds left in regulation ... junior Ashley Enser and sophomore Mandy Smith assisted on the goal ... the teams battled through 30 minutes of scoreless overtime action ... Gawel made 10 saves in 116:26, while Wechsler was credited with one save in 3:34 of action as goalie ... MU held a 20-15 edge in shots, including a 14-8 margin in shots on goal.
FALCON NOTES: Bowling Green has posted a 1-0-1 record against the 1998 MAC regular-season co-champions, tying Ohio after beating Northern Illinois ... BGSU, a MAC Tournament semifinalist last year, went 2-0-1 against the other three semifinalists, but the Falcons are 0-2-2 against the rest of the league to date ... junior Michelle Lisy has assumed the BGSU career scoring lead ... Lisy's two goals at Marshall gave her 33 career points ... that moved her past Tracy Gleixner for the BGSU career point lead ... Gleixner had all 29 of her points last season ... Krista Shamblin and Janice Mentrup are tied for third all-time with 24 points, while Stephanie Heller (23) rounds out the top five ... Lisy and Gleixner lead all BG players, current or past, with 12 career goals each, followed by Shamblin (10) ... Heller and Autumn Harris have eight and seven career goals, respectively ... Mentrup is the BGSU career assist leader, with 14 ... Beth Wechsler is second with 11, followed by Lisy (nine) ... four players, including Heller, Jill Conover, Stefanie Sizemore and Michelle Hoyng, have seven career assists.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK Eastern Michigan at BGSU Friday, October 15 - 4:00 p.m. Cochrane Field Central Michigan at BGSU Sunday, October 17 - 3:00 p.m. Cochrane Field LAST WEEK BGSU 0, at Ohio 0 (2-OT) Fri., Oct. 8 - Athens, Ohio BGSU 3, at Marshall 3 (2-OT) Sun., Oct. 10 - Huntington, W.Va. 1999 RECORDS Overall: 5-4-3 (.542) Mid-American Conference: 2-2-3 HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 19-27-4 Career: 102-86-12 (11th year) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 19-27-4 (.420) (1997-present / third year) MAC: 7-13-4 (.375) (1997-present / third year) 1999 MAC STANDINGS Team (Overall)_______________MAC___Pts. Buffalo (11-1-1)___________5-1-0____15 Central Mich. (10-3-1)_____5-1-0____15 Eastern Mich. (11-1-2)_____4-0-2____14 Miami (11-2-0)_____________4-2-0____12 Ohio (5-7-1)_______________3-2-1____10 Bowling Green (5-4-3)______2-2-3_____9 Northern Ill. (3-10-0)_____3-4-0_____9 Western Mich. (7-5-1)______2-3-1_____7 Kent (7-6-0)_______________2-4-0_____6 Toledo (5-6-0)_____________2-4-0_____6 Marshall (4-6-3)___________0-4-2_____2 Ball State (1-12-1)________0-5-1_____1 (three points for a win, one for a tie) BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076; choose option 4 (same-day scores and brief summaries from all Falcon athletic teams)
(October 4 Release)
BGSU CONTINUES FOUR-MATCH ROAD SWING
Falcons Head to Ohio and Marshall This Week After a Tie, a Loss and a Postponement
TOP STORIES:
* BGSU's home match vs. arch-rival Toledo, scheduled for last Wednesday (Sept. 29), was postponed ... the BGSU-UT match has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 30, at 10:00 a.m. at BG's Cochrane Field ... the Toledo team bus was stuck in traffic due to an accident, and was unable to get to Bowling Green.
* The Falcons continue a season-long, four-match road swing this weekend ... BG will head to Athens to face defending MAC co-champion Ohio Friday (Oct. 8) ... two days later, the Falcons will face Marshall.
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team (5-4-1 overall, 2-2-1 MAC) will complete a four-match road stretch this weekend, starting with a Friday (Oct. 8) match at defending Mid-American Conference co-champion Ohio University (4-7-0, 2-2-0). The Falcons and Bobcats will play a 4:00 p.m. match at OU's Shafer Street Field.
On Sunday (Oct. 10), the Brown and Orange will face Marshall University (4-5-2, 0-3-1) in a 3:00 p.m. contest. Sam Hood Field will serve as the site for that match.
Following the MU contest, BGSU will return home for three-straight matches, beginning with an Oct. 15 tilt vs. Eastern Michigan at Cochrane Field.
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo is in his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 19-27-2 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 102-86-10. BGSU's Sept. 12 win over Niagara was Piccirillo's 100th victory as a collegiate head coach.
Julie Reule is in her third season as Piccirillo's assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: Bowling Green is 5-4-1 on the season, and the Falcons are 2-2-1 in MAC play. Last week, the Brown and Orange battled to a 2-2 tie at Ball State Friday (Oct. 1) before falling at Miami Sunday (Oct. 3) by a 3-1 count.
Wednesday's (Sept. 29) scheduled home match vs. Toledo was postponed, and has been rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 30, at 10:00 a.m.
The Falcons are 0-2-1 in the last three matches, after a season-long three-match win streak.
Through 10 matches, freshman Jill Conover paces the Falcons with 18 points, followed by junior Michelle Lisy, with 10. Sophomore Desiree Erb and junior Autumn Harris have scored seven points each this season, while junior Janice Mentrup and freshman Susan Wallace have five apiece. Freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders has recorded all 10 of BG's decisions and has a goals-against average of 1.75.
BGSU finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. The Falcons went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: Ohio is 4-7-0 overall, and the Bobcats are 2-2-0 in MAC action. After winning three consecutive matches, OU lost a pair of league contests on the road last weekend. The Bobcats lost to Central Michigan, 3-1, and Eastern Michigan, 2-0. Last year, Ohio went 16-6-0 overall and tied for the MAC's regular-season crown with a 9-1-0 league record. OU hosted the MAC Tournament, and advanced to the tourney championship before falling in triple overtime to Northern Illinois. Wendy Logan is 30-19-2 in her third year as a head coach, all at OU.
Marshall enters the week with an overall record of 4-5-2, and the Thundering Herd heads into Friday's (Oct. 8) home match vs. Toledo with a MAC record of 0-3-1. Last weekend, MU battled Eastern Michigan to a scoreless tie, then fell to Central Michigan by a 2-1 count. A year ago, the inaugural Herd squad went 4-13-1 overall and 1-8-1 in MAC play. Head coach Teresa Patterson is 8-18-3 in her second year, both with MU and overall.
THE SERIES: The Falcons are 0-2-0 vs. Ohio in the all-time series between the schools. The Bobcats won a 4-0 decision in a driving rain at Cochrane Field two years ago (Oct. 26, 1997), then captured a 2-0 match in Athens last Oct. 18.
The Brown and Orange won the only previous meeting with Marshall, a 2-0 contest in Huntington on Oct. 16, 1998. Tracy Gleixner had a goal and an assist in that match, while Janice Mentrup scored BG's other goal. Beth Wechsler had an assist, and Michelle Lisy recorded BGSU's first-ever complete-match shutout in the net.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: Bowling Green played only two of last week's three scheduled matches ... the Falcons' Wednesday (Sept. 29) home match with Toledo was rescheduled and will be played on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 10:00 a.m. at Cochrane Field ... due to an accident on Interstate 75 Wednesday, the bus carrying the Toledo team was stuck in traffic en route to Bowling Green ... coupled with the inclement weather, it was unlikely that the teams could have played a complete match due to impending darkness, even if the UT squad had arrived in BG ... on Friday (Oct. 1), first-year Ball State battled the Falcons to a 2-2 tie ... BGSU never led in the match, despite outshooting the hosts by a 33-10 margin ... the Cards got on the board with just 16 seconds left in the first half ... the Falcons equalized with nearly nine minutes gone in the second half, with freshman Jill Conover finding the net ... the goal, Conover's team-leading sixth of the season, was assisted by junior Janice Mentrup ... Ball State again took the lead at the 68:17 mark, but BG tied the contest less than two minutes later ... with exactly 20 minutes left in regulation, junior Autumn Harris scored her third goal of the season, with Mentrup again drawing an assist ... the teams played 50 more minutes of scoreless ball and settled for the tie ... BG held a 13-5 edge in shots on goal ... freshman Erika Flanders made three saves for the Falcons ... the Falcons lost a 3-1 decision at Miami Sunday (Oct. 3) ... the Falcons dominated the match in the early going, and the team's efforts were rewarded at the 11:59 mark ... junior Michelle Lisy headed home her fourth goal of the year, with backs Ashley Enser and Leslie Hepfinger drawing assists ... the Falcons could not score again, however ... MU tied the contest at 18:34, then took the lead for good eight minutes into the second half ... the RedHawks got an insurance tally at the 87:07 mark ... Miami outshot the Falcons, 24-6, and BG had only two shot attempts in the entire second half ... Flanders made six saves for BG.
FALCON NOTES: Junior Michelle Lisy has moved into a tie for the BGSU career scoring lead ... Lisy's goal at Miami gave her 29 career points ... that deadlocked her with Tracy Gleixner for the BGSU career point lead ... Gleixner had all 29 of her points last season ... Krista Shamblin and Janice Mentrup are tied for third all-time with 24 points, while Stephanie Heller (21) rounds out the top five ... Gleixner leads all BG players, current or past, with 12 career goals, followed by Shamblin and Lisy (10 each) ... Heller (seven) and Autumn Harris have seven goals apiece ... Mentrup is the BGSU career assist leader, with 14 after her two-assist match at BSU ... Beth Wechsler is second with 10, followed by Lisy (nine) and Heller (seven) ... freshman forward Jill Conover has been ranked among the national assist leaders in each of the last two weeks ... Conover was tied for eighth in the nation when the first NCAA statistics were released (Sept. 22), and she dropped to a 12th-place tie in the latest national stats, released last Wednesday (Sept. 29) ... Conover, averaging 0.75 assists per match at that time, has seen that figure drop to 0.60 ... after not recording a point in the first 25 matches of her collegiate career, sophomore back Leslie Hepfinger has two assists over the last four contests ... junior tri-captain Ashley Enser picked up her first point of the year Sunday at Miami.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK BGSU at Ohio Friday, October 8 - 4:00 p.m. Shafer Street Field - Athens, Ohio BGSU at Marshall Sunday, October 10 - 3:00 p.m. Sam Hood Field - Huntington, WV LAST WEEK Toledo at BGSU - Postponed Rescheduled for Oct. 30 - 10:00 a.m. BGSU 2, at Ball State 2 (2-OT) Fri., October 1 - Muncie, Ind. at Miami 3, BGSU 1 Sun., October 3 - Oxford, Ohio 1999 RECORDS Overall: 5-4-1 (.550) Mid-American Conference: 2-2-1 HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 19-27-2 Career: 102-86-10 (11th year) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 19-27-2 (.417) (1997-present / third year) MAC: 7-13-2 (.364) (1997-present / third year) 1999 MAC STANDINGS Team (Overall)______________MAC__Pts. Buffalo (10-0-1)__________4-0-0__12 Central Mich. (9-2-1)_____4-0-0__12 Eastern Mich. (9-1-1)_____3-0-1__10 Bowling Green (5-4-1)_____2-2-1___7 Miami (9-2-0)_____________2-2-0___6 Ohio (4-7-0)______________2-2-0___6 Western Mich. (6-4-0)_____2-2-0___6 Northern Ill. (2-9-0)_____2-3-0___3 Kent (6-5-0)______________1-3-0___3 Toledo (4-5-0)____________1-3-0___3 Ball State (1-10-1)_______0-3-1___1 Marshall (4-5-2)__________0-3-1___1 (three points for a win, one for a tie) BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076; choose option 4
(September 29 Release)
BGSU-TOLEDO WOMEN'S SOCCER MATCH POSTPONED
Contest Rescheduled for Saturday, October 30, at 10:00 a.m.
The women's soccer match between Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo, originally scheduled for this afternoon (Sept. 29), has been postponed. The BGSU-UT match has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 30, at 10:00 a.m., at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
Due to an accident on Interstate 75, the bus carrying the Toledo team was stuck in traffic en route to Bowling Green. Coupled with the inclement weather, it was unlikely that the teams could have played a complete match due to impending darkness, even if the UT squad had arrived in BG.
The Falcons (5-3-0 overall, 2-1-0 Mid-American Conference) begin a four-match road swing with Friday¹s (Oct. 1) contest at Ball State. BGSU's next scheduled home contest is Friday, Oct. 15, vs. Eastern Michigan.
Toledo (3-4-0, 0-2-0) plays at Miami Friday.
The postponement is the first in the three-year history of the BGSU women's soccer program.
(September 29 Release)
BGSU'S CONOVER RANKED AMONG NATIONAL ASSIST LEADERS
The NCAA has released the latest Division I women's soccer statistics, and Bowling Green State University freshman Jill Conover (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) continues to rank among the national leaders in assists. Conover has six assists through eight matches, tying her for 12th in the nation with 0.75 assists per contest.
Conover, who was tied for eighth in assists in last week's national statistics, was held scoreless in BGSU's only match last week, a Sunday (Sept. 26) loss to Buffalo, 3-0. On the season, Conover leads BGSU with five goals and six assists for 16 points. She has had a hand in 11 of BGSU's 17 goals, including four of the five in MAC play.
The NCAA Division I statistics will be released each week (generally Tuesday or Wednesday) through early November.
The Falcons (5-3-0 overall, 2-1-0 MAC) return to action this afternoon (Sept. 29) with a home contest against arch-rival Toledo. That MAC match begins at 4:00 p.m. at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
NCAA Division I Individual Statistics  Through Matches of Sept. 26, 1999
ASSISTS PER MATCH
Player, Team CL Games Assists Avg. 1 Jenny Benson, Nebraska---------------------- JR 10 10 1.00 2 Erin Grimsley, Missouri--------------------- SR 8 7 0.88 Mindy Sanders, South Carolina--------------- SR 8 7 0.88 4 Marit Foss, Jacksonville-------------------- SO 7 6 0.86 Jaime Ricker, George Mason------------------ SR 7 6 0.86 6 Kara Green, Massachusetts------------------- JR 6 5 0.83 Katie Mills, Temple------------------------- JR 6 5 0.83 8 Tammy Waine, Auburn------------------------- SO 9 7 0.78 Sarah Schulz, Middle Tennessee State-------- FR 9 7 0.78 Colleen Lake, Tulane------------------------ FR 9 7 0.78 Paula Listrani, Buffalo--------------------- JR 9 7 0.78 12 Jill Conover, Bowling Green----------------- FR 7 6 0.75 Bryce Weed, Harvard------------------------- FR 4 3 0.75 Ginger Pringle, Southern Miss.-------------- SR 8 6 0.75 Anita Rapp, Oakland------------------------- JR 8 6 0.75 Abby Rollman, Army-------------------------- FR 8 6 0.75
(September 27 Release)
BUSY WEEK AHEAD FOR FALCONS
BGSU, Beginning With Wednesday's Toledo Match, Plays Three Times in Five Days
TOP STORIES:
* Freshman forward Jill Conover was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week Tuesday (Sept. 21) for her play in the Kent and Northern Illinois matches ... Conover scored three goals and had an assist in the two wins ... she has had a hand in 11 of BGSU's 17 goals this year, including four of the five in MAC play.
* The Falcons embark upon an important stretch of matches this week, playing three times in a five-day span ... after Wednesday's home contest against arch-rival Toledo, the Brown and Orange will begin a season-long, four-match road swing.
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team will play three times in five days this week, beginning Wednesday (Sept. 29). That afternoon, the Falcons (5-3-0 overall, 2-1-0 Mid-American Conference) will entertain arch-rival Toledo (3-4-0, 0-2-0). That match will begin at 4:00 p.m. at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
Friday (Oct. 1), the Brown and Orange will head to Muncie, Ind., to face Ball State (1-9-0, 0-2-0), a first-year program. Start time for that match is 3:00 p.m. local time (4:00 p.m. Eastern) at the Ball State Soccer Field.
On Sunday (Oct. 3), BG continues a four-match road swing with a 1:00 p.m. contest against Miami (7-2-0, 0-2-0). The Miami Soccer Field is the site of that match.
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo is in his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 19-26-1 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 102-85-9. BGSU's Sept. 12 win over Niagara was Piccirillo's 100th victory as a collegiate head coach.
Julie Reule is in her third season as Piccirillo¹s assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: Bowling Green is 5-3-0 on the season, and the Falcons are 2-1 in MAC play after Sunday's (Sept. 26) 3-0 loss to Buffalo. After opening the season with a pair of home wins over Michigan State (3-2) and Valparaiso (5-1), the Brown and Orange dropped two matches in Athens, Ga. BG fell to Georgia (1-0) before losing a neutral-site contest to East Carolina (4-2).
Following that trip, the Falcons won three matches in a row, over Niagara (2-0) and MAC foes Kent (2-0) and Northern Illinois (3-2), before losing to UB.
Through eight matches, freshman Jill Conover paces the Falcons with 16 points, followed by junior Michelle Lisy, with eight. Sophomore Desiree Erb, has scored seven points this season, while junior Autumn Harris and freshman Susan Wallace have five apiece. Freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders has recorded all eight of BG's decisions and has a goals-against average of 1.63.
BGSU finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. The Falcons went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: Toledo is 3-4-0 overall, and the Rockets have opened MAC play with a pair of one-goal losses. UT's only match last week was Friday's (Sept. 24) 3-2 loss to visiting Buffalo in overtime. The team's other MAC match was a 1-0 setback to Kent eight days ago (Sept. 19). Last year, UT went 8-12-0 overall and finished fifth in the MAC with a 5-5 league ledger. Rj. Anderson is 38-40-4 in his fifth year as a head coach, all with Toledo.
Ball State will enter Friday's BG match with a 1-9 record. The first-year Cardinals have dropped nine consecutive matches after a season-opening road win over Earlham. Last weekend, BSU's first-ever MAC matches resulted in losses to Eastern Michigan (3-0, Friday) and Central Michigan (5-0, Sunday). Ron Rainey, in his first year at BSU, is 21-22-4 in his third year as a collegiate head coach.
Miami is 7-2-0 overall heading into Friday's (Oct. 1) home contest with Toledo. The RedHawks opened the season with seven-straight wins, then lost a pair of MAC games last weekend. CMU (3-0, Friday) and EMU (2-0, Sunday) downed visiting MU. A year ago, Miami's overall record of 5-8-3 included a 2-6-2 league record, good for ninth place. Bobby Kramig is 19-23-3 in his third season as the MU women's coach and 32-26-3 in his fourth year as a collegiate women's soccer coach. Kramig spent 16 years as the MU men's coach before the school dropped the program following the 1998 campaign.
THE SERIES: The Falcons and Toledo have won one match apiece in the all-time series. Two years ago (Sept. 20, 1997), the Rockets won a 3-2 decision at the Glass Bowl. Stephanie Heller and Ashley Enser scored BG's goals in that match, while Autumn Harris had an assist. Last year (Sept. 17), goals by Beth Wechsler and Desiree Erb propelled the visiting Falcons to a 2-1 win at UT's Scott Park Complex.
BG has lost both prior meetings with Miami. In 1997 (Oct. 11), the host RedHawks recorded a 3-2 win in a battle of first-year programs. Heller and Michelle Lisy each had assists in that match. Last October 30, visiting MU won a 2-1 overtime decision at Cochrane Field. Tracy Gleixner scored BG's goal, with Wechsler drawing an assist.
Bowling Green and Ball State will be meeting for the first time in women's soccer.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: Bowling Green played just one match last week, falling to visiting Buffalo by a 3-0 final Sunday (Sept. 26) ... the match, despite the seemingly lopsided outcome, was scoreless for over 81 minutes ... the Bulls scored on three consecutive shots, with the three goals coming just 3:27 apart ... UB's Paula Listrani scored two of the goals, sandwiching an assist in between ... the Falcons outshot the Bulls, 15-11, but UB held a 7-6 edge in shots on goal ... Buffalo's Jaime Adams made six saves en route to the shutout, while BG's Erika Flanders made four stops ... Buffalo players were whistled for being offsides 14 times, while the Falcons were not called once ... BG had a 12-5 advantage in corner kicks.
FALCON NOTES: Bowling Green's loss to Buffalo marked the Falcons' first home setback in five outings this season ... BG has won four matches at home in each of the first three seasons ... the Falcons went 4-4-0 at Cochrane Field during the team's inaugural season of 1997, then posted a 4-5-1 home record last year ... BG is 4-1-0 at home this season ... freshman forward Jill Conover was ranked among the national assist leaders when the first NCAA statistics were released Wednesday (Sept. 22) ... Conover was tied for eighth in the nation with 0.86 assists per match ... Conover was named the MAC's Player of the Week last Tuesday (Sept. 21) ... Michelle Lisy is two points away from tying Tracy Gleixner for the BGSU career point lead ... Lisy has 27 points in her BG tenure, while Gleixner had 29 points last season ... Krista Shamblin ranks third all-time with 24 points, while Janice Mentrup (22) and Stephanie Heller (21) round out the top five ... Gleixner also leads all BG players, current or past, with 12 career goals, followed by Shamblin (10), Lisy (nine), Heller (seven) and Autumn Harris (six) ... Mentrup is the BGSU career assist leader, with 12 ... Beth Wechsler is second with 10, followed by Lisy (nine) and Heller (seven) ... a total of 12 different players have scored at least one point this season ... eight different Falcons have scored a goal this season, while 11 BG players have at least one assist ... for the second time in three years, BGSU is believed to have scored the first "Golden Goal" (OT match-ending goal) of the season ... two years ago, Kerry McKee scored the NCAA's first-ever ³Golden Goal² at Kent ... this year, Lisy won the Michigan State match (Aug. 27) with an OT marker.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK Toledo at BGSU Wed., September 29 - 4:00 p.m. Cochrane Field - Bowling Green BGSU at Ball State Fri., October 1 - 3:00 p.m. (CT) Muncie, Indiana BGSU at Miami Sun., October 3 - 1:00 p.m. Oxford, Ohio LAST WEEK Buffalo 3, at BGSU 0 Sun., Sept. 26 - Cochrane Field 1999 RECORDS Overall: 5-3-0 (.625) Mid-American Conference: 2-1-0 HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 19-26-1 Career Record: 102-85-9 (11th yr.) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 19-26-1 (.424) (1997-present / third year) MAC: 7-12-1 (.375) (1997-present / third year) 1999 MAC STANDINGS Team (Overall)___________MAC__Pts. Buffalo (8-0-1)________2-0-0___6 Central Mich. (7-2-1)__2-0-0___6 Eastern Mich. (8-1-0)__2-0-0___6 Ohio (4-5-0)___________2-0-0___6 Bowling Green (5-3-0)__2-1-0___6 Kent (6-3-0)___________1-1-0___3 Western Mich. (5-3-0)__1-1-0___3 Northern Ill. (1-8-0)__1-2-0___3 Ball State (1-9-0)_____0-2-0___0 Marshall (4-4-1)_______0-2-0___0 Miami (7-2-0)__________0-2-0___0 Toledo (3-4-0)_________0-2-0___0 (three points for a win, one for a tie) BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076; choose option 4 (same-day scores and brief summaries from all Falcon athletic teams)
(September 23 Release)
BGSU'S CONOVER RANKED AMONG NATIONAL ASSIST LEADERS
The NCAA has released the latest Division I women's soccer statistics, and Bowling Green State University freshman Jill Conover (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) ranks among the national leaders in assists. Conover has six assists through seven matches, tying her for eighth in the nation with 0.86 assists per contest.
Conover, who was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week Tuesday (Sept. 21), has helped the Falcons to the team's first-ever 2-0-0 league start. BGSU defeated 1998 MAC Tournament semifinalist Kent by a 2-0 count last Wednesday (Sept. 15), then won a 3-2 decision at two-time defending MAC Tournament champion Northern Illinois Saturday (Sept. 18). Conover had a goal and an assist vs. KSU, and she scored a pair of goals at NIU.
On the season, Conover leads BGSU with five goals and six assists for 16 points. She has had a hand in 11 of BGSU's 17 goals, including four of the five in MAC play.
The NCAA Division I statistics will be released each week (generally Tuesday or Wednesday) through early November.
The Falcons (5-2-0 overall, 2-0-0 MAC) return to action Sunday (Sept. 26) with a home contest against Buffalo. That MAC match begins at 1:00 p.m. at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
NCAA Division I Individual Statistics  Through Matches of Sept. 19, 1999
ASSISTS PER MATCH Player, Team CL Games Assists Avg. 1 Danielle Slaton, Santa Clara---------------- SO 4 5 1.25 2 Tammy Waine, Auburn------------------------- SO 6 7 1.17 3 Jenny Benson, Nebraska---------------------- JR 8 9 1.13 4 Lori Brennan, Temple------------------------ JR 5 5 1.00 Kylee Barton, Portland---------------------- JR 6 6 1.00 Colleen Lake, Tulane------------------------ JR 6 6 1.00 Marit Foss, Jacksonville-------------------- SO 6 6 1.00 8 Jill Conover, Bowling Green----------------- FR 7 6 0.86 Jennifer Frazier, Idaho--------------------- SO 7 6 0.86 Mardia Moore, Western Carolina-------------- FR 7 6 0.86 Susan Bush, North Carolina------------------ FR 7 6 0.86 Jaime Ricker, George Mason------------------ SR 7 6 0.86
(September 21 Release)
CONOVER NAMED MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BGSU Freshman Earns Honor After Three-Goal, One-Assist Week
BOWLING GREEN, OHIO - Bowling Green State University freshman Jill Conover (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) has been named the Mid-American Conference "Player of the Week" for women's soccer. The award is the first of Conover's career, and only the third MAC "P-O-W" honor in BGSU women's soccer history.
Conover, a forward, scored three goals and added an assist as the Falcons won a pair of MAC matches to move to 2-0-0 in conference play for the first time in school history. On the season, Conover has had a hand in 11 of BGSU's 17 goals, including four of the five in MAC play.
Conover assisted on the match-winning goal and scored the clinching tally in Wednesday's (Sept. 15) 2-0 victory over Kent. KSU, like BGSU, advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinals last season. On Saturday (Sept. 18), Conover scored a pair of goals in BG's 3-2 road win over two-time defending MAC Tournament champion Northern Illinois.
On the season, Conover has five goals and six assists for 16 points, leading the team in all three categories.
The Falcons (5-2-0 overall, 2-0-0 MAC) have just one match on tap this week, a Sunday (Sept. 26) home contest vs. Buffalo (6-0-1, 0-0-0). Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
(September 20 Release)
BGSU STARTS MAC PLAY AT 2-0-0
Falcons, After Beating Two '98 MAC Tourney Semifinalists, Host Unbeaten Buffalo
TOP STORIES:
* Bowling Green is off to a 2-0-0 start in Mid-American Conference play for the first time in school history ... the Falcons' two league wins came over teams that, like BG, advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinals last season ... the Brown and Orange downed visiting Kent, 2-0, then went on the road and beat two-time defending MAC Tourney champs Northern Illinois, 3-2.
* Freshman forward Jill Conover scored three goals and added an assist last week ... she had a goal and an assist in the Kent match, then scored BG's first two goals at NIU ... Conover has had a hand in 11 of BGSU's 17 goals this year, including four of the five in MAC play.
* Freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders set a school record for consecutive shutout minutes ... Flanders, who posted back-to-back shutouts vs. Niagara and KSU before finally giving up a goal at NIU, had a streak of 216:22 without allowing a score.
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team plays just one match this week, hosting Mid-American Conference foe Buffalo Sunday (Sept. 26). The Falcons (5-2-0, 2-0-0) and Bulls (6-0-1, 0-0-0) will do battle in a 1:00 p.m. contest at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
The match marks the third of 10 consecutive contests against MAC foes.
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo is in his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 19-25-1 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 102-84-9. BGSU's Sept. 12 win over Niagara was Piccirillo's 100th victory as a collegiate head coach.
Julie Reule is in her third season as Piccirillo's assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: Bowling Green is 5-2-0 on the season, and the Falcons opened MAC play with a pair of wins last week. After opening the season with a pair of home wins over Michigan State (3-2) and Valparaiso (5-1), the Brown and Orange dropped two matches in Athens, Ga. BG fell to Georgia (1-0) before losing a neutral-site contest to East Carolina (4-2).
Since returning from that trip, the Falcons have won three matches in a row, over Niagara (2-0) and MAC foes Kent (2-0) and Northern Illinois (3-2).
Through seven matches, freshman Jill Conover paces the Falcons with 16 points, followed by junior Michelle Lisy, with eight. Sophomore Desiree Erb has scored seven points this season, while junior Autumn Harris and freshman Susan Wallace have five apiece. Freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders has recorded all seven of BG's decisions and has a goals-against average of 1.44.
BGSU finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. The Falcons went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: Buffalo is off to a 6-0-1 start. The Bulls were perfect in the first six matches of the campaign, including last week's road wins over Canisius (5-0, Wednesday) and Miami (Fla.) (3-0, Friday). Yesterday (Sept. 19), however, host Florida International earned a 1-1 tie with UB. The Bulls, who play a Friday (Sept. 24) contest at Toledo before meeting the Falcons two days later, have scored 20 goals and allowed just two this season. Last year, UB went 10-6-2 overall and finished seventh in the MAC with a 3-5-2 league ledger. Jean-A. Tassy is 38-29-10 in his fifth year as a head coach, all with Buffalo.
THE SERIES: The Falcons hold a 2-0 advantage in the series with Buffalo, having recorded 2-1 home wins in each of the past two seasons. Last year (Sept. 25), Stephanie Heller had a goal and an assist for BG, while Tracy Gleixner's late goal was the match winner. Two years ago (Oct. 24, 1997), Michelle Lisy found the back of the net against the Bulls, while Heller had an assist.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: Bowling Green got off to the team's best-ever MAC start with a pair of wins ... the Falcons posted wins over two 1998 league tournament semifinalists, Kent and Northern Illinois ... junior Jamie Eshleman and freshman Jill Conover found the back of the net in Wednesday's (Sept. 15) win over KSU ... freshman goalie Erika Flanders recorded her second consecutive shutout ... Eshleman got BG on the board midway through the first half ... on the play, freshman Melissa Galitz took a Conover pass, split two defenders and fired a shot that eluded KSU goalie Lindsey Mitchell, but caromed off the goalpost ... the ball ricocheted directly to Eshleman, who found the empty net for her first goal of the season ... the Falcons, who outshot the Golden Flashes by a 24-10 margin, did not score again until the 83:38 mark ... Conover recorded her third goal of the year off a pass from sophomore Mandy Smith ... junior Autumn Harris also drew an assist on the play ... the Falcons held a 10-2 advantage in shots on goal, and Flanders was called upon to make just two saves ... the BG win knocked Kent from the ranks of the unbeaten ... on Saturday (Sept. 18), BG recorded a 3-2 road win vs. Northern Illinois ... Conover scored a pair of goals against the two-time defending MAC tourney champions, while junior Janice Mentrup had the match-winning goal and added an assist ... the Falcons drew first blood on a Conover goal exactly one minute into the match ... junior Michelle Lisy and sophomore Leslie Hepfinger assisted on the play ... Hepfinger's assist marked the first point of her collegiate career ... NIU's Renay DeNicolo equalized at 14:46, but Conover gave BG the lead once again at 38:40 ... Mentrup assisted on the scoring play ... the Huskies tied matters once again with 3:22 left in the half ... Mentrup, off a feed from sophomore Desiree Erb, scored on a header at the 50:50 mark ... that goal would hold up as the match winner ... the hosts outshot BG, 22-17, including a 10-8 edge in shots on goal ... Flanders made a season-high eight saves to earn the win.
FALCON NOTES: Bowling Green's win over Kent enabled the Falcons to tie the school record for home victories in a season ... the Brown and Orange will take a perfect 4-0-0 home record into Sunday's match vs. Buffalo ... BGSU went 4-4-0 at Cochrane Field during the team's inaugural season of 1997, then posted a 4-5-1 home record last year ... with the shutout of Kent, freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders set a new school record for consecutive scoreless minutes ... Flanders gave up a goal 14:46 into the NIU match, ending the scoreless streak at 216:22 ... freshman Jill Conover's first goal of that match, scored exactly one minute in, set a school record for earliest goal in a match ... junior Jamie Eshleman scored the first match-winning goal of her career in the win over Kent ... overall, the goal was Eshleman's third as a Falcon, but her first since an Oct. 17, 1997, win over KSU ... classmate Janice Mentrup, held without a point in the first six matches of the season, scored three points at NIU ... she had an assist before registering the winning goal ... Mentrup is the BGSU career leader in assists, with 12 ... Flanders' consecutive shutouts vs. Niagara and Kent marked BG's first-ever back-to-back blankings ... in fact, Flanders tied Michelle Lisy for the most complete-match shutouts in a season and a career, with two ... no other BG goalie has recorded a complete-match shutout ... the Falcons' current three-match win streak ties the school record for consecutive wins in a season ... BG won five-straight contests over two seasons, winning the last two outings of 1997 and last year's first three matches ... prior to last week, BG had never won back-to-back MAC contests ... a total of 12 different players have scored at least one point this season ... eight different Falcons have scored a goal, while 11 BG players have at least one assist this season ... for the second time in three years, BGSU is believed to have scored the first "Golden Goal" (OT match-ending goal) of the season ... two years ago, Kerry McKee scored the NCAA's first-ever "Golden Goal" at Kent ... this year, Michelle Lisy won the Michigan State match (Aug. 27) with an OT marker.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK Buffalo at BGSU Sun., September 26 - 1:00 p.m. Cochrane Field - Bowling Green LAST WEEK at BGSU 2, Kent 0 Wed., Sept. 15 - Cochrane Field BGSU 3, at Northern Illinois 2 Sat., Sept. 18 - DeKalb, Illinois 1999 RECORDS Overall: 5-2-0 (.714) Mid-American Conference: 2-0-0 HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 19-25-1 Career Record: 102-84-9 (11th yr.) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 19-25-1 (.433) (1997-present / third year) MAC: 7-11-1 (.395) (1997-present / third year) 1999 MAC STANDINGS Team (Overall)_______________MAC___Pts. Bowling Green (5-2-0)______2-0-0____6 Kent (5-1-0)_______________1-1-0____3 Ball State (1-7-0)_________0-0-0____0 Buffalo (6-0-1)____________0-0-0____0 Central Mich. (5-2-1)______0-0-0____0 Eastern Mich. (6-1-0)______0-0-0____0 Marshall (3-2-1)___________0-0-0____0 Miami (6-0-0)______________0-0-0____0 Ohio (1-5-0)_______________0-0-0____0 Western Mich. (4-1-0)______0-0-0____0 Northern Ill. (0-7-0)______0-1-0____0 Toledo (3-3-0)_____________0-1-0____0 (three points for a win, one for a tie) BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076; choose option 4 (same-day scores and brief summaries from all Falcon athletic teams)
(September 13 Release)
FALCONS OPEN MAC SEASON THIS WEEK
BGSU Meets Two 1998 MAC Tournament Semifinalists; Piccirillo Gets 100th Win
TOP STORIES:
* BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo earned his 100th career victory in Sunday's (Sept. 12) 2-0 win over Niagara ... Piccirillo, in his third year with the Falcons, is 100-84-9 overall in his 11th year as a collegiate head coach.
* The Falcons set a school record with 46 shot attempts in the Niagara win ... BGSU's total of 17 shots on goal was just two shy of that school record.
* This week's two opponents, like BG, advanced to the semifinals of last year's Mid-American Conference Tournament ... Kent, like the Falcons, lost in that round ... Northern Illinois, after topping BG in overtime, beat Ohio to win the tourney.
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team begins Mid-American Conference action with a pair of matches this week. The Falcons (3-2-0) will host Kent State University (4-0-0) in a Wednesday (Sept. 15) contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at BGSU's Cochrane Field.
Three days later (Sept. 18), the Falcons head to DeKalb to take on two-time MAC Tournament champion Northern Illinois University (0-6-0). The Falcons and Huskies will meet at NIU's Huskie Soccer Field in a 4:00 p.m. (Central Time) match.
The Falcons' next 10 matches will be played against MAC foes.
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo is in his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 17-25-1 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 100-84-9. Sunday's (Sept. 12) win over Niagara was Piccirillo's 100th victory as a collegiate head coach.
Julie Reule is in her third season as Piccirillo's assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: Bowling Green is 3-2-0 on the season. After opening the season with a pair of home wins, the Brown and Orange dropped two matches in Athens, Ga. BG rebounded with Sunday's 2-0 win.
BG defeated Michigan State, 3-2 in overtime, to open the season (Aug. 27). Two days later, the host Falcons downed Valparaiso by a 5-1 score.
The following weekend, the Brown and Orange fell to Georgia, 1-0 (Sept. 3), before losing a 4-2 contest to East Carolina (Sept. 5).
Through five matches, freshman Jill Conover paces the Falcons with nine points, followed by junior Michelle Lisy, with seven. Sophomore Desiree Erb, has scored six points this season, while freshman Susan Wallace has five. Freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders has recorded all five of BG's decisions and has a goals-against average of 1.62.
BGSU finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. The Falcons went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: Kent is off to the best start in the history of the program, at 4-0. The Golden Flashes have defeated Robert Morris (3-2 in overtime), Youngstown State (6-0), Loyola (Ill.) (2-0) and Northern Arizona (2-1 in OT), all at home. Last season, KSU went 13-7-1 overall and finished fourth in the MAC with a 5-4-1 league ledger. Colleen Marcum, 20-21-3 in her third year at Kent, is 29-75-3 in her seventh year overall.
Northern Illinois is 0-6 on the season. The Huskies have suffered losses to Northwestern, Wisconsin, Florida International, Central Florida, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Illinois State, with each of the last four losses coming by a single goal. Last year, NIU went 14-7 overall. The Huskies tied Ohio for the MAC regular-season title at 9-1, then beat the Bobcats in the championship match of the league tourney. Frank Horvat is 60-61-3 in his seventh season, all at NIU.
THE SERIES: The Falcons hold a 2-0-1 advantage in the series with Kent, and two of the three matches have required overtime. In the first match in program history for both schools (Aug. 29, 1997), BG recorded a 1-0 OT victory at Kent. Later that season (Oct. 17), the Falcons beat visiting KSU, 2-0. Last year (Sept. 27), the teams battled to a 1-1 draw at Cochrane Field.
Northern Illinois leads BGSU, 3-0, but the margin of victory has gotten closer each time the teams have met. NIU posted a 6-0 win at Cochrane Field two years ago (Sept. 14, 1997), then returned to gain a 4-2 victory last Oct. 9. The following month (Nov. 6), the Huskies ended BG's 1998 season with a 2-1 overtime win in the MAC Tournament Semifinals.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: The Falcons' relentless shooting finally paid dividends in Sunday's (Sept. 12) 2-0 win over Niagara at Cochrane Field ... the match was BG's only contest of the week ... BGSU set a school record with 46 total shot attempts, but could not score for over 82 minutes ... the Falcons' 42nd shot attempt of the match, off the boot of junior Michelle Lisy, finally broke the scoreless tie with 7:58 remaining ... Lisy took a pass from classmate Stephanie Heller in the box, made a move to shake her defender and fired the ball past NU goalkeeper Rayanne Roman ... Roman made 15 saves on the afternoon ... Heller drew the lone assist on the goal ... with just 31 seconds remaining, Heller again drew the lone assist on a Falcon marker ... junior Autumn Harris was the goalscorer, converting Heller's corner kick ... BGSU's 46-4 advantage in the shots department included a 17-4 lead in shots on goal ... freshman Erika Flanders made four saves to earn her first collegiate shutout in goal ... the Falcons had 10 corner kicks to the Purple Eagles' one.
FALCON NOTES: Bowling Green's total of 46 shots against Niagara broke the old school record of 42 ... that mark had been set in the first match in program history, at Kent (Aug. 27, 1997) ... BG's 17 shots on goal in the Niagara match is tied for the second-most in school history ... the Falcons, who had 19 SOG against Robert Morris (Sept. 6, 1998), also had 17 in that first KSU match ... individually, Janice Mentrup set a school record with 11 total shot attempts in the win over Niagara ... Emily Graham held the old record with 10 in the aforementioned Kent match ... Autumn Harris had nine shots vs. Niagara to tie for third on that list ... Niagara's four total shot attempts on the day tied the record for the fewest by a BG opponent ... both Western Illinois (Sept. 5, 1998) and Miami (Oct. 30, 1998) had only four total shots in matches last year ... the Falcons need just one more win at home to tie the school's single-season record ... BG, 3-0 at Cochrane Field this year, won four matches at home in each of the program's first two years ... the current streak of three consecutive home wins is a school record ... sophomores Erin Incorvaia and Annmarie Aparo drew their first career starts in the Niagara match ... for the second time in three years, BGSU is believed to have scored the first "Golden Goal" (OT match-ending goal) of the season ... two years ago, Kerry McKee scored the NCAA's first-ever "Golden Goal" at Kent ... this year, Michelle Lisy won the Michigan State match (Aug. 27) with an OT marker.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK Kent at BGSU Wed., September 15 - 4:00 p.m. Cochrane Field - Bowling Green BGSU at Northern Illinois Sat., September 18 - 4:00 p.m. CT DeKalb, Illinois LAST WEEK at BGSU 2, Niagara 0 Sun., September 12 - Cochrane Field 1999 RECORDS Overall: 3-2-0 (.600) Mid-American Conference: 0-0-0 HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 17-25-1 Career Record: 100-84-9 (11th yr.) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 17-25-1 (.407) (1997-present / third year) MAC: 5-11-1 (.324) (1997-present / third year) 1999 MAC STANDINGS Team (Overall)_____________MAC__Pts. Ball State (1-4-0)_______0-0-0__0 Bowling Green (3-2-0)____0-0-0__0 Buffalo (4-0-0)__________0-0-0__0 Central Mich. (4-1-1)____0-0-0__0 Eastern Mich. (5-0-0)____0-0-0__0 Kent (4-0-0)_____________0-0-0__0 Marshall (3-1-1)_________0-0-0__0 Miami (4-0-0)____________0-0-0__0 Northern Ill. (0-6-0)____0-0-0__0 Ohio (1-3-0)_____________0-0-0__0 Toledo (2-2-0)___________0-0-0__0 Western Mich. (2-1-0)____0-0-0__0 (three points for a win, one for a tie) BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076; choose option 4 (same-day scores and brief summaries from all Falcon athletic teams)
(September 6 Release)
FALCONS HOST NIAGARA SUNDAY
BGSU Meets Purple Eagles in Final Tuneup Before Embarking Upon MAC Schedule
TOP STORIES:
* BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo needs just one more win to reach the 100-victory mark for his career ... Piccirillo, in his third year with the Falcons, is 99-84-9 overall in his 11th year as a collegiate head coach.
* The Falcons suffered a 1-0 defeat to arguably the strongest team BG has ever faced ... BGSU fell to Georgia, a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 last year.
* BG's win over Michigan State in the season opener marked the first win over a Big Ten Conference opponent in school history.
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team has just one match on tap this week, a Sunday (Sept. 12) afternoon tilt vs. Niagara University. The Falcons (2-2-0) and the Purple Eagles will meet at BGSU's Cochrane Field, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
The Niagara match is the final non-league contest before BG embarks upon the Mid-American Conference schedule. Following Sunday¹s contest, the Falcons' next 10 matches will be played against MAC foes, beginning with a Sept. 15 home match vs. Kent.
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo is in his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 16-25-1 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 99-84-9.
Julie Reule is in her third season as Piccirillo's assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: Bowling Green is 2-2-0 on the season. After opening the season with a pair of home wins, the Brown and Orange dropped two matches in Athens, Ga., last weekend. BG defeated Michigan State, 3-2 in overtime, to open the season (Aug. 27). Two days later, the host Falcons downed Valparaiso by a 5-1 score.
Last weekend, the Brown and Orange fell to Georgia, 1-0, Friday (Sept. 3) before losing a 4-2 contest to East Carolina Sunday (Sept. 5).
Through four matches, freshman Jill Conover paces the Falcons with nine points, followed by sophomore Desiree Erb, with six. Junior Michelle Lisy and freshman Susan Wallace have five points apiece on the season.
BGSU finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. The Falcons went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT: Niagara is 0-3 on the year. The Purple Eagles lost the season opener to Buffalo, 3-0 (Sept. 1), before falling to Lehigh by a 1-0 count Saturday (Sept. 4). The next day (Sept. 5), NU fell at Drexel. 3-0. A year ago, Niagara went 2-12-1 overall and 2-7-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Peter Vetri, 12-22-4 in his third year as a head coach, is in his first year at the helm of the Purple Eagles. Niagara plays a Friday (Sept. 10) match at Toledo before heading to BG.
THE SERIES: The Falcons have never faced Niagara in women's soccer.
RECAPPING THE MATCHES: The Falcons opened the season with a 3-2 overtime win over visiting Michigan State (Aug. 27) ... junior Michelle Lisy's goal at the 99:46 mark lifted BG to the victory ... sophomore Desiree Erb had a pair of goals in the match ... the win was the Falcons' first ever over a Big Ten Conference opponent ... sophomore Beth Wechsler and freshman Jill Conover had two assists apiece ... another freshman, goalkeeper Erika Flanders, played the entire match to earn her first collegiate win ... Flanders, who made six saves, was not forced to make a save in the overtime ... still another freshman, Susan Wallace, had the first two goals of her career in a 5-1 win over Valparaiso two days later (Aug. 29) ... Wallace also had an assist vs. the Crusaders, as BG frosh combined for three goals and four assists ... BGSU broke on top nearly 15 minutes in, with goals from junior Autumn Harris and Conover just 39 seconds apart ... Lisy also had a goal, while Conover and Erb had two assists each ... Flanders made three saves in nearly 75 minutes ... BG's 20-11 advantage in shots included a 13-4 edge in shots on goal ... the Falcons dropped a 1-0 contest at Georgia Friday night (Sept. 3) ... a goal by Beth Culver in the second minute of the contest proved to be all the scoring the Bulldogs would need ... BGSU held tough against a team which advanced to the "Sweet 16" of last year's NCAA Tournament ... BG was outshot, 19-5, and UGA held a 6-2 edge in the shots-on-goal department ... Flanders made five saves in net ... on Sunday (Sept. 5), the Falcons erased one deficit, but found the second deficit too much to overcome ... the result was a 4-2 loss to East Carolina in a neutral-site match ... ECU got on the board in the 33rd minute, but sophomore Mandy Smith scored her first collegiate goal with just 19 seconds remaining in the first half ... Conover and Wechsler assisted on the play ... in the second half, however, the Pirates built a three-goal lead, and Conover's unnassisted goal with just over two minutes left was not enough ... Flanders made seven saves for the Brown and Orange.
FALCON NOTES: After just one weekend of action, sophomore Desiree Erb had topped her scoring total for all of last season ... Erb, who had five points in 1998, had six points in the first two matches ... freshman Jill Conover has exploded for nine points in the first two weekends ... Conover had two assists against both Michigan State and Valparaiso ... she added a goal vs. Valpo, then had a goal and an assist against East Carolina ... BGSU's win over MSU was the team's first over a Big Ten school in five tries ... additionally, the third-year Falcons won the season opener for the third consecutive year ... the match marked BGSU's first overtime victory since the first match in program history (Aug. 29, 1997, at Kent) ... for the second time in three years, BGSU is believed to have scored the first "Golden Goal" (OT match-ending goal) of the season ... two years ago, Kerry McKee scored the NCAA's first-ever "Golden Goal" in that Kent contest ... BGSU's starting lineup for the first three matches consisted of five juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK Niagara at BGSU Sunday, September 12 - 1:00 p.m. Cochrane Field - Bowling Green LAST WEEK Georgia 1, BGSU 0 Friday, September 3 - Athens, Ga. East Carolina 4, BGSU 2 Sunday, September 5 - Athens, Ga. 1999 RECORDS Overall: 2-2-0 (.500) Mid-American Conference: 0-0-0 HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 16-25-1 Career Record: 99-84-9 (11th yr.) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 16-25-1 (.393) (1997-present / third year) MAC: 5-11-1 (.324) (1997-present / third year) 1999 MAC STANDINGS Team (Overall)____________MAC__Pts. Ball State (1-2-0)______0-0-0__0 Bowling Green (2-2-0)___0-0-0__0 Buffalo (2-0-0)_________0-0-0__0 Central Mich. (2-1-1)___0-0-0__0 Eastern Mich. (3-0-0)___0-0-0__0 Kent (1-0-0)____________0-0-0__0 Marshall (2-0-0)________0-0-0__0 Miami (2-0-0)___________0-0-0__0 Northern Ill. (0-4-0)___0-0-0__0 Ohio (1-1-0)____________0-0-0__0 Toledo (1-2-0)__________0-0-0__0 Western Mich. (1-1-0)___0-0-0__0 (three points for a win, one for a tie) BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076; choose option 4 (same-day scores and brief summaries from all Falcon athletic teams)
(August 30 Release)
FALCONS HEAD TO GEORGIA FOR TWO MATCHES THIS WEEKEND
Piccirillo One Win Away From 100 After BGSU Victories Over Michigan State, Valparaiso
TOP STORIES:
BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo needs just one more win to reach the 100-victory mark for his career ... Piccirillo, in his third year with the Falcons, is 99-82-9 in his 11th year as a collegiate head coach.
After just one weekend of action, sophomore Desiree Erb has topped her scoring total for all of last season ... Erb has six points this year after totalling five in 1998.
Freshman Jill Conover had two assists in each match over the weekend ... in fact, freshmen combined to score three goals and six assists in the two matches.
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team, following a pair of home wins to open the season, will head to Athens, Ga., for two matches this weekend. BG will take on Georgia in a Friday (Sept. 3) evening contest, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Two days later (Sept. 5), the Falcons will play East Carolina in a neutral-site match beginning at noon.
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo is in his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 16-23-1 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 99-82-9.
Julie Reule is in her third season as Piccirillo's assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: BGSU is 2-0-0 on the year after home wins over Michigan State (3-2, OT) and Valparaiso (5-1) last weekend. The Falcons finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. Last year, BG went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: Georgia is 1-0-1 after a pair of home matches last weekend. The Bulldogs tied Jacksonville State, 0-0, last Friday (Aug. 27), despite holding a 35-2 advantage in shots. Two days later (Aug. 29), UGA downed Georgia State by a 4-0 margin. Georgia finished with a 13-6-2 record last year. The Bulldogs were 4-4 in Southeastern Conference play, tying for fifth in the league's Eastern Division, but qualified for the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the round of 16. Coach Bill Barker is 53-24-7 in his fifth season at UGA. He is 103-42-16 in his 10th year overall.
East Carolina opened the 1999 season with a 3-1 win over Elon Friday (Aug. 27). Last year's edition of the Pirates finished 10-7-1 overall, including a 3-5-0 slate and a sixth-place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association. Rob Donnenwirth, now 63-26-9 in his fifth season as a head coach, is in his first year with the Pirates. ECU heads to William & Mary for a Tuesday (Aug. 31) matchup before meeting BG Sunday.
THE SERIES: The Falcons have never faced Georgia or East Carolina in women's soccer.
LAST WEEKEND: The Falcons opened the 1999 campaign with a pair of wins at home. BGSU began the campaign with a Friday (Aug. 27) win over Michigan State, 3-2 in overtime. Sophomore Desiree Erb scored a pair of goals, while junior Michelle Lisy's goal at the 99:46 mark ended the match. Freshman Erika Flanders made six saves to earn the win in her collegiate debut.
On Sunday, freshmen combined for three goals and four assists in a 5-1 win over Valparaiso. BG got on the board with a pair of goals just 39 seconds apart. Junior Autumn Harris and freshman Jill Conover, respectively, gave BG a 2-0 lead just 15 minutes into the match. Ten minutes later, freshman Susan Wallace scored her first collegiate goal, the first of two on the day. Michelle Lisy also found the back of the net for the Brown and Orange. Erika Flanders again got the win in net, making three saves in nearly 76 minutes of action.
FALCON NOTES: For the second time in three years, BGSU is believed to have scored the first "Golden Goal" (OT match-ending goal) of the season ... two years ago, in the first match in program history (Aug. 29, 1997, at Kent), Kerry McKee scored the first-ever "Golden Goal" ... 1997 was the first season that NCAA women's soccer utilized a sudden-death OT format during the regular season ... Friday's BGSU win was the team's first OT victory since that Kent match ... the Brown and Orange went 0-3-1 in OT matches a year ago ... the Michigan State win was the Falcons' first-ever victory against a Big Ten foe in five tries ... Desiree Erb had a pair of goals in that win, after totalling two goals in all of last season ... the third-year Falcons won the season opener for the third consecutive year ... BGSU's starting lineup for last weekend's matches consisted of five juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK BGSU at Georgia Friday, Sept. 3 - 7:00 p.m. UGA Women's Soccer Stadium - Athens, Ga. BGSU vs. East Carolina Sunday, Sept. 5 - Noon UGA Women's Soccer Stadium - Athens, Ga. THE RECORDS Overall: 2-0-0 (1.000) Mid-American Conference: 0-0-0 FINAL 1998 RECORDS Overall: 8-11-1 (.425) Mid-American Conference: 4-5-1 MAC Tournament: 1-1 HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 16-23-1 Career Record: 99-82-9 (11th yr.) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 16-23-1 (.413) (1997-present / third year) MAC: 5-11-1 (.324) (1997-present / third year) BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076; choose option 4 (same-day scores and brief summaries from all Falcon athletic teams)
(August 25 Release)
FALCONS OPEN WITH TWO HOME CONTESTS
BGSU Hosts Michigan State and Valparaiso This Weekend Before Heading to Georgia
TOP STORIES:
BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo enters the 1999 season needing just three wins to reach the 100-victory mark for his career ... Piccirillo, in his third year with the Falcons, is 97-82-9 entering his 11th year as a collegiate head coach.
The Falcons embark upon the most ambitious schedule in the program's three-year history ... in addition to the rigorous Mid-American Conference slate, the Brown and Orange will host three Big Ten Conference schools and hit the road to face a team (Georgia) that advanced to the NCAA's round of 16 last year.
BGSU welcomes back 16 letterwinners, including nine starters, from last year's team.
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team opens the 1999 season with a pair of home matches this weekend. The Falcons will face Michigan State in a Friday (Aug. 27) contest. That match is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Cochrane Field.
On Sunday (Aug. 29), the Brown and Orange will host Valparaiso in a 2:00 p.m. contest.
Next weekend, the Falcons will head to Athens, Ga., for a pair of matches. BG will take on Georgia in a Friday (Sept. 3) evening contest, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Two days later (Sept. 5), the Falcons will play East Carolina in a neutral-site match beginning at noon.
TOM PICCIRILLO: BGSU head coach Tom Piccirillo begins his third season at the helm of the Falcons, and has a 14-23-1 record. His overall record, which includes five years at Tiffin and three seasons at Keuka (N.Y.), is 97-82-9.
Julie Reule embarks upon her third season as Piccirillo's assistant.
ABOUT THE FALCONS: BGSU finished the 1998 season with an overall record of 8-11-1. The Falcons went 4-5-1 in MAC play to finish sixth. In the MAC Tournament, BG posted a 1-0 win at third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to the number-two seed and eventual tourney champ, Northern Illinois, in the semifinals by a 2-1 count.
The Falcons welcome back 16 of last year's 22 letterwinners, including nine starters.
GLEIXNER LIKELY TO MISS SEASON: Unfortunately for the Falcons, forward Tracy Gleixner, one of those 16 returning letterwinners, is expected to miss the 1999 season. Gleixner, BGSU's first-ever selection to the All-MAC First Team last fall, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the spring. Gleixner, who set school records with 12 goals and 29 points, will retain three years of eligibility.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: Michigan State finished 6-12-2 last year, including a Big Ten record of 0-8-1. Tom Saxton enters his ninth year as a collegiate head coach -- all with the Spartans -- with a 74-72-10 record.
Valparaiso posted a 3-16-1 record last year. Second-year coach Stephen Anthony's team will begin playing a Mid-Continent Conference schedule this fall. Competing in the Missouri Valley Conference last year, the Crusaders went 1-6-0.
Georgia finished with a 13-6-2 record last year. The Bulldogs were 4-4 in Southeastern Conference play, tying for fifth in the league's Eastern Division, but qualified for the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the round of 16. Coach Bill Barker is 52-24-6 heading into his fifth season at UGA. He is 102-42-15 entering his 10th year overall. The Bulldogs will host both Jacksonville State (Aug. 27) and Georgia State (Aug. 29) prior to facing the Falcons.
East Carolina's 10-7-1 overall mark last year included a 3-5-0 slate and a sixth-place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association. Rob Donnenwirth, 62-26-9 in five seasons as a head coach, enters his first year with the Pirates. ECU hosts Elon (Aug. 27) and heads to William & Mary (Aug. 29) before meeting BG.
THE SERIES: The Falcons are 0-2-0 all-time against Michigan State. The Spartans recorded a 2-1 win at Cochrane Field two years ago, then won last year's contest in East Lansing by a 5-1 score. In the only previous match with Valparaiso, BGSU won a 2-1 decision on the road to open the 1998 season. The Falcons have never faced Georgia or East Carolina in women's soccer.
BGSU SIXTH IN PRESEASON POLL: The Falcons were picked to finish sixth in the 1999 Mid-American Conference regular-season race, according to the league's 12 head coaches. The Falcons received 76 points, just three points behind fifth-place Central Michigan, in the poll, released by the MAC office last Wednesday (Aug. 18). The complete poll, with points received (first-place votes in parentheses):
1. Ohio (8)______________139 2. Northern Illinois (4)_135 3. Eastern Michigan_______99 4. Kent___________________88 5. Central Michigan_______79 6. Bowling Green__________76 7. Toledo_________________75 8. Miami__________________72 9. Buffalo________________71 10. Western Michigan_______45 11. Marshall_______________42 12. Ball State_____________15
FALCONS WIN LONE SCRIMMAGE: The Falcons posted a 3-2 win in the team's lone preseason scrimmage. BGSU bested the visiting Michigan Hawks, a club team, Sunday (Aug. 22).
Freshman Jill Conover scored the lone goal of the first half. After a Hawks tally early in the second half, sophomore Desiree Erb scored a pair of goals just a few minutes apart. The Hawks scored to cut the margin to one goal, but could not register the equalizer. Freshman goalkeeper Erika Flanders played all 90 minutes in the net.
FALCON NOTES: The MAC has received an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships ... for the first time this season, the MAC Tournament winner will automatically qualify for the national tourney ... of last year's 25-player roster, a total of 21 started at least one match ... 15 of those 21 players return in 1999 ... of the 23 BGSU field players last year, 20 scored at least one point ... 14 of those 20 are back ... the Falcons committed more fouls than the opponent just twice in 20 matches last fall ... in MAC contests, BG was out-fouled, 128-69 ... the Falcons were unlucky in overtime contests last fall ... after winning the team's only OT match in 1997, the Brown and Orange went 0-3-1 a year ago ... Falcon freshmen accounted for 25 of BG's 41 goals (61%) and 31 of the team's 51 assists (also 61%) in 1998.
BGSU SEASON OUTLOOK:
After making great strides a season ago, the BGSU women's soccer team looks to continue that positive progress in 1999. Last year's squad, just the second in Falcon annals, finished sixth in the MAC regular-season race, then advanced to the semifinals of the league tournament before succumbing in overtime to the eventual champion.
As evidenced in that semifinal match, a 2-1 loss to Northern Illinois, the Falcons proved they could play with any team in the conference last year. BG suffered several losses of the lopsided variety in the inaugural season of 1997, but last year's edition of the Falcons was in every game against conference competition.
Head coach Tom Piccirillo and assistant Julie Reule welcome back 16 letterwinners, including nine starters, in an effort to take the next step and battle for MAC supremacy.
For the second year in a row, Piccirillo and Reule should have a greater amount of depth and versatility among their troops.
A solid corps of returnees includes six juniors who have been with the program since day one, as well as a sophomore class that played a big role in the Falcon success of a year ago.
Additionally, another solid recruiting class should help the BG squad in the quest for MAC success.
The coaching staff must answer a few questions, however, before passing their conference tests this fall.
The primary concerns are: 1) finding a replacement for stellar striker Tracy Gleixner, and 2) solidifying the goalkeeper spot. Piccirillo believes that the goalkeeping dilemma has been solved, and that the scoring should resolve itself.
After totalling 12 goals en route to an All-MAC First-Team selection as a freshman, Gleixner suffered an injury to her anterior cruciate ligament this spring. She likely will miss the entire season while rehabilitating the injury.
"Now that we have a group of juniors for the first time, we should have that experience and leadership that we¹ve been looking for," said Piccirillo. "The big question is, 'Who's gonna step up and be the goalscorer?'
"That (scoring) could come from the freshman class, or from the upperclass members. I think, very realistically, we could see a case of scoring by committee."
When looking for those goalscorers, Piccirillo will have a large group of players from which to draw. While losing Gleixner up front, the Falcons should regain an offensive threat in junior Michelle Lisy.
Lisy, who began the 1998 season at forward, wound up the season as the starting goalkeeper. Despite playing in just 13 matches in the field, she placed fourth on the team in scoring.
Lisy, a senior academically, has two years of athletic eligibility remaining. She played on the BGSU club team in 1996, but, because the varsity team did not yet exist, that year of club ball does not count against her eligibility.
"Our game plan right now is to have Lisy back up top," said Piccirillo. "That should give us some scoring punch that we lost when we had to move her to 'keeper last year."
Sophomore Desiree Erb, one of the team's fastest members, could join Lisy on the front line, as could a trio of freshmen in Jill Conover, Kelly Archiable and Susan Wallace.
In the midfield, juniors Stephanie Heller and Janice Mentrup return. Both players started all 20 matches last year, and have provided steady play for two seasons.
Both Heller and Mentrup scored nine points last fall, and each player now has 19 career points in a BG uniform.
Freshman Melissa Galitz could see time in the midfield as well.
A number of other players could be utilized either at forward or in the midfield, depending upon the system the Falcons employ. That group includes junior Jamie Eshleman, sophomores Annmarie Aparo, Erin Incorvaia, Leah Rosner and Mandy Smith and freshman Amy McIlwain.
In the back, starters Ashley Enser, a junior, and sophomores Leslie Hepfinger and Beth Wechsler return. Enser, a tri-captain along with Lisy and Mentrup, is one of just two players to have started every match in the history of the program (Mentrup is the other).
Wechsler, in addition to helping solidify the defensive corps, gave the Falcons offensive punch from that position as well. She totalled 12 points en route to All-MAC Second-Team honors.
Hepfinger, who was more of a stay-at-home defender last year, started 16 matches in her first collegiate season.
Junior Autumn Harris, who started 17 contests last fall, could start in the back, should Piccirillo decide to go with four defenders. Otherwise, Harris should challenge for a starting midfield spot.
Also vying for time on the back line will be sophomores Meredith Davis and Leslie Buse.
"The defense was pretty strong a year ago," said Piccirillo. "However, I think that group is a lot stronger now, simply because they have had the experience of playing together."
The goalie position, as mentioned, was a source of concern for Piccirillo last fall, as a pair of freshmen attempted to make the adjustment to collegiate ball. The coach believes that the spot has been solidified heading into 1999, with sophomore Sarah Gawel and freshman Erika Flanders competing for time in the net.
"Our goalkeeping has greatly improved this year," said Piccirillo. "We gave up some soft goals last year, which we've got to cut down on. But, when you play freshmen, you¹re going to have freshman mistakes.
"Sarah struggled at times last year, like freshmen do, but she now has a full year of collegiate experience under her belt. She really came on in the spring, and played with a lot of confidence.
"Erika was one of the top goalkeepers at a camp that features the top 150 players in the country. So, even though she is a freshman, she has played at a very high level already."
The Falcons now know that the team can compete with the rest of the MAC, and Piccirillo sees the league race shaping up as a real battle, day in and day out.
"Everyone is going to be better; it will be very interesting to see how things shake out. I think everyone has taken strides."
In addition to the 11-match MAC slate, the Falcons will face three Big Ten Conference opponents -- all at Cochrane Field -- in the most ambitious schedule to date. Michigan State comes to town during the season's first weekend, and the Brown and Orange will meet Indiana and Ohio State to end the regular season. Each of the latter two teams was included in the Soccer Buzz preseason national poll.
Additionally, the Falcons will travel to Georgia to face a team which advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
"We have a great schedule, with three Big Ten teams at home," Piccirillo said. "We open the season with MSU, then go down to Georgia the following weekend.
"The first year, we played teams of this caliber to show our kids what we needed to do and where we needed to go. Now, we are looking to play with, compete with and beat those teams."
BG also faces a pair of teams from out of the region in Niagara and East Carolina, as well as two other non-MAC foes in Valparaiso and Detroit.
In all, Piccirillo sees his team continuing to make strides in an effort to move into the rarefied air of the MAC's elite teams.
"I feel like we almost got an extra year under our belt, with the strides that we made in last year's postseason. We we able to go to Eastern Michigan and beat them in the tournament after a 5-2 loss to them (during the regular season).
"Additionally, we've made great strides against Northern Illinois, from a 6-0 loss (in 1997) to 4-2 (1998 regular season) to 2-1 in overtime. We are in much better shape now.
"One of our goals is to be in the conference's top four. I think we've proven that we are capable of doing that, as we showed in the conference playoffs. Now, though, we want to finish in the top four in the regular season, and prepare for the MAC Tournament."
Obviously, the team's question marks must be answered in a positive fashion for the Falcons to scale the MAC mountain. Piccirillo feels that a group effort will help in the team's climb to the top.
"I think we are stronger across the board, with the one main question concerning putting the ball in the net. We have a number of returning players with the capability to find the net.
"Additionally, we have a number of newcomers that have been proven goalscorers with their previous teams. The goal is still the same size (in college), and you still have to beat the 'keeper.
"So, whether it is one person scoring the goals, or whether it is a case of 'scoring by committee', I think the situation will take care of itself."
If the Falcons' concerns are addressed, the winning should take care of itself as well.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK Michigan State at BGSU Friday, August 27 - 4:00 p.m. - Cochrane Field Valparaiso at BGSU Sunday, August 29 - 2:00 p.m. - Cochrane Field FINAL 1998 RECORDS Overall: 8-11-1 (.425) Mid-American Conference: 4-5-1 MAC Tournament: 1-1 HEAD COACH - Tom Piccirillo (third year) Alma Mater: Upsala, 1986 Record at BGSU: 14-23-1 Career Record: 97-82-9 (11th yr.) ASSISTANT COACH - Julie Reule (third year) Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995 BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 14-23-1 (.382) (1997-present / third year) MAC: 5-11-1 (.324) (1997-present / third year) 1998 MAC STANDINGS Team (Overall)_______________MAC__Pts. Ohio (16-6-0)______________9-1-0___27 Northern Ill. (14-7-0) *___9-1-0___27 Eastern Mich. (13-7-1)_____7-2-1___22 Kent (13-7-1)______________5-4-1___16 Toledo (8-12-0)____________5-5-0___15 Bowling Green (8-11-1)_____4-5-1___13 Buffalo (10-6-2)___________3-5-2___11 Western Mich. (6-10-2)_____3-6-1___10 Miami (5-8-3)______________2-6-2____8 Central Mich. (6-10-1)_____2-7-1____7 Marshall (4-13-1)__________1-8-1____4 (three points for a win, one for a tie) (teams listed in order of seeding for MAC Tournament) * MAC Tournament Champion BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076; choose option 4 (same-day scores and brief summaries from all Falcon athletic teams)
(August 18 Release)
FALCON WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM TABBED TO FINISH SIXTH
BGSU, After Sunday Scrimmage, Hosts Michigan State to Open Season Aug. 27
The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team was picked to finish sixth in the 1999 Mid-American Conference race, according to the league's coaches. The MAC Preseason Poll was released this afternoon by the conference office in Cleveland.
The Falcons received 76 points to place behind Ohio, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Kent and Central Michigan. BG ranked ahead of Toledo, Miami, Buffalo, Western Michigan, Marshall and Ball State, according to the 12 coaches. Just eight points separated the fifth- through ninth-place teams in the poll.
Ohio and NIU tied for the regular-season crown in 1998, and NIU went on to win the conference tournament for the second consecutive year.
BGSU finished sixth in the regular-season race last fall. The Falcons then upset third-seeded EMU in the quarterfinals of the conference tourney before falling to NIU in overtime in the semifinals.
The Falcons host the Michigan Hawks, a club team, in a scrimmage Sunday (Aug. 22). The contest most likely will be held at the Falcons' practice field, located west of Doyt Perry Stadium and just southeast of Cochrane Field.
BGSU opens the regular season with a pair of home matches the following weekend, meeting Michigan State Friday (Aug. 27) and Valparaiso Sunday (Aug. 29). The MSU match is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. at Cochrane Field, while the Valpo contest is set for a 2:00 p.m. kickoff.
The complete 1999 MAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll, with total points received (first-place votes in parentheses):
1. Ohio (8)__________________139 2. Northern Illinois (4)_____135 3. Eastern Michigan___________99 4. Kent_______________________88 5. Central Michigan___________79 6. Bowling Green______________76 7. Toledo_____________________75 8. Miami______________________72 9. Buffalo____________________71 10. Western Michigan___________45 11. Marshall___________________42 12. Ball State_________________15
(April 7 Release)
BOWLING GREEN ADDS FIVE PLAYERS
Archiable, Conover, Flanders, Galitz and McIlwain Join Falcons
BOWLING GREEN, OHIO - Bowling Green State University women's soccer coach Tom Piccirillo and his assistant, Julie Reule, have announced the addition of five student-athletes to the program. Kelly Archiable (Hudson, Ohio), Jill Conover (Grand Island, N.Y.), Erika Flanders (Mason, Ohio), Melissa Galitz (Lake Zurich, Ill.) and Amy McIlwain (Cincinnati, Ohio) will join the Falcons this fall.
Archiable, a forward, currently attends Hudson High School. One of the team's top scorers over the last two years, she has been named All-Ohio twice. Additionally, she was the Western Reserve Conference's MVP. Archiable, who plays club ball for Emerald, also has lettered in basketball and track at Hudson.
"Kelly will give us more speed and height up front," said Piccirillo. "Her athleticism will definitely be welcomed on the Falcons."
Conover, a forward, attends Grand Island High School. With 113 goals in her career, she is one of the all-time scoring leaders in the state of New York. A three-time team MVP, Conover earned all-league honors every year, and garnered all-state accolades twice. Conover, who also has earned letters in basketball and softball, plays club ball for the Ken-Ton Ambush.
"Jill is a proven goal scorer that we hope will pick up right where she left off in high school," said Piccirillo. "You have to have a real nose for the goal to score as many times as she has. Jill not only gives us another proven scorer, but also possesses athleticism that will help make us a better team."
Flanders, a goalkeeper, attends Mason High School. An all-state selection last fall, Flanders has played on the Ohio South team in the Olympic Developmental Program (ODP). According to Piccirillo, she is one of the country's top 'keepers, as exhibited by a stellar performance at the ESP camp last summer. Erika, who also played on Mason's nationally-ranked basketball team, rejoins high-school teammate Leslie Hepfinger, a Falcon defender, on the BG soccer team. She plays for Club Ohio.
"We are quite excited that Erika has decided to become a Falcon," said Piccirillo. "She is a tremendous shot-stopper, who also prevents many shots because of her communication. Erika also has great foot skills; she is like having an extra field player out there."
Galitz, a midfielder, attends Lake Zurich High School. She has earned all-league accolades at her midfield spot, but also can play at forward. Galitz played club soccer with Tracy Gleixner, who earned All-Mid-American Conference First-Team honors as a Falcon freshman last fall. Galitz plays club ball with Northwest United.
"Melissa is big and strong," said Piccirillo. "She will give us more depth in our midfield. Melissa, who plays her high-school season in the spring, should be one of the top players in her league."
McIlwain, a midfielder/forward, attends Anderson High School. She has been an all-league selection in each of the last two yaers, and was the MVP of the Cincinnati High School All-Star Game. She plays club ball with the G.S.E. Cardinals.
"Amy is quite versatile," said Piccirillo. "She can play in the midfield or up front. Amy possesses speed and strength; she can score goals as well as create them. She led her high school team in both goals and assists."
Bowling Green, as a second-year program in 1998, went 8-11-1 overall and 4-5-1 in the MAC. The sixth-seeded Falcons upset third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the league tournament quarterfinals before losing in the semifinal round to eventual champion Northern Illinois. BGSU had just one senior on last year's team.
99-11-07 / Disclaimer