Falcons Top Toledo in OT to Capture MAC Regular-Season Title

Thursday, October 28

Bowling Green, OH

3:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

9-6-3, 8-2-1

Toledo

10-5-4, 5-4-2

Toledo

Bowling Green

The Falcons celebrate Nikki Cox's (9) Golden Goal

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

October 28, 2021 | Women's Soccer

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Nikki Cox's Golden Goal means the MAC Tournament champion will be decided at Cochrane Stadium for the fourth-straight season

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Nikki Cox scored six minutes into overtime, lifting the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over the University of Toledo Thursday afternoon (Oct. 28). The Mid-American Conference overtime thriller was held at Cochrane Stadium.

The win, combined with the other outcomes around the league on Thursday afternoon, clinched the MAC regular-season championship for the Falcons (9-6-3, 8-2-1 MAC). Cochrane Stadium will be the site of the MAC Tournament semifinals (Nov. 4) and final (Nov. 7) next week.

Lili Berg had six saves in goal to earn the shutout for the Falcons. Emma Boutorwick made three stops for the Rockets (10-5-4, 5-4-2 MAC).

NOTE OF THE DAY
• BGSU has won the MAC regular-season title for the fifth time in the 25-year history of the program, and for the fourth-straight season.

BONUS NOTE OF THE DAY
• The Falcons have won three-straight matchups with Toledo, after the Rockets had captured 11 consecutive meetings from 2008-17. Thursday's win was just the third time BG has beaten UT at Cochrane Stadium.
• UT leads the all-time series, 15-10-4. The Falcons are now 3-7-3 in home games, 7-7-0 in road meetings and 0-1-1 in neutral-site matchups with the Rockets.

AROUND THE MAC
Thursday's Results
at Bowling Green 1, Toledo 0 (OT)
Kent State 0, at Ohio 0 (2-OT)
at Ball State 2, Miami 0
at Buffalo 1, Akron 0
Central Michigan 2, at Eastern Michigan 1 (OT)
at Western Michigan 6, Northern Illinois 0

MAC STANDINGS
School (Overall) MAC Pts.
1. Bowling Green (9-6-3) 8-2-1 25
2. Ohio (11-4-3) 7-1-3 24
Kent State (11-4-3) 7-1-3 24
4. Buffalo (12-3-3) 6-2-3 21
5. Central Mich. (9-7-1) 6-4-1 19
6. Toledo (10-5-4) 5-4-2 17
7. Miami (8-8-3) 5-6-0 15
8. Ball State (5-9-2) 4-5-2 14
9. Western Mich. (6-12-0) 4-7-0 12
10. Northern Ill. (5-12-2) 2-7-2 8
11. Eastern Mich. (2-13-3) 1-8-2 5
12. Akron (3-15-1) 1-9-1 4

Regular Season Champs! 🏆#AyZiggy | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/grZIO2WZsI
— #MACtion (@MACSports) October 28, 2021

POST-MATCH REACTION
"Toledo are so good this year. We knew this would be a very difficult, back-and-forth game. I'm so pleased we dug out that win, and I'm so pleased for the senior class to get a chance to play again here at Cochrane. Our players have worked hard all year. We had a tough schedule this year, and things didn't really go our way in the first part of the season. So, to respond the way we've done, and to continue to fight to the end, I couldn't be more proud of this team." – Head Coach Jimmy Walker

"A lot of the game was being played in the midfield, and neither team had a lot of chances. (We talked before overtime began) about having the composure and the focus to be able to get good shots when it's late in the game and you're exhausted. In the 100th minute and beyond, it takes a lot of effort and focus to be able to put in a good cross, or to get a good touch like Ruby (Linton) did. We have a lot of older players, and we played like everything was on the line. We need to keep playing like that going forward." – Nikki Cox

"There's no other team in this conference – or in America – that I'd rather come back and play a sixth year with. The women on this team are absolutely incredible, so to come back and have another opportunity at a ring ... that means a lot." – Rachel Muller

HOW IT HAPPENED
• On a windy day at Cochrane, the first scoring chance of the match came on a serve by UT's Madison Medalle with just over a minute gone. Medalle won a challenge for the ball on the left side of the field and played a cross/shot that hit the crossbar and bounded away.
• BGSU's first shot on goal came roughly 19 minutes in, after Ruby Linton was fouled approximately 35 yards from goal. Madi Wolfbauer took the ensuing free kick, but her shot was stopped by diving UT goalkeeper Emma Boutorwick.
• Two minutes later, Mackenzie Reuber made a nifty defensive play at the top of the penalty box. After a UT steal near midfield, a diagonal ball was played in toward a striker. But, Reuber got to the ball a split-second before her opponent, knocking the ball away.
• BGSU 'keeper Lili Berg made a pair of saves less than a minute apart in the latter stages of the second half. With 15:20 remaining, she made a diving save of effort by Caylee Jozefov. Then, with approximately 14:45 to go, she thwarted the Rockets' Grace Turski after a UT corner kick. Turski, facing away from goal, kicked the ball high into the air behind her, but Berg outleaped several players to grab the ball in the goalmouth.
• Only nine minutes remained in regulation when the Rockets stole the ball near midfield and played a long ball toward the box. A BG defender got a head on the ball, but it sailed into the penalty area, where Berg punched it away before UT's Ellie Pool could get a head on it near the right side of the six-yard box.
• As the clock ticked under four minutes to go, the visitors very nearly had a breakaway on a counterattack. Zoe Hudson knocked the ball away from Pool momentarily, preventing the UT striker from going in all alone. Poll got the ball back and fired a shot from just outside the 18, but the low, hard shot was hit directly at Berg, who made the save.
• UT earned a corner kick in the opening minute of overtime, and off of that kick, Ashton Cassel put a ball on frame from the right side of the six-yard box. Berg, however, had the near post covered, and the BG 'keeper gathered the ball in.
• Just over two minutes into the OT, Nikki Cox hit a curving shot toward the far post. Boutorwick parried the ball off of a short-hop, then grabbed it out of the air to prevent a rebound.
• Less than a minute later, Lacee Bethea worked a combination play with Nikki Cox on the right side of the box. Bethea centered the ball to Madi Wolfbauer, who hit a quick, hard shot from the six-yard line. Boutorwick was able to make a lunging save near the right post, and UT eventually cleared the ball out of danger, at least for the time being.
• The game-winning goal came after Wolfbauer played the ball to Bethea on the right side of the field. Bethea blew past her defender and took the ball into the box. She hit a cross that was deflected into the air by a UT player, with the ball finding Ruby Linton near the penalty spot. Linton's shot was blocked, but Nikki Cox raced forward and quickly hit a follow-up shot. The ball took a slight deflection off of a Rocket defender and found the left side of the net.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The teams combined for 18 shots, with each team firing nine. Toledo had a 6-4 lead in shots on goal, while the Falcons had a slim 3-2 edge in corner kicks.
• BGSU took just five shots in the 90 minutes of regulation, but the Falcons had four in the five-plus minutes of overtime.
• Madi Wolfbauer led all players with six shots in the match, and she and Nikki Cox each put two shots on goal.
• Cox's goal was her fifth of the season and her second game-winning goal this fall. She has now had the GWG in back-to-back matches after opening the scoring in BG's 3-0 victory at Akron on Sunday.
• Cox is second on the Falcons with 17 points this fall.
• Ruby Linton's assist was her second of the season and the fourth of her BGSU career. she now has four points this fall and six as a Falcon.
• Cox now has totals of 23 goals and 63 points in 70 career matches as a Falcon. The GWG was the eighth of her BG career.
• Overall, the UNC Wilmington transfer now has 30 goals and 79 points in her college career. She had seven goals and 16 points in 23 matches for UNCW before transferring to BGSU.
• Lili Berg has now been a part of 14 shutouts in 26 starts as a Falcon. She has recorded 10 complete-match shutouts (including six this season) and has combined on four other clean sheets.
• BGSU now has an overall record of 56-25-11 since the start of the 2017 season. The Falcons are 39-9-2 in MAC regular-season matches and 46-10-4 in all games vs. conference foes in that time.
• And, since the beginning of the 2018 campaign, the Falcons are now 43-18-10 overall, 33-5-1 in MAC regular-season action and 38-5-3 in all games vs. league opposition.

Gallery: (10-28-2021) W.Soccer v Toledo - Oct 28 2021

UP NEXT
• The MAC Tournament begins on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 31) with a pair of quarterfinal-round matches at campus sites. The Falcons, the number-one seed for the tourney, and second-seeded Ohio have earned byes.
• The semifinal round will take place at Cochrane Stadium next Thursday (Nov. 4), with start times to be announced. BGSU will face either Buffalo or Central Michigan in a 4:00 p.m. start, while Ohio will meet either Kent State or Toledo at 7:00 p.m.
• Next Thursday's semifinal-round winners will return to Cochrane Stadium for the MAC Tournament final on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 7.

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