Falcons Land Six on OCSA All-Ohio Teams

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

December 20, 2021 | Women's Soccer

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Three players named to both All-Ohio & Academic All-Ohio Teams; BGSU leads all schools with six academic-team honorees

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

No fewer than six Bowling Green State University women's soccer standouts have earned honors from the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association as the organization announced its year-end awards.

Nikki Cox, Madi Wolfbauer and Audrey Shea have been named to the 2021 OCSA All-Ohio Team, with Cox and Wolfbauer earning first-team honors and Shea being chosen to the second team. All three players, along with Lili Berg, were named to the OCSA's Academic All-Ohio Team, while Katie Cox and Jasmijn Dijsselhof earned Academic All-Ohio Second-Team accolades.

BGSU's total of two All-Ohio First-Team selections tied for the second-highest among all schools. On the Academic-All Ohio Team, BGSU's totals of four first-team selections and six total honorees were tied (with Cincinnati) for the most among any school.

Nikki Cox, a native of Granville, Ohio, was named to the All-Mid-American Conference First Team in 2021, becoming BGSU's first-ever three-time all-league first-team selection. She also earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region Second-Team honors, in the process becoming the first player in program history to earn all-region honors three times. Most recently, she was named to the USC Scholar All-America Third Team. Cox registered 20 points this fall, ranking second on the team, and led the Falcons with eight assists. She scored the GWG in three matches, including in each of BGSU's last two regular-season matches. In conference contests, Cox had nine points on three goals and three assists. She tied for fourth in the league in assists and assists per game (0.27) against MAC foes, while tying for sixth in both points and points per game and ranking eighth in goals. She had 66 career points on 24 goals and 18 assists in 73 matches as a Falcon, and she ranks seventh or higher on all three school career lists.

Wolfbauer, a native of Canton, Mich., was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, and was named to the All-MAC First Team for the second time in as many playing seasons with the Falcons. Like Nikki Cox, she was also named to the USC's All-Region Team, and Wolfbauer became the first two-time all-region first-team selection in BGSU history. She had 10 goals and 22 points to pace BG in both categories this season, and she tied the school record by scoring at least one goal in five consecutive matches. She had 14 points on seven goals in MAC games, and she led the league in goals, points, goals per game, points per game, shots and shots per game in conference contests. Wolfbauer had five game-winning goals this season, just one shy of the school record. She recorded 15 goals and 32 points in just 29 career matches at BGSU.

Shea, a native of Upper Arlington, Ohio, anchored the Falcons' defense again this season. An All-MAC First-Team selection, she started all 21 matches, and played a team-high 1,949 of the team's 1,962 total minutes this fall. After coming off the field for the last six minutes of the regular-season opener back on August 19, Shea played every second of the next 15 matches before leaving the Akron match (Oct. 24) with the Falcons ahead by a 3-0 score, before playing every minute of the remaining contests. She has started 51 of BGSU's 52 matches since her arrival on campus (missing one match due to injury), and has helped the Falcons record 22 shutouts in that time, including 19 clean sheets vs. MAC opposition. At the other end of the pitch, she was fourth on the team in both goals and points this fall, with her 10 points including four goals. One of those goals was a GWG at Ball State, and she also scored vs. Kent State in the MAC Tournament championship. Shea was named to the Academic All-District Team, presented by CoSIDA.

Berg, who hails from New Berlin, Wis., was named to the All-MAC Second Team for the second time in as many seasons with the Falcons. She recorded 81 saves, eight complete-match shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.10 this season. In MAC matches, she had a GAA of just 0.54, ranking second in the league, and she tied for first in shutouts (six) and shutouts per game (0.55) while ranking second in saves percentage (.864). This season, the Falcons tied for the league lead with seven clean sheets in the 11 MAC games. Berg has been a part of 16 shutouts in her 29 career starts as a Falcon. She has 12 complete-match clean sheets, and has played at least 62 minutes in four other shutouts, being subbed out of each of those four matches with BG ahead by at least two goals. Berg has a career GAA of just 0.87, and has helped BGSU post 14 shutouts in 20 contests vs. MAC teams since her arrival in Northwest Ohio.

Katie Cox, a native of Granville, Ohio, started all 21 matches this season, and had five points on a goal and three assists. The goal opened the scoring in BG's MAC victory over Miami, and she was third on the Falcons in assists. Cox contributed at both ends of the field this season, helping BGSU outscore MAC opponents by a 23-6 count (regular-season and tournament matches). The junior midfielder helped the Orange and Brown record nine shutouts in 13 total matches against conference competition. She joined Shea on the Academic All-District Team, presented by CoSIDA.

Dijsselhof, from Hattem, the Netherlands, started all 21 matches for the Orange and Brown, playing 1,688 minutes to rank fifth on the team. The wingback had five points on a goal and three assists on the season. The goal came against Northern Illinois at Cochrane Stadium, and her assists came in wins over Oakland in non-league play, Ball State (on the winning goal) in conference action and Kent State in the MAC Tournament final. She has played in 47 matches as a Falcon, and has made 30 starts in that time. Over the last two seasons, Dijsselhof has started all 29 contests and has helped the Falcons keep 16 clean sheets in those 29 matches.

The Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association includes all divisions of college soccer in Ohio with a membership of over 100 men's and women's soccer programs. Founded in 1953, it is one of the oldest state Collegiate Coaching Associations in the United States. The association played a significant role in the growth, development and organization of collegiate soccer in Ohio. Its mission was to aid with coaching education, referee development and training along with the establishment of an extensive awards program.. The OCSA has annually recognized over 300 of the best and brightest student athletes and coaches in the state.

It's been quite a run for the Falcons. In 2021, BGSU (11-7-3, 8-2-1 MAC) won both the MAC regular-season and tournament crowns for the fourth-straight season, and the Falcons advanced to the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in as many years.

The Falcons are now 58-26-11 overall, 39-9-2 in MAC regular-season matches and 48-10-4 in all games vs. conference foes since the start of the 2017 season.

Since the beginning of the 2018 campaign, the Falcons are 45-19-10 overall, 33-5-1 in MAC regular-season action and 40-5-3 in all games vs. league opposition.

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.