What To Watch For: BGSU Set to Face Spartans Thursday Night

Thursday, September 2

East Lansing, MI

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Michigan State

Tickets

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

August 31, 2021 | Women's Soccer

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Falcons venture to East Lansing as September schedule begins

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Athletics

FALCONS at MICHIGAN STATE – Thursday, September 2
7:00 p.m. | DeMartin Stadium | East Lansing, Mich.
• Video/Web Stream: Big Ten Network+ •
• Live Stats: MSUSpartans.com | Twitter: @bgsuwsoc •

WHAT TO WATCH FOR...
• The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team returns to the road this week, heading to East Lansing, Mich., for yet another matchup against a Big Ten Conference opponent. Head coach Jimmy Walker and the Falcons, the three-time defending Mid-American Conference champions, will take on Michigan State University on Thursday evening (Sept. 2), with first touch set for 7:00 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Thursday's MSU matchup is scheduled to be streamed via Big Ten Network Plus (BTN+). Live stats for the match will be available as well, and twitter updates can be found at @BGSUwsoc.

• Links to live audio/video/stats for all 2021 matches will be available on BGSUFalcons.com (on the women's soccer schedule page and at the top of the main page) on game day.

FUN FALCON FACTS
• Thursday's MSU match is part of a stretch in which the Falcons face four Big Ten schools in a five-match span. BGSU has played at both Michigan and Ohio State, and a home matchup with Illinois is on tap for next week.

• BGSU opened the home portion of the schedule in style on Sunday (Aug. 29), downing Oakland by a 6-0 count at Cochrane Stadium. BG's total of six goals was the highest of the Jimmy Walker Head-Coaching Era, and was the Falcons' highest offensive output since a 7-0 win on Oct. 24, 2019, at Northern Illinois.

• The Falcons' goal total was the highest at Cochrane Stadium since a 6-0 win over Youngstown State on Sept. 16, 2018.

• Following the win over Oakland, BGSU has won five consecutive home matches, and the Falcons are unbeaten in the last eight contests (7-0-1) at Cochrane Stadium. BG has outscored the opponents by a 22-3 count in those eight matches.

• Returning All-MAC First-Team performers Madi Wolfbauer and Nikki Cox scored two goals apiece vs. the Grizzlies. Ruby Linton scored her first collegiate goal, and transfer Rylee Clark recorded her first goal as a Falcon.

• It marked the first time in nearly three years, and just the fourth time in program history, that at least two players scored two goals apiece in the same game.

• Cox and Wolfbauer are two of just eight players in school history to score two goals in a match on three or more occasions.
BGSU RECORD BOOK – TWO (OR MORE) PLAYERS WITH TWO GOALS, MATCH
Date Opponent Result Scorers (two goals unless noted)
Sept. 6, 1998 Robert Morris 9-2   Tracy Gleixner, Krista Shambin, Erin Incorvaia
Oct. 3, 2001   Youngstown St. 10-1 Kristy Coppes (3), Katie Piening, Jill Conover, Tracy Gleixner
Sept. 16, 2018  Youngstown St. 6-0   Chelsee Washington, Erica Hubert
Aug. 29, 2021   Oakland      6-0   Madi Wolfbauer, Nikki Cox

BGSU RECORD BOOK – MOST MULTIPLE-GOAL MATCHES, CAREER
10  Kristy Coppes
6 Erica Hubert
4  Chelsee Washington
3 Nikki Cox, Madi Wolfbauer, Skylar Fleak, Tracy Gleixner, Alyssa Zuccaro
2 Britt Anderson, Lindsay Carter, Jill Conover, Michelle Lisy,
Samantha Meister, Krista Shamblin, Corbie Yee

• The Falcons returned 19 letterwinners, including all 11 starters, from last season's club. The 2020(-21) Falcons went 6-1-1 overall and 5-1-0 in MAC play, outscoring opponents by a 17-3 count in the spring.

• The returning players combined for 100 percent of the goals and 90.9% (all but one) of the assists in the spring, and goalkeeper Lili Berg played approximately 96% of the minutes between the posts.

• BGSU was a perfect 4-0-0 at home last season, outscoring opponents, 10-1, at Cochrane Stadium. The Orange and Brown went 2-1-0 in true road matches and 0-0-1 in neutral-site contests.

• That neutral-site match came in the NCAA Championships, where BGSU battled Ole Miss to a scoreless draw before the Rebels advanced via penalty kicks.

• Berg and the Falcons tied for first in the entire nation in shutout percentage (.750) last season, recording six shutouts in eight matches. BG earned the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season.

• Berg made four saves in each of BGSU's first three matches this year, including a diving stop of a penalty-kick attempt against Michigan. She has 13 total saves and a goals-against average of 2.24 entering the MSU match.

• Wolfbauer and Nikki Cox lead the Falcons in scoring, with six points apiece. Wolfbauer has a team-high three goals, while Cox is tied for the team lead with two assists.

• The Falcons were picked to finish second in the MAC's regular-season race in 2021. BGSU received 132 total points and five first-place votes. Buffalo was picked to win the conference, with 136 total points and seven first-place votes. BGSU received six votes to win the MAC Tournament, while UB garnered four.

• Wolfbauer and Nikki Cox each returned after being named to both the All-MAC First Team and the USC All-Region First Team. Wolfbauer led the Falcons in scoring with five goals and 10 points in last year's eight matches.

• Cox is just the third player in program history to be named to the all-region first team on two occasions.

• Berg, Jasmijn Dijsselhof and Audrey Shea each were named to the All-MAC Second Team last season. Berg and Kennedy White each landed on the USC All-Region Second Team.

• Nikki Cox is the Falcons' active career leader in goals, assists and points. A two-time All-MAC First-Team selection at BGSU, she now has scored 52 points (20 goals, 12 assists) in 56 matches as a Falcon. Cox began her collegiate career at UNCW, and scored 16 points on seven goals and two assists in 23 total games for the Seahawks.

• Cox is now tied for sixth in BGSU history in career goals scored. She has moved into a tie for 15th in BG annals in assists, and is ninth in career points. White is now tied for 17th in scoring, with 33 points in 35 career matches.

• Wolfbauer has scored 16 points in just 12 matches at BGSU. In fact, those 16 points (on eight goals) have come in the last nine games.

• Wolfbauer has played five home matches in her BGSU career, and has five goals and 10 points at Cochrane.

• Berg, in her first season as BGSU, had a miniscule 0.38 goals-against average. She earned four complete-match shutouts in her eight starts, and played at least 71 minutes of two other clean sheets. She enters the MSU match with a career GAA of 0.96 in 1035 minutes played.

• Entering the Michigan State match, BGSU is 48-22-8 overall, 31-7-1 in MAC regular-season matches and 38-8-3 in all games vs. conference foes since the start of the 2017 season.

• Since the beginning of the 2018 campaign, the Falcons are 35-15-7 overall, 25-3-0 in MAC regular-season action and 30-3-2 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.

THE OPPONENT
• Michigan State enters Thursday's match with a 3-0-1 record. The Spartans defeated Detroit, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan before playing to a 1-1 draw vs. Florida Atlantic on Monday. MSU has outscored opponents, 9-1, in the four matches. Ava Cook has led the way with three goals and seven points. Lauren Kozal has a goals-against average of just 0.24, and the only goal she has allowed in four games came on a penalty kick. Jeff Hosler, who went 144-12-6 in seven years at Grand Valley State, is in his first year at MSU, taking over for 30-year Spartan head coach Tom Saxton.

THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Michigan State, 17-1-2, in the all-time series. MSU captured the last meeting, 3-2 in overtime, two years ago (Sept. 12, 2019), with Nikki Cox scoring both BG goals in that match. The Falcons' lone series win was also a 3-2 OT decision, and came in August of 1999 at Cochrane. BG and MSU battled to 1-1 draws in both 2001 and 2007.

UP NEXT
• Following the MSU contest, the Falcons will play home matches on each of the next two Thursdays, hosting Illinois (Sept. 9) and Xavier (Sept. 16). The match vs. the Illini will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.

# BGSU FALCON SOCCER #