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Thursday, September 9
Bowling Green, OH
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
1-4-1, 0-0-0
1
vs
5
Illinois
3-3-0, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Illinois
3
2
5
Bowling Green
0
1
1
Lacee Bethea scored her third goal of the season on Thursday night vs. Illinois
Photo by: Stephen Linsky, BGSU Athletics
Falcons Stopped by Illinois, 5-1
September 09, 2021 | Women's Soccer
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The University of Illinois scored three first-half goals and never looked back, posting a 5-1 win over the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team Thursday night (Sept. 9). The non-conference match was held at Cochrane Stadium.
Sophomore Lacee Bethea scored for the Falcons (1-4-1) with just over 14 minutes to go, but BG could draw no closer.
Sydney Stephens assisted on all three first-half goals for the Fighting Illini (3-3-0), and after Bethea's goal, the visitors tacked on two more markers in the game's final eight minutes.
Five different players scored one goal apiece for the Illini, with both Stephens and Abby Lynch recording three-point nights. Lynch assisted on the visitors' fourth goal before capping the scoring with a penalty kick.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Illinois dominated the first half, outshooting BGSU by a 9-1 count and taking a 3-0 lead into the intermission. The Falcons had the better of the play for the first 30-plus minutes of the second half, and after several near-misses, got on the board on the Bethea goal in the 76th minute.
• Maeve Jones got her team on the board at the 15:54 mark. Sydney Stephens took the ball down the right side just outside the penalty area. She reached the end line and hit a low cross back toward the penalty spot. A BG defender attempted to clear the ball, but missed, and Jones was wide open as she took one touch and hit a quick shot into the lower left corner of the net.
• Makena Silber scored in the 26th minute to double the visitors' lead. Stephens won the ball near midfield and played a long ball ahead and into the penalty area. Silber raced past a defender and hit a one-timer that found the net, just inside the far post.
• Joanna Verzosa-Dolezal's goal with 6:19 left before halftime made it a three-goal game. Off of a throw-in, Kendra Pasquale fired a pair of shots from close range. The first was blocked by Maya Dean, and the second was saved by BGSU goalkeeper Lili Berg. Off of Berg's save, however, Stephens tracked down the rebound as she was facing away from goal, and she played a pass back to Verzosa-Dolezal. The defender took a dribble to her left, then hit a shot that went through a maze of players and found the lower right corner.
• BG has several quality scoring chances in the second half. Just over a minute in, Rachel Muller played a ball from midfield into the penalty area, where Madi Wolfbauer and an Illini defender battled for it. The ball bounced over both of them, however, and Kennedy White raced in to poke the ball past goalkeeper Naomi Jackson. But, a U of I defender cleared the ball over the end line before White could reach it in the six-yard box.
• Less than five minutes into the half, Wolfbauer found Nikki Cox with a right-side cross, and Cox blasted a one-time shot from the center of the box. But, the shot was hit directly at Jackson, who was able to block the ball and grab the rebound.
• Under a minute later, off of a throw-in, Hope Breslin hit a volley from the left side of the penalty area at the other end of the field. Breslin's shot caromed off of the far post, and Jasmijn Dijsselhof was able to clear the ball out of the box.
• Approximately 18 minutes remained when Lacee Bethea chipped a diagonal ball into the penalty area, where White just missed connecting on a diving header.
• With under 15 minutes remaining, a Wolfbauer backheel pass freed Madison Alberty on the right side. Alberty hit a cross that Bethea met in the box, but the shot was just wide of the right post.
• Immediately off of the ensuing goal kick, however, Nikki Cox stole the ball, knocking it ahead to Wolfbauer. Wolfbauer, with her back to goal, got around a defender and sild a through ball to the onrushing Bethea, who put the Falcons on the board with a one-time finish from approximately 10 yards out.
• But, BG would draw no closer. The Illini got a Maggie Hillman goal with just over seven minutes remaining. Then, Abby Lynch, who had the primary assist on the Hillman goal, was taken down in the penalty area and converted the ensuing penalty kick to close the scoring.
QUOTING COACH WALKER
"They're a very good team. Our preparation was not good enough. We were second-best all the way through the game. It was an even game for the first 30 minutes of the second half, but the damage was done in the first half. We didn't come and compete like we normally do. We've made things really difficult for the Big Ten teams we've faced in the last four weeks, but we didn't come out and compete in the first half, and that's where the game was won."
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Fighting Illini had a 20-10 advantage in total shot attempts and a 10-4 margin in shots on goal. Illinois had three corner kicks to the Falcons' one.
• Naomi Jackson played all but the first 38 seconds of the match in goal and made three saves for the visitors. Lili Berg was in net for the first 82:10 for the Falcons, making five saves, and Riley Moore played the final 7:50 between the posts.
• The loss snapped BGSU's five-match home winning streak as well as the Falcons' eight-game home unbeaten streak. BG had been 7-0-1 at Cochrane since a 1-0 loss to Ball State in October of 2019.
• Lacee Bethea now has three goals this season, tying her with Madi Wolfbauer for the team lead. Bethea, a sophomore, has four career goals.
• Wolfbauer and Nikki Cox each had an assist on Bethea's goal, and both Cox and Wolfbauer now have seven points this season to tie for the team lead. Bethea has scored six points this season to date.
• Despite the loss, BGSU still has an overall record of 48-23-9 since the start of the 2017 season. The Falcons are 31-7-1 in MAC regular-season matches and 38-8-3 in all games vs. conference foes in that time.
• And, since the beginning of the 2018 campaign, the Falcons are 35-16-8 overall, 25-3-0 in MAC regular-season action and 30-3-2 in all games vs. league opposition.
ÂGallery: (9-9-2021) W.Soccer v Illinois - Sept 9 2021
UP NEXT
• The Falcons will wrap up the non-conference schedule next Thursday (Sept. 16), hosting Xavier in a 6:00 p.m. start at Cochrane Stadium.
ÂGallery: (9-9-2021) W.Soccer v Illinois - Sept 9 2021 2
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.
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Sophomore Lacee Bethea scored for the Falcons (1-4-1) with just over 14 minutes to go, but BG could draw no closer.
Sydney Stephens assisted on all three first-half goals for the Fighting Illini (3-3-0), and after Bethea's goal, the visitors tacked on two more markers in the game's final eight minutes.
Five different players scored one goal apiece for the Illini, with both Stephens and Abby Lynch recording three-point nights. Lynch assisted on the visitors' fourth goal before capping the scoring with a penalty kick.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Illinois dominated the first half, outshooting BGSU by a 9-1 count and taking a 3-0 lead into the intermission. The Falcons had the better of the play for the first 30-plus minutes of the second half, and after several near-misses, got on the board on the Bethea goal in the 76th minute.
• Maeve Jones got her team on the board at the 15:54 mark. Sydney Stephens took the ball down the right side just outside the penalty area. She reached the end line and hit a low cross back toward the penalty spot. A BG defender attempted to clear the ball, but missed, and Jones was wide open as she took one touch and hit a quick shot into the lower left corner of the net.
• Makena Silber scored in the 26th minute to double the visitors' lead. Stephens won the ball near midfield and played a long ball ahead and into the penalty area. Silber raced past a defender and hit a one-timer that found the net, just inside the far post.
• Joanna Verzosa-Dolezal's goal with 6:19 left before halftime made it a three-goal game. Off of a throw-in, Kendra Pasquale fired a pair of shots from close range. The first was blocked by Maya Dean, and the second was saved by BGSU goalkeeper Lili Berg. Off of Berg's save, however, Stephens tracked down the rebound as she was facing away from goal, and she played a pass back to Verzosa-Dolezal. The defender took a dribble to her left, then hit a shot that went through a maze of players and found the lower right corner.
• BG has several quality scoring chances in the second half. Just over a minute in, Rachel Muller played a ball from midfield into the penalty area, where Madi Wolfbauer and an Illini defender battled for it. The ball bounced over both of them, however, and Kennedy White raced in to poke the ball past goalkeeper Naomi Jackson. But, a U of I defender cleared the ball over the end line before White could reach it in the six-yard box.
• Less than five minutes into the half, Wolfbauer found Nikki Cox with a right-side cross, and Cox blasted a one-time shot from the center of the box. But, the shot was hit directly at Jackson, who was able to block the ball and grab the rebound.
• Under a minute later, off of a throw-in, Hope Breslin hit a volley from the left side of the penalty area at the other end of the field. Breslin's shot caromed off of the far post, and Jasmijn Dijsselhof was able to clear the ball out of the box.
• Approximately 18 minutes remained when Lacee Bethea chipped a diagonal ball into the penalty area, where White just missed connecting on a diving header.
• With under 15 minutes remaining, a Wolfbauer backheel pass freed Madison Alberty on the right side. Alberty hit a cross that Bethea met in the box, but the shot was just wide of the right post.
• Immediately off of the ensuing goal kick, however, Nikki Cox stole the ball, knocking it ahead to Wolfbauer. Wolfbauer, with her back to goal, got around a defender and sild a through ball to the onrushing Bethea, who put the Falcons on the board with a one-time finish from approximately 10 yards out.
• But, BG would draw no closer. The Illini got a Maggie Hillman goal with just over seven minutes remaining. Then, Abby Lynch, who had the primary assist on the Hillman goal, was taken down in the penalty area and converted the ensuing penalty kick to close the scoring.
QUOTING COACH WALKER
"They're a very good team. Our preparation was not good enough. We were second-best all the way through the game. It was an even game for the first 30 minutes of the second half, but the damage was done in the first half. We didn't come and compete like we normally do. We've made things really difficult for the Big Ten teams we've faced in the last four weeks, but we didn't come out and compete in the first half, and that's where the game was won."
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Fighting Illini had a 20-10 advantage in total shot attempts and a 10-4 margin in shots on goal. Illinois had three corner kicks to the Falcons' one.
• Naomi Jackson played all but the first 38 seconds of the match in goal and made three saves for the visitors. Lili Berg was in net for the first 82:10 for the Falcons, making five saves, and Riley Moore played the final 7:50 between the posts.
• The loss snapped BGSU's five-match home winning streak as well as the Falcons' eight-game home unbeaten streak. BG had been 7-0-1 at Cochrane since a 1-0 loss to Ball State in October of 2019.
• Lacee Bethea now has three goals this season, tying her with Madi Wolfbauer for the team lead. Bethea, a sophomore, has four career goals.
• Wolfbauer and Nikki Cox each had an assist on Bethea's goal, and both Cox and Wolfbauer now have seven points this season to tie for the team lead. Bethea has scored six points this season to date.
• Despite the loss, BGSU still has an overall record of 48-23-9 since the start of the 2017 season. The Falcons are 31-7-1 in MAC regular-season matches and 38-8-3 in all games vs. conference foes in that time.
• And, since the beginning of the 2018 campaign, the Falcons are 35-16-8 overall, 25-3-0 in MAC regular-season action and 30-3-2 in all games vs. league opposition.
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UP NEXT
• The Falcons will wrap up the non-conference schedule next Thursday (Sept. 16), hosting Xavier in a 6:00 p.m. start at Cochrane Stadium.
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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.
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Team Stats
UofI
BGSU
Goals
5
1
Shots
20
10
Shots on Goal
10
4
Saves
3
5
Corners
3
1
Fouls
17
15
Scoring Plays
Maeve Jones (2)
Assisted By: Sydney Stephens
GOAL by UofI Jones, Maeve Assist by Stephens, Sydney.
15:54
Makena Silber (4)
Assisted By: Sydney Stephens
GOAL by UofI Silber, Makena Assist by Stephens, Sydney.
25:08
Joanna Verzosa-Dolezal (1)
Assisted By: Sydney Stephens
GOAL by UofI Verzosa-Dolezal, Joanna Assist by Stephens, Sydney.
38:41
Lacee Bethea (3)
Assisted By: Madi Wolfbauer , Nikki Cox
GOAL by BGSU Bethea, Lacee Assist by Wolfbauer, Madi and Cox, Nikki.
75:53
Maggie Hillman (1)
Assisted By: Abby Lynch , Kendra Pasquale
GOAL by UofI Hillman, Maggie Assist by Lynch, Abby and Pasquale, Kendra.
82:44
Abby Lynch (1)
UofI Abby Lynch PENALTY KICK GOAL.
86:18
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
4
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's SoccerF
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