Falcons Ready for Thursday's Miami Matchup

Thursday, October 5

Oxford, Ohio

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Miami (OH)

Emme Butera & the Falcons face Miami in Oxford Thursday night

Photo by: Kemery Aichele, BGSU Athletics

October 04, 2023 | Women's Soccer

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BGSU meets the RedHawks in Oxford as the MAC schedule rolls along

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BGSU at MIAMI
Thursday, Oct. 5 | 7:00 p.m.
Bobby Kramig Field | Oxford, Ohio
Video/Web Stream: 'Miami Soccer' on Veo (mobile app)
Live Stats: MiamiRedHawks.com

• The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team, sitting in first place as the Mid-American Conference schedule enters week three, hits the road for a Thursday night (Oct. 5) matchup. Head coach Jimmy Walker and the Falcons head to Oxford to meet Miami University in a 7:00 p.m. start at Bobby Kramig Field.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Thursday's Miami matchup will be available via the 'Miami Soccer' Veo stream (mobile app only). Live stats, as well as periodic Twitter updates (@BGSU_Wsoccer), will also be available.

• Links to live audio/video/stats for all 2023 matches can be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com (on the women's soccer schedule page and in the right column on the main page) on match day.

#MACTION
• BGSU is undefeated in Mid-American Conference play entering the week. The Falcons have enjoyed more than their fair share of success in conference action over the last few years. BG finished third in the 12-team league in 2022, but earned regular-season and tournament titles in each of the previous four seasons.

• Since the start of the 2018 season, the Falcons now have a record of 42-7-5 in MAC regular-season matches, good for a winning percentage of .824. BGSU has six more wins than any other team during that span, and every other program except one has at least twice the amount of losses as the Falcons in that time.

FUN FALCON FACTS
• The Falcons are 5-4-1 on the season, and BGSU is currently in first place in the MAC with a conference record of 3-0-1 to date. Three of the team's four losses this season have come at the hands of nationally-ranked teams, and all four setbacks were against schools from Power 5 conferences (two schools from the Atlantic Coast Conference and one each from the Big Ten and Big 12).

• BGSU picked up a 2-0 victory at Toledo in the MAC opener (Sept. 21), before battling Western Michigan to a scoreless draw (Sept. 24) at Cochrane Stadium. Last Thursday (Sept. 28), freshman Emma Stransky's goal in the 78th minute lifted the Orange and Brown to a 1-0 win over visiting Akron.

• Then, on Sunday (Oct. 1), Lexi Czerwien's first collegiate goal midway through the first half proved to be the game winner as the Falcons picked up a 2-0 win at Ohio. Brynn Gardner scored off of a nifty Stransky assist early in the second half.

• In the Toledo match, Ellie Pool, a transfer from UT, scored with just over two minutes gone against her former team, and Gardner converted a second-half penalty kick.

• Madison Vukas and Lili Berg have combined for four shutouts in as many MAC matches and five total clean sheets on the year. The BGSU defense has allowed only 10 shots on goal – and zero goals – in the four MAC games to date.

• Center back Isabelle Gilmore was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week last week (Sept. 25), and was the MAC Defensive Player of the Week this week (Oct. 3).

• After dropping road decisions against #17 Michigan State and Cincinnati to begin the season BG bounced back to end the month of August with wins over Loyola Chicago and Detroit Mercy. The Falcons got first-half goals from Gardner and Katie Cox against the Ramblers, while Pool scored early in the second half to lift BGSU to a 2-1 win over the Titans. Lacee Bethea also found the back of the net for the Falcons at UDM.

• The Falcons suffered a pair of losses against top25 teams to end the non-conference slate, dropping a 5-1 decision at #21 Pittsburgh and a 3-0 match against #11 Notre Dame at Cochrane.

• Gardner and Stransky are tied for the team lead with six points apiece this season, while Pool has five points. Gardner leads the club with three goals, with Pool and Stransky finding the back of the net twice so far this season. Stransky and Maya Dean are tied for the club lead in assists, with two each.

• Gilmore is the lone Falcon to have been on the pitch for all 900 minutes, while Emilie Gardner has played 778 minutes on the year.

• Berg and Vukas have split time in each of BGSU's first 10 matches. Each has played 450 minutes, and each player has made 21 saves. Vukas has a goals-against average of 1.00 while Berg sports a 1.60 GAA, and as mentioned, they have shared five shutouts.

• A total of 24 different players have seen action in at least one match this season to date. That lengthy list includes all nine of the team's true freshmen. Four Falcons – Cox, Dean, Gilmore and Emilie Gardner – each have started all 10 games so far, while Pool, Brynn Gardner and Makenzie Ortman each have made nine starts.

• A total of 17 different Falcons have started at least one match this season.

• The Falcons returned 16 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last season's club. The 2022 team went 9-5-5 overall and 6-2-3 in MAC play, placing third in the 12-team league.

SUCCESSFUL AT HOME
• BGSU has a record of 41-10-9 at home since the start of the 2017 season. The Falcons are 32-5-6 against MAC teams at Cochrane Stadium in that time, having outscored the opposition, 81-27, in those 43 matches.

• Since Jimmy Walker took the helm of the Falcons in 2020, BGSU has a record of 16-6-6 at Cochrane, including a 13-3-4 ledger vs. MAC opposition.

SUCCESSFUL ON THE ROAD
• After winning at Ohio on Sunday, the Falcons have a record of 26-6-2 on the road against MAC opponents since the start of the 2017 season. BG is 23-3-1 in league road contests since the beginning of 2018, having outscored the opponents by a 71-15 count. In those 27 matches, BGSU has scored at least two goals 22 times, and at least three goals on 13 occasions.

• BGSU is 20-2-1 in the last 23 MAC road contests, dating to late in the 2018 season.

• Overall, the Falcons are 15-11-2 in true road games over the last three-plus years. No fewer than eight of those 11 road losses have come against opponents from Power 5 conferences, with a ninth coming to a team (Xavier in 2022) that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships that season.

FINISHING STRONG
• The Falcons have played their best down the stretch in recent seasons. Last year, after a loss to begin October, BGSU ended the season with a record of 6-1-2. During that stretch (Oct. 6 to Nov. 3), the Falcons outscored the opponents, 21-4.

• In roughly that same time span the previous year (Oct. 3 to Nov. 7, 2021), BGSU went 9-1-0 and outscored opponents by nearly the same margin (20-4). That run ended with a dominant victory in the MAC Tournament's championship match.

• October has been a highly-successful month for the Falcons. Since the start of the 2017 season, BGSU has a record of 35-7-2 in the 10th month of the year. BGSU is 6-4-3 in November during that span. That includes a 6-1-3 mark in MAC Tournament play and an 0-3 record in the NCAA Tournament.

THE OPPONENT
• Miami is 4-7-1 on the year, and the RedHawks are 1-3-0 in MAC play after a 1-0 win over Kent State on Sunday. KSU had been unbeaten in the conference prior to that loss to MU. Individually, Taylor Hamlett and Haley Anspach are tied for the team scoring lead, with two goals and five points apiece. In goal, Dominique Popa has started 10 of the team's 12 matches and has 37 saves, three shutouts and a GAA of 1.37. Head coach Courtney Sirmans and the RedHawks were picked to finish fifth in the MAC in 2023 in the preseason coaches poll, after going 9-5-6 overall and 4-2-5 in the MAC in '22.

THE SERIES
• BGSU and Miami are tied, 13-13-3, in the all-time series, but the Falcons are undefeated in the last seven matchups, having gone 6-0-1 vs. the RedHawks since a 2-1 MIami victory at Cochrane Stadium in 2015. Last season, BGSU picked up a 4-0 win at Cochrane (Oct. 20, 2022). The Falcons have not played a match in Oxford since the 2018 season, when BG posted a 2-0 win. Miami won the first eight series meetings, before the Falcons then posted seven-straight victories from 2003-08. Then, MU went 5-0-3 vs. BG, culminating in a scoreless tie in 2016, and the Falcons now have won the last six meetings. The Falcons are 9-5-1 at home, 4-7-2 on the road and 0-1-0 at neutral sites vs. Miami through the years.

UP NEXT
• Following the Miami matchup, BGSU returns home to face Eastern Michigan on Sunday (Oct. 8), with first touch at 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.

• Beginning with that EMU contest, the Falcons will play four of the final six regular-season matches at home.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• For more information on the women's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSU_WSoccer), Instagram (bgsu_wsoccer) and Facebook (bgsuwsoc) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.