BGSU Battles Bearcats on Thursday

Thursday, August 24

Cincinnati Ohio

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Cincinnati

West Lafayette, Indiana, Aug 12, 2023. Purdue Soccer vs Bowling Green. Photo: Michael Ringor

Madison Vukas (85) & Emilie Gardner (3) each made their first BGSU start on Sunday at MSU

Photo by: Michael Ringor, Purdue Athletics

August 23, 2023 | Women's Soccer

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Falcons Venture to Cincinnati as Non-League Schedule Rolls Along

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BGSU at CINCINNATI
Thursday, Aug. 24 | 7:00 p.m.
Gettler Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio
Video/Web Stream: Big XII Now/ESPN+
Live Stats: GoBearcats.com

• The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team heads to the Queen City for a non-conference matchup on Thursday evening (Aug. 24). Head coach Jimmy Walker and the Falcons will face the University of Cincinnati in a 7:00 p.m. start at Gettler Stadium (NOTE: The starting time has changed, as the match was moved back one hour due to the forecast of excessive heat on Thursday).

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Thursday's matchup at UC will be streamed via Big XII Now on ESPN+. Live stats, as well as periodic Twitter updates (@BGSU_Wsoccer), will be available as well.

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

FUN FALCON FACTS
• The Falcons are 0-1-0 on the young season. BGSU dropped a 3-1 decision on the road to #17/19 Michigan State on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 20). Freshman Lizzie Bultynck came off the bench to score her first collegiate goal in her collegiate debut.

• Goalkeepers Madison Vukas and Lili Berg each played 45 minutes, and each played well, vs. the Spartans.

• Vukas made her BGSU debut as well as her first collegiate start. A transfer from Pittsburgh, she came off the bench to play in a pair of matches for the Panthers in 2021. Vukas, who sat out the 2022 season at BGSU, was credited with one save against MSU.

• Berg, who came off the bench for the first time as a Falcon after starting the previous 48 matches, made six stops in the second half.

• In addition to Vukas, senior Emilie Gardner made her first collegiate start on Sunday.

• A total of six players made their collegiate debuts before the halftime whistle. Making their respective BGSU debuts, in order, were Christine Erdman, Bultynck, Audrey Oliver, Emma Stransky, Emme Butera and Sammie King.

• BGSU played the final nine minutes of the first half against the nationally-ranked Spartans with six freshmen on the pitch.

• 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 the Mid-American Conference, placing third in the 12-team league.

• The Falcons lost seven letterwinners from last year's squad, including the 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year, Kennedy White, and defender Mackenzie Reuber, who joined White on the All-MAC First Team. Jasmijn Dijsselhof also departed to play professionally in her native country, The Netherlands.

• The returning players combined to score 17 of the Falcons' 32 goals last season. Four of BGSU's top-five scorers are back, including Brynn Gardner and Maya Dean. Gardner had 19 points to place second on the Falcons. She scored six goals and added a team-leading seven assists en route to earning MAC All-Freshman-Team accolades.

• Dean recorded 16 points on five goals and six assists, and was named to the All-MAC First Team along with earning United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors. Lacee Bethea and Alaina Uncapher each had six points in 2022.

• In goal, Berg started all 19 contests a year ago. She had 74 saves, seven shutouts and a goals-against average of just 0.87. Berg started all 48 of BGSU's matches during her first three seasons with the program, before coming off the bench on Sunday at Michigan State.

TOUGH CROWD
• Three of BGSU's six non-conference opponents were ranked in multiple preseason polls. At game time, Michigan State was ranked 17h in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches poll and 19th in the country in the Top Drawer Soccer poll.

• The Falcons will begin the month of September, and end the non-league slate, with back-to-back matches vs. Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. As of Wednesday morning (Aug. 23), the Panthers are ranked 14th in the country in the TDS poll and 21st in the USC listings, while the Fighting Irish are 10th and 12th, respectively.

THE OPPONENT
• Cincinnati enters Thursday's match with a record of 0-2-0 on the young season. The Bearcats, like the Falcons, opened with a road game at Michigan State, and UC fell to the Spartans by a 1-0 score. The 'Cats dropped a 4-1 decision at Dayton on Sunday, with Fran Stables scoring UC's lone goal. Ashley Barron returns after being named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in each of the last three seasons (UC is now in the Big 12 Conference). Erica Demers is in her first season as head coach of the Bearcats. Last year's club went 7-3-7 overall and 3-1-4 in the AAC.

THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Cincinnati, 3-1-1, in the all-time series, after the teams battled to a 1-1 draw at Cochrane Stadium last season (Aug. 25, 2022). The Falcons' last regular-season road game vs. the Bearcats was a 3-1 UC victory back in 2008. BG's lone series win came in 2003. The Falcons are 1-1-1 at home and 0-2-0 on the road vs. the Bearcats through the years.

UP NEXT
• Following the UC contest, the Falcons will open the home portion of the schedule, facing Loyola Chicago on Sunday (Aug. 27). First touch is set for 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and the match will be aired by BCSN in the Toledo area and streamed via both the BCSN App and ESPN+.

• Then, BGSU hits the road for the next two matches, beginning with an Aug. 31 contest against Detroit Mercy.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• 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.