Falcons Meet Loyola Chicago in Sunday's Home Opener

Sunday, August 27

Bowling Green, Ohio

1 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Loyola Chicago

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

Katie Cox & the Falcons host Loyola Chicago on Sunday afternoon

Photo by: Michael Ringor, Purdue Athletics

August 25, 2023 | Women's Soccer

BGSU Notes (PDF)Loyola Women's Soccer Support BGSU Women's Soccer

BGSU welcomes the Ramblers to Cochrane for a 1:00 p.m. matchup

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BGSU vs. LOYOLA CHICAGO
Sunday, Aug. 27 | 1:00 p.m.
Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
Video/Web Stream: BCSN/ESPN+
Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com

• The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team begins the home portion of the 2023 schedule this weekend. Head coach Jimmy Walker and the Falcons will face Loyola University Chicago on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 27), in a 1:00 p.m. start at Cochrane Stadium.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Sunday's Loyola match will be aired by BCSN in the Toledo area, and also will be available via both the BCSN App and on ESPN+. Live stats, as well as periodic Twitter updates (@BGSU_Wsoccer), as always, 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.

FUN FALCON FACTS
• The Falcons are 0-2-0 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 against the Spartans. 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.

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

• Then, on Thursday (Aug. 24), Cincinnati netted an early goal and made that hold up in a 1-0 victory over the Falcons.

• BGSU held advantages of 13-7 in total shot attempts and 7-3 in shots on goal against the Bearcats.

• In addition to Vukas, senior Emilie Gardner made her first collegiate start on Sunday at MSU. Rylee Clark made her first start as a Falcon in Thursday's UC game. Clark, a Wright State transfer, had started nine matches for the Raiders.

• A total of six players made their collegiate debuts before the halftime whistle in that MSU contest. 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.

• All six of the aforementioned frosh saw action at UC as well, with another, Lexi White, making her first appearance as a Falcon against the 'Cats.

• 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. BG battled Ball State to a 1-1 draw in the semifinals of the league tourney, before the Cardinals advanced via PKs.

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 DEAN OF MIDFIELDERS
• Maya Dean was named a United Soccer Coaches' Division I Women's Player to Watch for the 2023 season. She was one of 38 midfielders across the nation to be named to the women's 'Midfielders to Watch' list.

• A native of Traverse City, Mich. (West), Dean had a tremendous 2022 season. She was named to the All-MAC First Team as well as the MAC All-Tournament Team, and also was voted to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Second Team. Dean started all 19 matches last year, with 16 points on five goals and six assists.

FINISHING STRONG
• The Falcons generally play their best down the stretch. Last season, after a loss to begin the month of October, BGSU ended the 2022 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 Orange and Brown. Since the start of the 2017 season, the Falcons have a record of 34-7-2 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.

• To be fair, the Falcons have been pretty darn successful during the early portion of the season as well. Let's break it down, month by month, shall we?
THE FALCONS BY MONTH (since 2017)
Year Aug.    Sept. Oct. Nov.   Overall
2017 2-1-0 4-3-0 6-2-1   1-1-0 13-7-1
2018 1-1-1 5-2-1 7-1-0   1-1-1 14-5-3
2019 1-1-1 3-3-1 8-1-0   2-1-1 14-6-3
2020(-21)   (5-1-0 in March, 1-0-1 in April)       6-1-1
2021 1-3-0 1-2-3 7-1-0   2-1-0 11-7-3
2022 0-2-1    3-1-2 6-2-1   0-0-1 9-5-5
2023 0-2-0     –    – – 0-2-0
TOTALS 5-10-3   16-11-7 34-7-2   6-4-3 67-33-16 *
overall total includes March & April records in spring of 2021

SUCCESSFUL AT HOME
• BGSU enters Sunday's Loyola match with a record of 39-9-8 at home since the start of the 2017 season. The Falcons are 31-5-5 against MAC teams at Cochrane Stadium in that time, having outscored the opposition, 80-27, in those 41 matches.

THE OPPONENT
• Loyola is 1-2-0 on the season after a 2-1 win at Toledo on Friday (Aug. 25). Head coach Barry Bimbi's club had opened the year with matches vs. Illinois and Kansas. Taylor Harrison leads the squad with two goals and five points, while Naya Lipkins has played every second in goal and has 11 saves and a 2.67 GAA to date. The Ramblers were picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10 Conference in the league's preseason poll. Bimbi and his staff welcomed back 18 letterwinners, including nine starters, from a 2022 team that went 8-8-3 overall and 4-5-1 in conference play.

THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Loyola, 2-0-0, in the all-time series. The teams met in back-to-back seasons, with the Ramblers taking identical 1-0 decisions, winning in 2011 in Chicago and the following year at Cochrane Stadium. The goal in the 2011 match was an own goal, and the Falcons held a 22-4 advantage in total shot attempts (7-1 in shots on goal) in the 2012 setback.

UP NEXT
• Following the Loyola contest, the Falcons will open the return to the road for a pair of matches, beginning with a contest at Detroit Mercy on Thursday (Aug. 31). First touch is set for 7:00 p.m. at Titan Field.

• Then, BGSU will play games vs. nationally-ranked opponents on back-to-back Sundays, heading to Pittsburgh (Sept. 3) before hosting Notre Dame (Sept. 10). The latter match will begin at 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.

FOR MORE INFO ON 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 at BGSUFalcons.com.