Falcons Travel to Pittsburgh for Sunday Meeting with #13/14 Panthers

BGSU at #13/14 PITTSBURGH
Sunday, Sept. 3 | 4:00 p.m.
Ambrose Urbanic Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Video/Web Stream: ACCNX/ESPN+
Live Stats: PittsburghPanthers.com

• The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team, after ending the month of August with back-to-back wins, begins September with two-straight matches vs. nationally-ranked opponents. Head coach Jimmy Walker and the Falcons head to Western Pennsylvania for a Sunday (Sept. 3) matchup with the University of Pittsburgh. First touch is set for 4:00 p.m. at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Sunday's Pitt match will be streamed via ACCNX/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 2-2-0 on the young season. After dropping road decisions against #17/19 Michigan State (3-1) and Cincinnati (1-0), BGSU bounced back to end the month of August with a pair of wins.

• Last Sunday (Aug. 27), the Falcons got first-half goals from sophomore Brynn Gardner and fifth-year Falcon Katie Cox against Loyola Chicago, en route to a 2-0 victory in the home opener. Then, on Thursday night (Aug. 31), Ellie Pool scored early in the second half to lift BGSU to a 2-1 win at Detroit Mercy. Lacee Bethea also found the back of the net for the Orange and Brown.

• Freshman Lizzie Bultynck came off the bench to score her first collegiate goal in her BGSU debut, at MSU. She made her first start as a Falcon in the UDM match.

• Bethea and Pool each have three points on the young season, and five different players have scored one goal apiece for the Falcons this year to date. Isabelle Gilmore is the lone player to have been on the pitch for all 360 minutes.

• Goalkeepers Madison Vukas and Lili Berg have split time in each of BGSU's first four matches. Each has played 180 minutes, and Vukas has a goals-against average of 1.00 while Berg sports a 1.50 GAA. They shared the shutout vs. Loyola.

• Vukas made her BGSU debut as well as her first collegiate start in the opener against the Spartans. A transfer from Pittsburgh, she came off the bench to play in a pair of matches for the Panthers in 2021 before sitting out the 2022 season at BGSU. Vukas has five saves and Berg 15 on the year.

• In addition to Vukas, senior Emilie Gardner made her first collegiate start at MSU. Four days later, Rylee Clark made her first start as a Falcon in the UC game. Clark, a Wright State transfer, had started nine matches for the Raiders prior to coming to BG.

• A total of 23 different players have seen action in at least one match this season to date. That lengthy list includes eight of the team's nine true freshmen.

• Bethea, Cox, Gilmore, Pool, Maya Dean, Jaden Frigerio and Emilie Gardner each have started all four games to date.

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

• 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. Then, after missing the first two matches due to injury, Taylor Green made her BG debut in the win over Loyola.

• BGSU played the final nine minutes of the first half against the nationally-ranked Spartans with six freshmen on the pitch. And, a total of seven frosh were on the field for the final few minutes of the first half in the Loyola match.

• 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.

FO(U)R YOUR INFORMATION
• Four matches into the 2023 season, Lili Berg has now played a career total of 4,444 minutes (plus eight seconds [four times two]) as a Falcon. She has a career goals-against average of 0.90, having allowed a total of 44 goals in that time.

TOUGH CROWD
• Three of BGSU's six non-conference opponents have been ranked in multiple preseason polls in each week of the season so far. When BGSU faced Michigan State, the Spartans were ranked 17h in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches poll and 19th in the country in the Top Drawer Soccer poll.

• Each of the next two Sundays will see the Falcons face a top-25 foe. This weekend (Sept. 3), BGSU will face Pittsburgh, with the Panthers currently ranked 13th in the TDS poll, 14th by College Soccer News and 21st in the USC poll.

• Then, seven days later (Sept. 10), Notre Dame will come to Cochrane Stadium. The Fighting Irish are ranked eighth in the CSN poll, 11th by TDS and 15th in the USC listings this week.

THE OPPONENT
• Pittsburgh is 5-0-0 on the season, after a 6-1 drubbing of Duquesne on Thursday. As mentioned earlier, the Panthers are ranked between 13th and 21st in each of the three national polls. Sarah Schupansky has four goals and 11 points this season, but a total of four Panthers each have at least three goals and seven points. Ellie Breech has started all five matches in goal and has 12 saves and a GAA of just 0.63. The Panthers are 11th in the nation in goals per game (3.60). Legendary head coach Randy Waldrum – who is also the coach of the Nigerian National Team – guided the Panthers to a 14-5-3 overall record and a 5-3-2 mark in the ACC a year ago. Pitt advanced to the round of 16 of the 2022 NCAA Championships.

THE SERIES
• BGSU and Pittsburgh are tied, 1-1-0, in the all-time series. BGSU picked up a 1-0 win in 2002 in a tournament at Ohio State, while Pitt captured a 2-0 victory two years later (2004) at Cochrane Stadium. The latter game was part of the Falcon Classic, a four-team tournament that also included a Duquesne squad coached by Jimmy Walker. #TheMoreYouKnow

UP NEXT
• Following the Pitt contest, the Falcons will end the non-conference schedule by hosting Notre Dame on Sunday, Sept. 10, with that match beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium. The Irish are currently ranked eighth in the College Soccer News poll, 11th in the Top Drawer Soccer listings and 15th by the United Soccer Coaches.

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 right here at BGSUFalcons.com.

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