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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics
Falcons Add a Quartet of Newcomers to Spring Roster
January 19, 2026 | Women's Soccer
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Four newcomers have officially joined the Bowling Green State University women's soccer program in time for the Spring 2026 semester. Two incoming freshmen and two NCAA Division-I transfers have enrolled at BGSU and will participate in spring practices and matches for coach Chris Fox and the Falcons.
Freshmen Paige Baird (Oconomowoc, Wis.) and Sophie Khelashvili (Columbus, Ohio) are enrolled at BGSU for the spring semester, which began last Monday (Jan. 12). Baird and Khelashvili inked with the Falcons in November of 2025.
They are joined by a pair of transfers in Lexi Grundler (Brentwood, Tenn./Michigan State) and Natalie Hoover (Dublin, Ohio/Iowa State).
Grundler, a native of Brentwood, Tenn., joins the Falcons after attending Michigan State University for the last year and a half. This past season, the Spartans went 15-4-6 overall and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. Grundler, an Academic All-Big Ten selection, did not see match action for the Spartans. Grundler, a goalkeeper, was a four-year letterwinner at Ravenwood H.S., and was a 2023 Girls High School All-American for the Raptors. She was a two-time Tennessee District 11 Goalkeeper MVP of the Year, and was selected to play in the High School Senior All-American Game in 2023. She played club soccer for Tennessee Soccer Club ECNL, and also was a three-year Olympic Development Program (ODP) Tennessee State Team member.
Hoover, who hails from Dublin, Ohio, is a graduate of Dublin Jerome H.S. She spent the fall 2025 semester on the women's soccer roster at Iowa State University. A forward, she did not see match action for the Cyclones. Hoover played just one year of high-school soccer, playing club soccer with Ohio Premier for the other three seasons. During that one season, she was named the Offensive Player of the Year at Jerome, scoring nine goals and nine assists and helping the Celtics to a 15-1-3 record, a district title and a regional semifinal berth.Â
Baird, a native of Oconomowoc, Wis., attended Oconomowoc H.S. and earned one letter in soccer for the Raccoons. She also has played for Eclipse Select SC ECNL for the last three years, and has experience with the Olympic Development Program as well. Baird played with the ODP Wisconsin state team for three years and has participated on the ODP Midwest Region Team for two years. Baird, a forward, has also played for RKC Third Coast in the USL W League, and was one of the youngest players in that league when she began her tenure as a high-school freshman.
Khelashvili, a Columbus, Ohio, native and a graduate of Upper Arlington H.S., helped her team to league and district titles in 2025, and converted a penalty kick in the state championship game as the Golden Bears won the Ohio Division I title. The team went 19-1-2 in '25. A two-time All-Ohio First-Team selection, Khelashvili finished her career with 158 points, including a school-record 60 assists. She owns the school single-season records for both assists (22) and points (56). A two-time Ohio Capital Conference Central District First-Team selection, she was the conference's Player of the Year as a senior. She has played club soccer for Ohio Premier, and also has international experience, having played with the Georgia National Team at the U17 and U19 levels as well as with the first team.
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BGSU finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 10-3-9, and the Falcons went 4-1-7 in Mid-American Conference play. BG finished sixth in the 13-team conference, then proceeded to advance past third-seeded Buffalo and second-seeded Miami to advance all the way to the MAC Tournament's championship match. BGSU had just two seniors on the 2025 roster.
For more information on the women's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSU_WSoccer) and Instagram (bgsu_wsoccer), as well as on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.
BGSU WOMEN'S SOCCERÂ
SPRING SEMESTER NEWCOMERS
Paige Baird | 5-4 | Forward | Oconomowoc, Wis. | Oconomowoc H.S.
Lexi Grundler | 5-11 | Goalkeeper | Brentwood, Tenn. | Ravenwood H.S. | Michigan State Univ.
Natalie Hoover | 5-8 | Forward | Dublin, Ohio | Dublin Jerome H.S. | Iowa State Univ.
Sophie Khelashvili | 5-2 | Forward | Columbus, Ohio | Upper Arlington H.S
Freshmen Paige Baird (Oconomowoc, Wis.) and Sophie Khelashvili (Columbus, Ohio) are enrolled at BGSU for the spring semester, which began last Monday (Jan. 12). Baird and Khelashvili inked with the Falcons in November of 2025.
They are joined by a pair of transfers in Lexi Grundler (Brentwood, Tenn./Michigan State) and Natalie Hoover (Dublin, Ohio/Iowa State).
Grundler, a native of Brentwood, Tenn., joins the Falcons after attending Michigan State University for the last year and a half. This past season, the Spartans went 15-4-6 overall and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. Grundler, an Academic All-Big Ten selection, did not see match action for the Spartans. Grundler, a goalkeeper, was a four-year letterwinner at Ravenwood H.S., and was a 2023 Girls High School All-American for the Raptors. She was a two-time Tennessee District 11 Goalkeeper MVP of the Year, and was selected to play in the High School Senior All-American Game in 2023. She played club soccer for Tennessee Soccer Club ECNL, and also was a three-year Olympic Development Program (ODP) Tennessee State Team member.
Hoover, who hails from Dublin, Ohio, is a graduate of Dublin Jerome H.S. She spent the fall 2025 semester on the women's soccer roster at Iowa State University. A forward, she did not see match action for the Cyclones. Hoover played just one year of high-school soccer, playing club soccer with Ohio Premier for the other three seasons. During that one season, she was named the Offensive Player of the Year at Jerome, scoring nine goals and nine assists and helping the Celtics to a 15-1-3 record, a district title and a regional semifinal berth.Â
Baird, a native of Oconomowoc, Wis., attended Oconomowoc H.S. and earned one letter in soccer for the Raccoons. She also has played for Eclipse Select SC ECNL for the last three years, and has experience with the Olympic Development Program as well. Baird played with the ODP Wisconsin state team for three years and has participated on the ODP Midwest Region Team for two years. Baird, a forward, has also played for RKC Third Coast in the USL W League, and was one of the youngest players in that league when she began her tenure as a high-school freshman.
Khelashvili, a Columbus, Ohio, native and a graduate of Upper Arlington H.S., helped her team to league and district titles in 2025, and converted a penalty kick in the state championship game as the Golden Bears won the Ohio Division I title. The team went 19-1-2 in '25. A two-time All-Ohio First-Team selection, Khelashvili finished her career with 158 points, including a school-record 60 assists. She owns the school single-season records for both assists (22) and points (56). A two-time Ohio Capital Conference Central District First-Team selection, she was the conference's Player of the Year as a senior. She has played club soccer for Ohio Premier, and also has international experience, having played with the Georgia National Team at the U17 and U19 levels as well as with the first team.
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BGSU finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 10-3-9, and the Falcons went 4-1-7 in Mid-American Conference play. BG finished sixth in the 13-team conference, then proceeded to advance past third-seeded Buffalo and second-seeded Miami to advance all the way to the MAC Tournament's championship match. BGSU had just two seniors on the 2025 roster.
For more information on the women's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSU_WSoccer) and Instagram (bgsu_wsoccer), as well as on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.
BGSU WOMEN'S SOCCERÂ
SPRING SEMESTER NEWCOMERS
Paige Baird | 5-4 | Forward | Oconomowoc, Wis. | Oconomowoc H.S.
Lexi Grundler | 5-11 | Goalkeeper | Brentwood, Tenn. | Ravenwood H.S. | Michigan State Univ.
Natalie Hoover | 5-8 | Forward | Dublin, Ohio | Dublin Jerome H.S. | Iowa State Univ.
Sophie Khelashvili | 5-2 | Forward | Columbus, Ohio | Upper Arlington H.S
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's SoccerGK
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerF
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