BGSU – Buoyed By Bultynck, Bench – Blanks Buffalo, 2-0 - Bowling Green State University Athletics

Saturday, October 24

Bowling Green, Ohio

1 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

7-3-5, 3-2-4

Buffalo

4-6-6, 1-4-4

Team	1	2	Final F
Buffalo	0	0	0
Bowling Green	1	1	2

Lizzie Bultynck scores vs. Buffalo | Oct. 24, 2026

Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

October 24, 2026 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Support BGSU WSOC Photo Gallery

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – With her first touch of the ball on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 24), senior Lizzie Bultynck scored a goal, helping the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team post a 2-0 victory over the University at Buffalo, in Mid-American Conference action at a sun-drenched Cochrane Stadium.

Freshman Mia Ugarte also scored for the Falcons (7-3-5, 3-2-4 MAC), while junior Payton O'Malley and the BG back line kept a clean sheet.

BGSU outshot the Bulls (4-6-6, 1-4-4 MAC) by a 23-8 count on Saturday, including a 14-1 lead in that category in the first half, and the Falcons broke through just over a half hour into the match.

Junior Minah Syam played a ball into the six-yard box from the right side. UB goalkeeper Lexie Thompson, who made nine saves on the day, was unable to hold onto the rebound, and Ugarte was there to win a battle with a pair of Buffalo defenders and knock the ball into the net from close range.

Then, early in the second half, Bultynck and the Falcons doubled the lead. Bultynck checked into the match for the first time with 32:17 remaining in the second half, the clock stopped for an injury and the Bulls ready to take a goal kick. Senior Isabella Mazzaferro got a boot on that kick near midfield, knocking it forward. Bultynck ran past a UB defender, saw Thompson coming off of her line and – with her first touch of the match – chipped the ball past the UB 'keeper and into the vacated net.

Bultynck's goal came exactly nine seconds after she checked into the match for the first time.

Both of the Falcons' goals came from players who started the match on the bench. For her part, Ugarte scored less than four minutes after she entered the contest for the first time.

The BGSU defense allowed the Bulls a total of two shots on goal, and did not give up a corner kick in the match. The Falcons held 11-2 and 5-0 advantages in those respective categories.

O'Malley had two saves for the Falcons.

GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!! MIA UGARTE gives the Falcons the lead! 33' | BGSU 1, Buffalo 0 #AyZiggy 🟠⚽️🟤 https://t.co/1L336AjmWz
— BGSU Women's Soccer (@BGSU_WSoccer) October 24, 2026

GOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!! LIZZIE BULTYNCK extends the Falcons lead! 58' | BGSU 2, Buffalo 0 #AyZiggy 🟠⚽️🟤 https://t.co/2jLBEK0ZY6
— BGSU Women's Soccer (@BGSU_WSoccer) October 24, 2026

NOTE OF THE DAY
• The Falcons are undefeated in the last 47 home matches (45-0-2) when scoring at least two goals. The last time BGSU scored two or more goals at Cochrane Stadium and lost was 10 years and four days ago (a 4-3 loss to Western Michigan on Oct. 20, 2016).

ALSO NOTEWORTHY
• Freshman Sophie Khelashvili made the first start of her collegiate career. Khelashvili played 42 minutes of Saturday's win, with her three shot attempts including one on goal.
• A total of 17 different Falcons have started at least one match this season to date.
• Senior captain Taylor Green was back in the Starting XI after missing the last two games due to injury. Green played all 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon.
• Freshman Mia Ugarte's goal was her second of the season, and the first game-winning goal of her young career. BGSU's seven GWG this year have been scored by seven different players.
• Junior Minah Syam picked up the assist on Ugarte's goal. For Syam, is was her third assist of the season. Both Ugarte and Syam now have five points this season to date.
• Senior Lizzie Bultynck scored her second goal of the year in Saturday's contest. It was the sixth goal of her BGSU career, tying her with classmate Emme Butera for the career lead among current Falcons.
• Senior Isabella Mazzaferro assisted on Bultynck's goal. Mazzaferro, like Syam, now has three assists and five points this season to date.
Buffalo entered Saturday's action leading the MAC and ranked among the top 15 teams in the nation in shutout percentage (.600), having kept nine clean sheets in the first 15 games of the season. BGSU is just the fourth team this year to score multiple goals against the Bulls.
• No BG-UB match had been decided by more than one goal in eight years, since a 5-0 BGSU road win in 2018.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons will end the road portion of the regular-season schedule with a match against Miami on Thursday (Oct. 29). That contest starts at 7:00 p.m. at Bobby Kramig Field.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will finish the regular-season slate three days later (Nov. 1), hosting Ohio University in a Sunday-afternoon matchup. That game will begin at 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane, and admission is free.

Gallery: (10-24-2026) 102426 wsoc v Buffalo - Drake Harlett

REMAINING REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE (all times Eastern and p.m.)
Thu., Oct. 29 – at Miami, 7:00
Sun., Nov. 1 – OHIO, 1:00

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• 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 right here at BGSUFalcons.com.