BGSU Blanks Broncos in Rematch of 2025 MAC Tournament Final

Sunday, October 4

Kalamazoo, Mich.

1 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

6-1-4, 2-0-3

Western Michigan

5-3-4, 3-1-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Bowling Green	0	1	1
Western Mich.	0	0	0

Payton O'Malley | Aug. 30, 2026, v Michigan

Payton O'Malley tied her career high with 7 saves as the Falcons blanked WMU Sunday

Photo by: Jake Neary, BGSU Athletics

October 04, 2026 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

McCuen scores midway through the second half, while O'Malley & the Falcon defense pitch a shutout

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team went on the road and picked up a key Mid-American Conference win Sunday afternoon (Oct. 4). Freshman Olivia McCuen scored midway through the second half to lift the Falcons to a 1-0 win over Western Michigan University at the WMU Soccer Complex.

In a rematch of the 2025 MAC Tournament final, junior Payton O'Malley tied her career high with seven saves en route to a clean sheet. For the Falcons (6-1-4, 2-0-3 MAC), Sunday's win marked the seventh shutout in 11 matches this season.

Sunday's match also marked the first time the Broncos (5-3-4, 3-1-1 MAC) have been shut out by a MAC team at home in nearly four years (since Oct. 6, 2022).

McCuen's goal came with just over 20 minutes remaining in the match. The Falcons won the ball after a Bronco throw-in near the WMU bench, with freshman Mia Ugarte running on to a forward pass on the right side of the pitch, near the BG bench.

Ugarte centered the ball into space, as McCuen and a Bronco defender were steaming down the center of the field. McCuen picked up the ball, and her first shot attempt was smothered by the defender as WMU goalkeeper Reagan Sulaver came off of her line and went to the ground in an effort to block that shot.

McCuen picked up the rebound, took a touch to her left, and fired the ball into the vacated net for what proved to be the only goal the Falcons would need.

Three of O'Malley's seven saves came in the final 12 minutes of the match, and none of the three were easy stops. She denied Kaiya Stewart with a diving save in the 79th minute of action, then stopped a hard shot by Tessa Fagerson just over a minute later. The junior's final stop was another diving effort on Meredith Vance on a shot through traffic with under eight minutes to go.

Sulaver made one save on Sunday afternoon.

Olivia McCuen gives the Falcons the lead! #AyZiggy 🟠⚽️🟤 https://t.co/OcSr9Vk99T
— BGSU Women's Soccer (@BGSU_WSoccer) October 4, 2026

NOTE OF THE DAY
• The Falcons extended an impressive streak on Sunday. BGSU is now unbeaten in the last 14 true road matches. The Falcons have gone 8-0-6 in road contests since a 1-0 setback at Ohio in the MAC Tournament's quarterfinal round on Nov. 3, 2024.

ALSO NOTEWORTHY
• Overall, the Falcons now have a seven-match unbeaten streak, having gone 4-0-3 since a 1-0 loss to Michigan on Aug. 30. BGSU's seven-match unbeaten streak is tied for the fourth longest in school history. The school record is 13 matches (7-0-6), set last season.
• Freshman Olivia McCuen's goal on Sunday was the first of her collegiate career. She now has three points on the season.
• BGSU now has 12 goals on the season, and they have been scored by 10 different players. Only seniors Emme Butera and Taylor Green have scored multiple goals on the year, with two apiece.
• Junior Payton O'Malley kept her fifth complete-match clean sheet of the season and the 15th of her BGSU career. She lowered her goals-against average to 0.53 this season and a school record-low 0.79 for her career.
• O'Malley is now tied for fifth place on the BGSU career shutouts list. She is tied with Kathleen Duwve (2016-19), just one behind fourth-place Ali Shingler (2001-05). The school record for career complete-match shutouts is 23, held by Alexa Arsenault (2007-10).

UP NEXT
• The Falcons return to the road next weekend, heading to Muncie, Ind., for a Saturday (Oct. 10) meeting with Ball State. That game will begin at 1:00 p.m. at the Briner Sports Complex.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will prepare for a matchup with Toledo on Thursday, Oct. 15, at Cochrane Stadium. That game will begin at 7:00 p.m., and – as is the case with all home BGSU action – admission is free.

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.