Dan Ball - Women's Soccer Coach - Bowling Green State University Athletics

BGSU wins MAC Tournament championship - Nov 4 2018

Photo by: BGSU Marketing and Communications

Dan Ball

Title:
Assistant Coach / Goalkeeper Coach
Email:
danball@bgsu.edu

Two seasons. Two championships.

Dan Ball recently wrapped up his second year on the Bowling Green State University women's soccer staff, having helped the Falcons to two of the greatest seasons in program history. Ball, a native of Chatham, England, was hired in June of 2018 and, among other duties, works with the Falcons' goalkeepers.

(NOTE: On Jan. 10, 2020, Ball was named to Matt Fannon's staff at Iowa State University --> CLICK HERE)

In Ball's first season with the program, BGSU won both the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles, tying the school record for overall wins and shattering the program mark for conference victories.

The 2018 Falcons went 14-5-3 overall and 10-1-0 in MAC regular-season play. BGSU captured the league regular-season crown for the second time in history, and won the league tournament title for the third time ever.

Then, in 2019, the Falcons again posted 14 total wins including 10 conference regular-season victories. BGSU (14-6-3, 10-1-0 in '19) became the first program in MAC history to win 10 conference matches in back-to-back seasons.

In Ball's two years with the Falcons, BGSU went 28-11-6 overall, 20-2-0 in MAC regular-season matches and 24-2-2 in all contests vs. conference foes.

In 2018, BGSU broke the school records for most home wins in a season and most consecutive victories at home. The Falcons went 10-1-2 at Cochrane Stadium, breaking the previous single-season record of eight home victories (8-1-1 in 2008).

In 2018, BG scored 43 goals, tying the school record set the previous season. Four Falcons each had at least five goals and 19 points. Duwve was on a school-record pace for lowest GAA in a season prior to the NCAA Tournament match at PSU, and ended the year with a GAA of just 0.79.

Duwve had a miniscule GAA of 0.49 in MAC play, as she allowed only five goals in 927-plus minutes in league regular-season action, and had a saves percentage of .878. She led the MAC in GAA and saves pct., both overall and in MAC matches only.

Then, in 2019, the Falcons shattered the one-year-old record for goals in a season, finding the net 46 times. Five players had double-figure scoring totals, and three Falcons had eight or more goals and 22 or more points.

Duwve and the BG defense had another stellar year. The senior had a GAA of 0.72 in conference play, and an overall GAA of 1.11 despite playing an extremely difficult non-league slate of opponents.

Ball joined the staff at BGSU after spending the previous two seasons at Concordia University in Seward, Neb. He served as graduate assistant goalkeeper coach for both the men's and women's program. Those two teams went a combined 57-18-8 over the last two seasons, as the men's team was 27-10-3 overall and 13-5 in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play under head coach Jason Weides, while Greg Henson's women's program went 30-8-5 overall and 16-3-1 in the league in that span.

At Concordia, Ball helped sophomore 'keeper Lindsey Carley earn GPAC Defensive Player of the Year accolades along with first-team all-league and all-region honors as the Bulldogs won the league title with a 9-0-1 record. During Ball's two seasons at the school, a total of four different goalkeepers in the two programs earned all-conference honors.

The women's program captured the 2017 league regular-season title after winning the conference tournament the previous year. The '17 women's team set program records for fewest goals conceded and most clean sheets. The coaching staff was named United Soccer Plains Region College Staff of the Year last fall.

The men's team set a school single-season record for wins in '17, going 16-3-1. Goalkeeper Jack Bennett, one of those four 'keepers to earn All-GPAC honors during Ball's tenure, ranked in the top 20 among all NAIA goalkeepers in goals-against average a year ago.

A graduate of Milligan College in Johnson City, Tenn., Ball served as an assistant women's soccer coach at his alma mater from July of 2015 to May of 2016. He worked closely with the team's goalkeepers with the Buffaloes, and under his tutelage, junior 'keeper Charlotte Stephens earned all-conference honors.

Off the pitch, Ball served as International Student Liaison at Milligan, a position he proposed and created which was focused on improving the international student experience. He oversaw 43 international students and was the principle point of contact in the assimilation of international students.

Ball was a four-year starter during his undergraduate career at Milligan, helping the Buffaloes to two Appalachian Athletic Conference titles while earning all-conference recognition in each of his last three seasons. Ball was a two-time team captain for the program.

Ball earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a minor in English at Milligan. He received a Master's in Business Administration from Concordia in May of 2018.