Sunday, September 10
Bowling Green, Ohio
1 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
0
vs
3
Notre Dame
Photo by: Nathan Kubala, BGSU Athletics
Falcons Fall to Notre Dame Before Record Crowd at Cochrane
Sun, Sep, 10 | Women's Soccer
BGSU now prepares for MAC play
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team gave one of the top programs in the nation a battle, but nationally-ranked Notre Dame University came away with a 3-0 win over the Falcons before a record crowd at Cochrane Stadium Sunday afternoon (Sept. 10).
Maddie Mercado scored in the 35th minute to give the Fighting Irish (now 4-1-2 on the season) a 1-0 lead at the half, and Meg Mrowicki doubled that advantage in the 54th minute.
With the Falcons (2-4-0) pressing forward late, the Irish – ranked No. 8 in the nation in the Top Drawer Soccer poll, No. 9 by College Soccer News and No. 11 in the United Soccer Coaches poll – added a late goal.
Notre Dame is the highest-ranked opponent the Falcons have ever faced at Cochrane Stadium.
A crowd of 1,516 attended the match on Sunday, setting a new program single-game record for a home match. The attendance nearly doubled the previous record for a regular-season contest at Cochrane.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Just over 15 minutes into the match, Notre Dame's Morgan Roy made a long run toward the penalty area and fired a hard shot that whizzed just wide.
• Off of the ensuing goal kick by Lili Berg, Taylor Green headed the ball to Brynn Gardner, who in turn played a long ball toward the Notre Dame end line. Ellie Pool chased it down and quickly played a cross to Maya Dean in the center of the box. But, her shot was blocked out for a corner kick.
• Off of the ensuing corner, Makenzie Ortman took a shot that was blocked. Emilie Gardner volleyed the rebound out of the air, but her shot went over the bar.
• Midway through the half, Dean stole the ball from a UND defender in the Falcons' offensive end. She entered the penalty area and played a low cross to Pool. Pool made a nifty spin move to elude her defender, then fired a hard left-footed shot, but goalkeeper Atlee Olofson made a spectacular diving save to keep the match scoreless.
• With 20 minutes on the clock, Maddie Mercado's left-side serve was met by the onrushing Kiki Van Zanten in front of goal. But, Van Zanten's headed went wide left.
• Less than a minute later, Roy had a good chance for the visitors, but fired her shot just high.
• With just under 11 minutes to go, a right-side cross by Roy went through the box, but Leah Klenke gathered it on the far side of the box. From six yards out, Klenke fired a hard shot, but Berg came off of her line to block it away.
• But, with 10:05 left before the intermission, Mercado made a long run down the center of the park and hit a hard shot from just outside the 18 that dipped just under the crossbar and in.
• With seven minutes to go in the period, a Notre Dame free kick was blocked, but Mercado got the rebound, took a dribble to her left and fired a low shot through traffic. Berg, however, saw the shot all the way and was able to make a diving save.
• With seven minutes gone in the second period, Mercado made yet another bid for a goal. But, BGSU goalkeeper Madison Vukas went to the ground to grab the low, hard shot.
• In the 54th minute, the Irish found the back of the net. Klenke's left-side cross found the head of Meg Mrowicki, who put the ball into the left side of the net.
• Two minutes later, Isabelle Gilmore's diagonal ball sailed toward Pool near the six-yard box on the far side, but the pass was just out of the forward's reach, and Olofson was able to dive and grab the ball.
• Just over halfway through the period, Lizzie Bultynck raced past a Notre Dame defender to play the ball off of said defender and out of bounds, giving the Falcons a corner kick. Off of that Emme Butera corner, Olofson punched the ball away. Rylee Clark put it back into the mixer, but Olofson was able to grab the ball in traffic.
• Vukas made a nifty kick save on Van Zanten with 13 minutes to go, as the Notre Dame midfielder raced into the box on a counterattack.
• With just over seven minutes on the clock and BG pushing numbers forward in an attempt to cut the lead in half, the Irish netted a third goal. Kristina Lynch headed into the box on the left side. She cut the ball back and uncorked a right-footed shot. Vukas made an impressive save, going to the ground as she parried the blast, but Lynch was the first to reach the rebound, knocking it into the net to cap the scoring.
• Five and a half minutes remained when Emilie Gardner stole an attempted clearing ball by the Irish. Gardner served a diagonal ball from the right side, and Lacee Bethea ran onto it and volleyed the serve out of the air. Bethea's shot hit the outside of the left post and caromed out for a goal kick.
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• Notre Dame had advantages of 23-12 in total shots, 10-2 in shots on goal and 6-5 in corner kicks.
• Atlee Olofson made two saves in goal for the Irish, while Lili Berg (three) and Madison Vukas (four) combined for seven stops.
• A pair of freshmen, Christine Erdman and Taylor Green, each made the first start of their respective collegiate careers.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons now are idle until Thursday, Sept. 21. On that date, BGSU will travel north for the 'Battle of I-75,' taking on Toledo in a 7:00 p.m. start in the Glass City.
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• 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.
Maddie Mercado scored in the 35th minute to give the Fighting Irish (now 4-1-2 on the season) a 1-0 lead at the half, and Meg Mrowicki doubled that advantage in the 54th minute.
With the Falcons (2-4-0) pressing forward late, the Irish – ranked No. 8 in the nation in the Top Drawer Soccer poll, No. 9 by College Soccer News and No. 11 in the United Soccer Coaches poll – added a late goal.
Notre Dame is the highest-ranked opponent the Falcons have ever faced at Cochrane Stadium.
A crowd of 1,516 attended the match on Sunday, setting a new program single-game record for a home match. The attendance nearly doubled the previous record for a regular-season contest at Cochrane.
Thank you, Falcon Fans! With today's attendance of 1,516 fans, we crushed the attendance record for a women's soccer game!
— BGSU Women's Soccer (@BGSU_WSoccer) September 10, 2023
We appreciate all your support and look forward to seeing you all on September 24 for our next home game! #AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/jRU5iq4zT0
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Just over 15 minutes into the match, Notre Dame's Morgan Roy made a long run toward the penalty area and fired a hard shot that whizzed just wide.
• Off of the ensuing goal kick by Lili Berg, Taylor Green headed the ball to Brynn Gardner, who in turn played a long ball toward the Notre Dame end line. Ellie Pool chased it down and quickly played a cross to Maya Dean in the center of the box. But, her shot was blocked out for a corner kick.
• Off of the ensuing corner, Makenzie Ortman took a shot that was blocked. Emilie Gardner volleyed the rebound out of the air, but her shot went over the bar.
• Midway through the half, Dean stole the ball from a UND defender in the Falcons' offensive end. She entered the penalty area and played a low cross to Pool. Pool made a nifty spin move to elude her defender, then fired a hard left-footed shot, but goalkeeper Atlee Olofson made a spectacular diving save to keep the match scoreless.
• With 20 minutes on the clock, Maddie Mercado's left-side serve was met by the onrushing Kiki Van Zanten in front of goal. But, Van Zanten's headed went wide left.
• Less than a minute later, Roy had a good chance for the visitors, but fired her shot just high.
• With just under 11 minutes to go, a right-side cross by Roy went through the box, but Leah Klenke gathered it on the far side of the box. From six yards out, Klenke fired a hard shot, but Berg came off of her line to block it away.
• But, with 10:05 left before the intermission, Mercado made a long run down the center of the park and hit a hard shot from just outside the 18 that dipped just under the crossbar and in.
• With seven minutes to go in the period, a Notre Dame free kick was blocked, but Mercado got the rebound, took a dribble to her left and fired a low shot through traffic. Berg, however, saw the shot all the way and was able to make a diving save.
• With seven minutes gone in the second period, Mercado made yet another bid for a goal. But, BGSU goalkeeper Madison Vukas went to the ground to grab the low, hard shot.
• In the 54th minute, the Irish found the back of the net. Klenke's left-side cross found the head of Meg Mrowicki, who put the ball into the left side of the net.
• Two minutes later, Isabelle Gilmore's diagonal ball sailed toward Pool near the six-yard box on the far side, but the pass was just out of the forward's reach, and Olofson was able to dive and grab the ball.
• Just over halfway through the period, Lizzie Bultynck raced past a Notre Dame defender to play the ball off of said defender and out of bounds, giving the Falcons a corner kick. Off of that Emme Butera corner, Olofson punched the ball away. Rylee Clark put it back into the mixer, but Olofson was able to grab the ball in traffic.
• Vukas made a nifty kick save on Van Zanten with 13 minutes to go, as the Notre Dame midfielder raced into the box on a counterattack.
• With just over seven minutes on the clock and BG pushing numbers forward in an attempt to cut the lead in half, the Irish netted a third goal. Kristina Lynch headed into the box on the left side. She cut the ball back and uncorked a right-footed shot. Vukas made an impressive save, going to the ground as she parried the blast, but Lynch was the first to reach the rebound, knocking it into the net to cap the scoring.
• Five and a half minutes remained when Emilie Gardner stole an attempted clearing ball by the Irish. Gardner served a diagonal ball from the right side, and Lacee Bethea ran onto it and volleyed the serve out of the air. Bethea's shot hit the outside of the left post and caromed out for a goal kick.
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• Notre Dame had advantages of 23-12 in total shots, 10-2 in shots on goal and 6-5 in corner kicks.
• Atlee Olofson made two saves in goal for the Irish, while Lili Berg (three) and Madison Vukas (four) combined for seven stops.
• A pair of freshmen, Christine Erdman and Taylor Green, each made the first start of their respective collegiate careers.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons now are idle until Thursday, Sept. 21. On that date, BGSU will travel north for the 'Battle of I-75,' taking on Toledo in a 7:00 p.m. start in the Glass City.
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• 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.