Bowling Green Sweeps Women's Soccer Weekly Awards
Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Maureen Kennedy, Bowling Green
Defender, Junior, Cypress, Calif. (Los Alamitos)
Bowling Green junior defender Maureen Kennedy played all 180 minutes, helped the Falcons to two wins and was involved in the scoring of three of BGSU’s six goals on the weekend. Kennedy had an assist midway through the second half on Friday night, as her free kick found Chelsee Washington’s head, enabling the Falcons to open up a 3-0 lead en route to a 3-1 win over Kent State. KSU’s lone goal came with seven minutes remaining. Then, two days later, she had a goal and an assist as the Falcons picked up another 3-1 victory, this time over Ohio. Kennedy assisted on the first goal of the match, as her corner kick was headed home with under eight minutes gone. Then, after Ohio tied the score – the first first-half goal BGSU has allowed in eight MAC matches this season – she blasted a free kick from 22 yards out into the far side of the net just over two minutes after Ohio’s goal. Kennedy’s free kick was the eventual game-winning goal. She now has 13 points on the season, good for third on the team. Kennedy has seven assists to tie for the team lead. She now has 37 career points, including eight goals and 21 assists. Kennedy has moved into a tie for fourth place on the BGSU career assists list. Her game-winning goal on Sunday was her second of the season and the third of her career. She has helped lead a defense that has allowed just three goals during the nine-game win streak and only nine goals in 15 matches this fall. The Falcons are 10-3-2 overall and – as mentioned – 8-0 in the MAC. With three regular-season games remaining, BGSU needs just a tie to clinch a share of the MAC regular-season title, and one win would clinch the outright championship.
Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Chelsee Washington, Bowling Green
Midfielder, Junior, Carrollton, Texas (Hebron)
"Bowling Green junior midfielder Chelsee Washington scored three more goals as the Falcons won two more games last week to improve to 8-0-0 in the Mid-American Conference for the first time in program history. On Friday, Washington scored a pair of goals as first-place BGSU downed preseason MAC favorite Kent State, 3-1. She headed home a corner kick less than three minutes into the match, then scored on another header, off of a free kick in the 70th minute, to give BG a 3-0 lead. The multiple-goal match was her third of the season and the fourth in her career. Then, on Sunday, Washington again opened the scoring with another header off of another corner kick. This time, the goal came in the eighth minute of a 3-1 win over second-place Ohio. The Falcons have won a school-record nine consecutive matches. During the winning streak, Washington has scored the first goal of the match on no fewer than six occasions. Five of those goals have come within the first 20 minutes of the game, and on four occasions, she has given BG the lead with under eight minutes gone. On the season, Washington has nine goals and 24 points. All nine goals, and 22 of the 24 points, have come during the nine-match win streak. She has single-handedly outscored the opposition during that streak, as BG has outscored the foes, 26-3, in the last nine matches. Washington now has 13 career goals, and has moved into 11th place on the school career list. She also has career totals of 11 assists and 37 points. The Falcons are 10-3-2 overall and – as mentioned – 8-0 in the MAC. With three regular-season games remaining, BGSU needs just a tie to clinch a share of the MAC regular-season title, and one win would clinch the outright championship.
Other Nominees
Mabel Dunn, Eastern Michigan
Goalkeeper, Junior, Oakville, Ontario (White Oaks Secondary)
Junior goalkeeper Mabel Dunn, who recently assumed starting netminding duties, registered the first shutout of her career at Northern Illinois, Oct. 12. Playing in near-freezing temperatures at NIU Friday night, Dunn made six clutch stops en route to a 1-0 win for the Eagles. She followed that up with a four-save effort at Western Michigan, Oct. 14.
Paige Culver, Kent State
Defender, Senior, Oakville, Ontario (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Senior defender Paige Culver aided Kent State's defense to its fourth shutout of the season while scoring a goal this weekend. Culver, a Third Team All-American last season, was a huge cog in a Golden Flashes defense that held Toledo scoreless in 110 minutes and limited the Rockets to just six shots on goal. The Rockets entered the weekend as the highest scoring offense in the Mid-American Conference and had the nation's second-leading goal scorer in the nation and were held scoreless for the third time this season. The 2017 MAC Defensive Player of the Year made key stops in the overtime periods to keep the clean sheet. The Oakville, Ontario native registered a goal in Kent State match at league leader Bowling Green on Friday night for her first goal of the season. She sent a free kick into the net and scored the second goal of her career.
Maria Collica, Ohio
D, Graduate Student, Solon, Ohio / Solon
Graduate student Marisa Collica helped lead Ohio's defense this past weekend, helping the Bobcats to a 1-1 week in MAC play. Overall, Collica recorded one shot and one assist, while also helping preserve another Bobcat shutout. Overall, she registered three shots with one on goal and one assist.
On Oct. 12 at Toledo, Collica registered two shots with one on goal in 81 minutes on the pitch. She also helped hold down the defense that helped the Bobcats record the 1-0 shutout of Toledo. Then on Sunday at BGSU, Collica recorded one shot and one assist on Alivia Milesky's goal in the 30th minute, that at the time, tied the game at 1-1. "
Emily Kelly, Buffalo
Goalkeeper, Freshman, Wilson, NY (Wilson)
Freshman goalkeeper Emily Kelly continued her strong play in goal for the Bulls this weekend as she was able to allow just one goal across 180 minutes of game time. The freshman opened up the weekend with an impressive five-save clean sheet as the Bulls handed Miami the 1-0 loss. On Sunday, Kelly played a great game between the pipes as she made six saves but gave up the game-winning goal to Ball State in the first half on an own goal that she had no chance of stopping. In the second half of the match, Kelly made some huge saves for UB including making a great stop on a penalty kick that kept the Bulls in the game and gave them a chance for the tying goal. On the year, Kelly owns a 10-5-0 record to go along with a 1.24 goals-against average while posting six clean sheets. The 10 wins for Kelly ranks third in program history for wins in a season while her six shutouts ranks sixth most in a single season for UB.
The win for Kelly marked her 10th of the season whu"
Tristin Stuteville, Ball State
Goalkeeper , Senior , Kansas City, MO (Platte County)
Tristin Stuteville recorded two clean sheets in Ball State's two matches this week to help the Cardinals climb the MAC standings to second place. Stuteville was the only goalkeeper in the MAC to finish with two shutouts last week, and has now completed three-straight shutouts during BSU's four-game winning streak. She has five solo shutouts on the year along with a team/combined shutout in match that she played 81 minutes in. The senior captain Ball State anchored a solid back line this week that gave up only five shots on goal. Stuteville saved all five shots she faced. The Kansas City native put in a little extra work as Ball State's match against Akron as it took double overtime for the Cardinals to secure the 1-0 victory. She has played all but nine minutes this season.
Lexi Pelafas, Central Michigan
Forward, Senior, Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton North)
Senior forward Lexi Pelafas continued to further put her stamp on her legacy at Central Michigan, scoring two goals this weekend, as the Chippewas went 1-1. On Friday, Pelafas helped CMU to a 3-2 road win over archrival Western Michigan, netting the Chippewas' opening goal in the 27th minute. Against NIU on Friday, Pelafas pulled CMU to within one of the Huskies with her team-high eighth goal of the season, finishing from just inside the 18-yard box to the far post. Pelafas leads the Chippewas with 20 points on the season.
Angela Boyce, Akron
Midfield, Sophomore, Farmington Hills, Mich. (Farmington HS)
One shot was all Angela Boyce needed to put Akron back in the win column. In the 88’ of play against the RedHawks, Boyce scored her first career goal and first game-winning goal to hand Akron a 2-1 win over Miami. On the weekend, the sophomore midfielder posted two shots.
With time winding down against the Miami, Boyce rebounded the ball off a save by the RedHawks keeper and fired a shot into the back of the net for the eventual game-winner.
Kylie Frantz, Eastern Michigan
Midfield, Freshman, Erie, Pa. (Villa Maria Academy)
Freshman Kylie Frantz came through in the clutch for Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois, Oct. 12, as the midfielder buried the first goal of her career on a shot from 25 yards out. The goal, which came in the 81st minute, proved to be the game-winner as EMU topped NIU, 1-nil.
Bryce Hueber, Ohio
MF/F R-Senior, Cincinnati, Ohio / Summit Country Day
Redshirt senior Bryce Hueber led Ohio offensively this past weekend, helping the Bobcats to a 1-1 week. Overall, Hueber registered one goal on three shots, with two on goal for a .666 shot on goal percentage. She also registered one game -winning goal. On Oct. 12 at Toledo, Hueber was the difference maker, scoring in the 49th minute off of a free kick, giving Ohio a 1-0 lead and the victory. Overall in the game, Hueber registered one goal on one shot in 30 minutes of work off the bench. On Sunday at Bowling Green, Hueber was a force again, getting the start, Hueber two shots, with one on goal in the Bobcats 3-1 loss, snapping their six-game unbeaten streak.
Kerrigan Johnson, Ball State
Midfielder , Freshman, Clinton Township, Mich. (Chippewa Valley)
True freshman Kerrigan Johnson scored one of the premier goals in the country on Friday as part of Ball State's 1-0 win over Akron. In double overtime with only a few minutes remaining, freshman teammate Tatiana Mason left Johnson a back-heel pass 30 yard out on the left corner of the box and she sent it into the upper 90 of the far post for the game winner. Johnson's goal was featured on the NCAA soccer accounts as one of the top goals of the weekend and was nominated as a SportsCenter Top 10 play. It was the first career goal for Johnson and it helped Ball State jump to number two in the MAC standings as part of what is now a four-game winning streak.
