Falcons Defeat Top Seeded Golden Flashes To Advance To MAC Final
2017 MAC Women's Soccer Championship Central
2017 MAC Women's Soccer Bracket
Video: Bowling Green Head Coach Matt Fannon
Video: Bowling Green Senior Rachel Winters
No. 4 Bowling Green 2, No. 1 Kent State 1
Boxscore
KENT, Ohio -- The mantra of postseason tournaments is "survive and advance". The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team survived an offensive blitz from top-seed Kent State on Friday night (Nov. 3) and pulled a 2-1 upset at Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio. As a result, the fourth-seeded Falcons advance to the 2017 Mid-American Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Championship. The Falcons will face their arch-rivals, the Toledo Rockets, in that game. The two squads will determine an NCAA Tournament berth beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 5); that game will also be played at Dix Stadium.
BGSU out-shot Kent State 21-5 on the same field two weeks ago, but this game would be far different. The first ten minutes of the game were played almost exclusively on the Falcons' side of the field, and the Golden Flashes equaled that five shot output in the first 8:30 of the game. Despite the barrage, the Falcons did not allow a goal, and the game began to even out as the clock approached the midpoint of the first half.
In the 22nd minute, Kent State was whistled for a foul in BGSU's defensive zone. Maureen Kennedy sent a high, arching free kick to just outside of the box, where Jennifer Reyes was able to head it to the right towards Erica Hubert. Hubert had inside position on her defender and sent a rocket that beat goalkeeper Ashleah McDonald for a 1-0 lead. The Falcons made that lead stand up through halftime despite facing eight shots in the opening period.
Bowling Green nearly doubled their margin early in the second half on attacks by Skylar Fleak and Madison Schupbach, but McDonald made a pair of diving saves. However, BGSU continued to attack. In the 71st minute, KSU's Sierra Henderon-Muschett was booked. Rachel Winters was awarded a free kick, which she took from just outside the Falcons' attacking third. Her rainbow kick was misplayed in the box by McDonald, as it sailed over McDonald's head and into the net for a 2-0 BGSU lead.
The Golden Flashes halved the lead with 11:46 left on the clock on a goal by Hayden Pascoe, but the Falcons held from their to preserve a 2-1 victory. Bowling Green is now 13-6-1 in 2017. Kent State drops to 13-6-2.
Courtesy of BGSU Sports Information
