Women's Soccer Opens Season With Eastern Illinois, Valparaiso

Bowling Green (0-0, 0-0 MAC)
vs.
Eastern Illinois (0-0, 0-0 OVC)
Regular Season Game #1
Friday, August 19, 2016; 6 p.m. ET
Cochrane Stadium / Bowling Green, Ohio
LIVE STATS

Bowling Green (0-0, 0-0 MAC)
vs.
Valparaiso (0-0, 0-0 Summit League)
Regular Season Game #2
Sunday, August 21, 2016; 1 p.m. ET
Cochrane Stadium / Bowling Green, Ohio
LIVE STATS

FOLLOW THE FALCONS ALL SEASON LONG
Follow the Falcons all season long on twitter @BGSUWSoccer or at @BGathletics. You can also find more information on the women's soccer program online at www.BGSUFalcons.com.

FRIDAY'S STUDENT GIVEAWAY
The first 100 students in attendance on Friday evening against Eastern Illinois will receive free pizza.

FOCUS ON THE FALCONS
Bowling Green and fourth-year head coach Lindsay Basalyga return 10 starters and a total of 19 letterwinners from last year's team and added seven new Falcons in the 2016 recruiting class. Despite the loss of just one letterwinner from last season, BGSU is still stacked with youth as 13 members of the 26 players on the 2016 roster are either sophomores or freshmen. However, the Falcons return the top four goal scorers from the 2015 campaign including leading goal scorer and 2015 MAC All-Freshman Team member Erica Hubert. BGSU also returns starting goalkeeper Lauren Cadel, who recorded 113 saves in 18 matches started last season, and set a Bowling Green record of 19 saves against Valparaiso in a 1-1 double overtime tie.

PREVIEW OF EASTERN ILLINOIS
The Panthers wrapped up the 2015 season with 4-13-2 mark, including a 2-7-1 record in conference action. In preseason, Eastern Illinois downed Illinois-Chicago 2-1 in exhibition action after senior Kathleen McKinnon and junior Madi Fisher each tucked the ball in the back of the goal. The Panthers then went on to settle a scoreless tie with Evansville to wrap up exhibition play this fall. Eastern Illinois will also return its starting goalkeeper from the 2015 season in Maddie Lyon, who posted 129 saves and a 1.89 goals against average in 17 matches played.

FALCONS VERSUS THE PANTHERS ON THE PITCH
BGSU is 4-2-1 all-time versus the Eastern Illinois Panthers, including the most recent 3-2 Falcon victory on the road on Sept. 11, 2015.

PREVIEW OF VALPARAISO
The Crusaders, who will open up their 2016 regular season slate at IUPUI on Friday, Aug. 19, will head into Cochrane Field on Sunday afternoon for a 1 p.m. tilt against the Falcons. Last season, IPFW posted a record of 7-8-3 overall and a 3-6-1 mark on the road. In preseason action, the Crusaders downed Western Illinois in a 4-2 final, followed by a 2-2 tie at home against Ohio. Freshman Tahleah Noel has made an early impact with the Crusaders, as she scored in both exhibition matches in preseason play. Valparaiso also returns its 2015 leading scorer in senior April Cronin, who tallied seven goals and three assists after starting all 18 matches for the Crusaders.

FALCONS VERSUS THE CRUSADERS ON THE PITCH
The Falcons are 3-2-1 all-time versus Valparaiso on the pitch in women's soccer action, although, the pair of teams most recently settled on a 1-1 tie after double overtime on Sept. 13, 2015.

FALCONS ALL-TIME VERSUS THE 2016 FOES
BGSU enters the 2016 season having played all but one of its opponents prior to this year. The Falcons are 86-140-28 all-time versus their 19 regular season foes in 2016, including wins over Eastern Illinois, Fort Wayne, Buffalo, Akron, and Eastern Michigan in the 2015 campaign.

PICKED SIXTH IN THE EAST FOR 2016
The Falcons were picked to finish sixth in the East Division by the MAC Coaches in the preseason poll. Kent State is the favorite to win the East Division regular season title, while Ball State is pegged to win the West Division. In the East following Buffalo, Miami is predicted to finish second with Buffalo (3), Ohio (4), Akron (5) and Bowling Green (6) wrapping up the division.

CAREER LEADER – LAUREN CADEL
Redshirt-senior Lauren Cadel is already BGSU's career leader in games with double digit saves with three full seasons on the pitch for the Falcons. With her three total games with 10 or more saves last year in 2015, Cadel sits atop of the career record books with 15 career games with double digit saves. She also registered six games with double digit saves in between the pipes for BGSU in both 2013 and 2014. Cadel also set a BGSU record of 19 saves against Valparaiso last season, ultimately allowing just one goal against on the Sept. 13 double-overtime matchup in 2015.

EXHIBITION SEASON
In the Falcons' lone preseason tune up prior to the 2016 season, the BGSU team downed Robert Morris in a 90 minute exhibition contest with a 2-1 final in Moon Township, Pa. on Saturday, Aug. 13. After RMU seized a 1-0 lead early in first half, the Falcons responded with goals in the 41^stand 80^th minutes to come back and take the match. Freshman midfielder Hannah Dolfuss was the first to strike, followed by redshirt sophomore Erica Hubert to claim the match winner. The Falcons held a dominate edge of 17 shots to the Colonials' five throughout the 90 minutes. Goalkeeping duties were split, as redshirt senior Lauren Cadel tackled the first 45 minute half, while freshmen Victoria Cope and Kathleen Duwve shared the second half of the match.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
The 2016 BGSU women's soccer roster boasts a total of 13 sophomores and freshmen out of the 26 player squad. In fact, of the 13 total underclassmen, nine are either redshirt-freshmen or true freshmen who will be making their intercollegiate debuts this season.

THE RETURNING CORE
The Falcons have a strong core of returners for the 2016 season, as Coach Basalyga's squad returns 10 starters and 19 total letterwinners. BGSU returns its leading goalkeeper in redshirt senior Cadel (113 saves) and its leading goal scorer in sophomore Erica Hubert (eight goals), while nine other returners all played in at least 16 matches for the Falcons last season.

YEAR FOUR OF THE PROCESS
This season will be the fourth year under head coach Lindsay Basalyga who took over the Falcons program in January 2013. With the task of rebuilding the program which had won a total of only 16 matches in the four years prior to Basalyga's hiring, the Falcons have showed continued improvement towards the process of rebuilding the program over the last three seasons. BGSU has improved its win total over the past three years under Basalyga's leadership and have made huge strides in restoring the program back to when the Falcons made the MAC Women's Soccer Championship Tournament on a consistent basis, which includes a most recent seven win-season in 2015, a high for Basalyga with the Falcons program.

ON TAP FOR THE FALCONS
The Falcons will remain at home for the next pair of matches, as BGSU welcomes Morehead State and Oakland to Cochrane Field. The Falcons will take the field at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 25 against the Eagles, followed by the Golden Grizzlies on Sunday, August 28 at 2:30 p.m.

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Erica Hubert

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