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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
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Western Michigan
Falcons Take to the Road as Regular Season Winds Down
October 20, 2010 | Women's Soccer
BGSU faces WMU, NIU this weekend
The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team has just three regular-season games remaining, beginning with a pair of Mid-American Conference road matches this weekend ... the Falcons of head coach Andy Richards, currently tied for second place in the East Division, travels to Kalamazoo for a Friday (Oct. 22) game against Western Michigan University ... kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the WMU Soccer Complex ... then, on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 24), the Brown and Orange will head to the MAC's 'West Coast' to take on Northern Illinois University ... that match begins at 1:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. Eastern Time) at the Huskie Track/Soccer Complex.
BGSU NOTES & STATS - PDF
MAC NOTES & STATS - PDF
LIVE STATS: FRIDAY'S WMU MATCH | SUNDAY'S NIU MATCH
LIVE VIDEO FOR NIU MATCH (subscription required)
THE FALCONS AND THE MAC TOURNAMENT RACE
With eight-elevenths of the MAC schedule complete, the Falcons currently are tied for second place in the league's East Division, and are deadlocked for seventh place overall ... if the tournament began today, BGSU would be the eighth and final seed for the MAC Tournament ... the division winners will earn the top two seeds for the tourney, with the next six teams (regardless of division) qualifying for the league tourney ... the quarterfinals are scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 31, at campus sites ... if the season ended today, BGSU would travel to Central Michigan for a quarterfinal-round match against the Chippewas ... the MAC Tournament's semifinal round is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 5, at the site of the top remaining seed among the four quarterfinal winners ... the MAC Tournament's championship match will be Sunday, Nov. 7, at the semifinal site.
FREE ADMISSION
As part of BGSU's Centennial celebration, admission to all home Falcon soccer regular-season matches in the 2010 season is free ... following this weekend's two road matches, BG will return home for one final regular-season contest ... the Falcons will face Miami on Thursday, Oct. 28, at Cochrane Field.
LIVE STATISTICS
Again in 2010, all BGSU home women's soccer matches, and most away contests (in fact, all away games so far), will have live statistics available on the web ... if you can't make it to Kalamazoo and/or DeKalb this weekend, simply log on to BGSUFalcons.com at game time ... the live stats links can be found on the front page of the site (in the 'schedule' section) or by clicking on the women's soccer 2010 schedule and choosing the corresponding match.
LAST WEEKEND
The Falcons played to a pair of double-overtime draws at Cochrane Field last weekend ... BGSU tied with Akron, 2-2, on Friday (Oct. 15) and played Ohio to a scoreless draw on Sunday (Oct. 17) ... the Falcons and Zips combined for three goals in the first 12 minutes of Friday's match ... junior Megan Amann opened the scoring, and after UA quickly tied the score, freshman Madeline Wideman found the back of the net to give the Brown and Orange a 2-1 lead ... the Zips, however, got a goal midway through the second period ... Wideman had a three-point game, with an assist on Amann's goal, while senior Alexa Arsenault made nine saves in goal for the Falcons ... in the Ohio game, the teams combined for only 18 total shots, including just five on goal, in the 110 minutes ... Arsenault made three saves to earn the complete-match shutout.
MORE TIES THAN A GENTLEMAN'S OUTFITTERS *
The Falcons' current streak marks the first time in school history that BGSU has played to a draw in three consecutive games ... it is only the third time in program annals that BG has played three-straight overtime contests.
* shamelessly stolen from an Andy Richards Twitter status update
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• BGSU enters Friday's Western Michigan match with an overall record of 4-9-4, and the Falcons are 2-3-3 in Mid-American Conference play ... BG is currently tied with Ohio for second place in the MAC's East Division, four points behind first-place Miami (teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie in MAC games).
• The Falcons' non-conference opponents included two teams each from the Big East, Big Ten and Atlantic 10 conferences ... BGSU started the season with a mark of 0-5-1, then won four of the next five games before losing the next three games and tying the last three ... BG is 3-6-2 at home and 1-3-2 on the road ... in MAC play, the Falcons are 2-1-2 at Cochrane Field and 0-2-1 away from home.
• Individually, junior Alyssa Zuccaro leads the team with 21 points on the year, including eight goals – nearly triple the total scored by any BGSU player last year ... freshman Madeline Wideman has 11 points, while senior co-captain Katie Stephenson has scored nine points ... Stephenson and Wideman each have three goals on the season ... junior Megan Amann and sophomore Sarah VonderBrink have seven points apiece ... Amann is tied with Zuccaro and Wideman for the Falcons' assists lead.
• Each of the team's three goalkeepers – fifth-year senior Alexa Arsenault, redshirt sophomore Becca Ison and true sophomore Laura Arnold – started at least one match in non-conference play ... Arsenault has started 13 matches, including each of the last 12 ... she leads the Falcons in minutes played (1232:16), saves (73), shutouts (three) and goals-against average (1.39) ... Arnold has played in five games, starting three ... she has 14 saves and a 2.97 GAA in 242-plus minutes ... Ison has played just over 147 minutes, and has seven stops and a 2.44 GAA.
• Head coach Andy Richards, in his 11th season at the helm, welcomed back a total of 17 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last year's club ... BGSU's returning players combined for over 81 percent of the team's goals and 76% of the assists a year ago ... eight of the top-nine scorers returned from a season ago ... Amann paced the Falcons with nine points last fall, including two goals and a team-high five assists ... additionally, all three goalkeepers returned from last season's roster ... Arsenault started 17 of the Falcons' 20 matches between the posts last fall, while Arnold made three starts.
'SENIOR DAY' SUCCESS
Sunday's match against Ohio was 'Senior Day' at Cochrane Field, as the team's four seniors – co-captains Alicia Almond and Katie Stephenson, along with Alexa Arsenault and Jackie Tamerlano – were recognized in pregame ceremonies ... the scoreless tie vs. the Bobcats snapped a streak of five consecutive wins on 'Senior Day' for BG, but the Falcons remain undefeated (5-0-2) in the last seven such games at Cochrane ... BGSU's last 'Senior Day' loss came to nationally-ranked Ohio State, 3-2 in overtime, in 2003 ... BG has recorded six consecutive shutouts in 'Senior Day' matches at Cochrane Field, dating to 2005.
LEADERS OF THE MAC
The Falcons are well-represented in the MAC statistics ... junior Alyssa Zuccaro is tied for first in the conference in goals (eight) and ranks second in points (21) ... senior Alexa Arsenault is fourth in the league in saves, with 73 ... in conference games only, Zuccaro is tied for second in goals (five) and deadlocked for third in points (13), while Zuccaro, junior Megan Amann and freshman Madeline Wideman all are part of a tie for second in assists (three) ... Arsenault is third in saves in MAC games (47) and is tied for second in shutouts, with three against conference foes.
FALCON COACH ANDY RICHARDS
BGSU head coach Andy Richards, in his 11th season at the helm, has proven himself to be one of the most successful mentors in MAC women's soccer history ... he has guided the Falcons to an overall record of 102-105-26, and a record of 55-52-15 in MAC regular-season play ... he picked up the 100th victory of his collegiate head-coaching career in the Falcons' 3-2 win at Indiana State earlier this season (Sept. 19) ... Richards' teams perennially play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the MAC ... in his first 10 years in BG, he led the Falcons to the MAC Tournament on eight occasions, with the team advancing to the semifinals seven times ... BGSU is 10-5-5 in MAC Tournament matches during his tenure, and no coach has more trips to the league tourney title game than Richards' five ... two of those appearances – in 2004 and 2005 – resulted in MAC Tournament titles and trips to the NCAA Championships ... Richards and the Falcons also won the '05 regular-season crown ... a native of Warwick, England, Richards earned his Bachelor of Education degree from Sheffield City Polytechnic in 1989 ... he received his Master of Education degree from Oregon State in 1997.
OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
• Last year, BGSU scored a total of 16 goals in 20 games, including just seven goals in 11 MAC matches ... this fall, the Falcons have scored 22 times, and BGSU has 14 goals over the first eight MAC games.
• The Falcons have scored at least three goals in a game four times this season, after doing so only once during all of 2009.
YOU CAN'T SPELL 'GOALZ' WITHOUT 'Z'
Junior Alyssa Zuccaro has become one of the top offensive threats in the MAC ... she has eight goals and 21 points this season, ranking among the conference leaders ... in MAC play, 'Z' has five goals and 13 points in eight games.
A FEW MORE NOTES ABOUT ALYSSA ZUCCARO
• Junior Alyssa Zuccaro leads the Falcons in both goals (eight) and points (21) ... she is tied for the team lead with five assists.
• Zuccaro's goal and point totals are the highest by a BGSU player since 2005 ... that season, Samantha Meister had eight goals and 22 points as the Falcons won the MAC regular-season and tournament titles.
• Zuccaro scored 10 points (four goals, two assists) in BGSU's first three MAC games of the season ... last year, no Falcon had more than four points in conference play, covering 11 games ... 'Z' has 13 points in eight league games this fall.
• 'Z' scored 15 points over four matches, a school record for points in a four-match span ... she had a then career-high five points in the Indiana State game (Sept. 19), then topped that total with six points on a hat trick vs. Buffalo (Sept. 24) ... Zuccaro assisted on the game-winning goal vs. Kent State (Sept. 26), and had a three-point match at Eastern Michigan.
• With her performances in the Indiana State and Buffalo games, Zuccaro became the first Falcon to score five goals over a two-game span in over six years.
• Zuccaro has shattered her goal and point totals for all of last season ... she totalled seven points in the 2009 season, with a pair of goals and three assists.
• Zuccaro has scored more than twice as many points as any Falcon had during all of '09 ... Megan Amann led last year's club with a total of nine points ... Zuccaro's total of eight goals on the year is nearly triple the total amassed by any BGSU player last fall (two Falcons had three goals apiece in 2009).
• Zuccaro, BG's active career scoring leader, now has 39 career points ... she sits in ninth place on the school's career list ... 'Z' ranks eighth on the BG list for career goals, with 15.
THE FALCONS ARE ...
• 121-139-30 in the history of the program, which began in 1997;
• 62-69-19 in Mid-American Conference regular-season matches;
• 42-31-14 vs. MAC schools over the last six-plus seasons (including regular-season & tourney matches), and 34-26-12 vs. league foes in the last five-plus years;
• 64-59-13 at home, and 34-20-7 at Cochrane Field in the last five-plus seasons;
• 15-9-5 at Cochrane since the start of the '08 season;
• 49-70-15 in road contests in program history;
• 8-10-2 all-time in neutral-site matches;
• 50-61-14 in the month of October through the years;
• 45-41-11 in October games in the Andy Richards Era;
• 50-1-4 in the last 55 games when scoring first (20-0-3 since the start of 2008); and
• 1-27-3 since the start of the '08 season in matches in which the opponent scored first (with the win coming at Indiana State earlier this season).
THE BRONCOS / THE BGSU-WESTERN MICHIGAN SERIES
Western Michigan enters the week with an overall record of 7-6-2, and the Broncos will bring a 3-2-3 MAC record into Friday's match vs. BGSU ... Western saw a four-game unbeaten streak snapped with last Friday's (Oct. 15) 1-0 road loss to Central Michigan ... on Sunday (Oct. 17), the Broncos picked up a 1-1 tie at Eastern Michigan ... WMU is 3-0-1 in home matches this year, including a 1-0-1 mark in MAC action in Kalamazoo ... Stephanie Skowneski leads the team in scoring with eight goals and 20 points ... she has five of those goals and 13 points in MAC matches ... Anina Cicerone and Brittney Pavlica each have 10 points, including four goals, on the year ... Julia Francy has played the bulk of the minutes in goal ... she has 64 saves, four shutouts and a goals-against average of just 0.78 ... Suzie Grech is in her second year as the head coach at Western ... she welcomed back 13 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last year's team that went 6-8-5 overall and 3-4-4 in the MAC ... the school's athletics web site is www.wmubroncos.com.
The Falcons trail Western Michigan, 9-7-1, in the all-time series between the teams ... last year, the Broncos' Stephanie Skowneski scored with just 57 seconds remaining for a 3-2 Western win in Kalamazoo (Sept. 27, 2009) ... Sarah VonderBrink and Katelyn Turner scored the Falcons' goals in that match ... that WMU win snapped a four-game BGSU winning streak in the series, which included a pair of victories in 2008 ... that season, Katie Stephenson scored the lone goal in a 1-0 regular-season win in K-Zoo (Sept. 28, 2008), while Alyssa Zuccaro scored for the Falcons in a 2-0 triumph in a MAC Tournament quarterfinal at Cochrane Field (Nov. 2, 2008) ... Jackie Tamerlano also has a goal vs. the Broncos, having scored in the Falcons' 3-1 home win in 2007.
THE HUSKIES / THE BGSU-NORTHERN ILLINOIS SERIES
Northern Illinois has a record of 7-7-1 on the season ... the Huskies are 3-4-1 in the MAC, heading into a Friday game vs. Miami ... NIU is looking to snap a three-game losing streak, including a 3-1 loss at Eastern Michigan and a 3-0 setback at Central Michigan last weekend ... the Huskies, however, are 5-1-1 at home this season, including 2-0-1 in MAC matches in DeKalb ... Kelsey Passaglia leads the team in scoring, with her total of eight points including three goals ... Shelbi Johnson has two goals and five points, while Megan Harry's five points include a team-leading three assists ... Amy Carr has played all but 32 minutes in net, and has 53 saves, six shutouts and a 1.27 GAA this fall ... Carrie Barker, in her third year at NIU, welcomed back 13 letterwinners, including six starters, from last year's club ... the '09 team went 5-11-3 overall and 1-7-3 in MAC play ... the school's athletics web site is www.NIUHuskies.com.
The Falcons trail NIU, 7-6-1, in that series, and Northern is unbeaten in the teams' last three meetings ... last fall, the Falcons and Huskies battled to a 1-1 draw in DeKalb (Sept. 25, 2009), with Alyssa Zuccaro scoring BG's goal ... 'Z' also scored in the teams' 2008 meeting, a 2-1 NIU win in Illinois (Sept. 26, 2008) ... BGSU is 4-1-1 in meetings in DeKalb, having won the first four such games before going 0-1-1 over the last two years ... the Falcons have averaged 2.67 goals per game in the prior six trips to NIU ... overall, the home team has won only three times in 14 series meetings.
ANOTHER SHUTOUT FOR ARSENAULT
Senior goalkeeper Alexa Arsenault recorded the 23rd complete-match shutout of her BGSU career on Sunday vs. Ohio, extending her own school record in that category ... Arsenault broke the old record of 17 with the first shutout of her junior season.
FALCON FIRSTS
Two Falcon freshmen made their first collegiate starts over the weekend ... Melissa Zeigler was in the lineup for the first time on Friday (Oct. 15) vs. Akron, while Ashley Miller drew her first starting assignment on Sunday against Ohio ... a total of 22 different BGSU players have started at least one game this year.
EXTRA TIME (A FEW FINAL FALCON NOTES)
After playing 74 minutes vs. Akron and 79 against Ohio, freshman Melissa Zeigler has set a career-high total in minutes played in each of the last four games ... she played a total of 37 minutes over the Falcons' first 13 games, seeing action in just three of those 13 contests ... Zeigler has played 274 minutes over the past four games • BGSU now has an all-time record of 18-15-30 in overtime matches ... the Falcons are 9-12-13 in OT games played at Cochrane Field, 7-1-15 in road games and 2-2-2 in neutral-site OT contests • the Falcons have tied four games this year, tying (no pun intended) (OK, pun totally intended) that school record ... the 2008 team also had four ties, finishing with a 12-6-4 overall mark • BG's three ties in MAC games also equals a school mark • freshman Madeline Wideman had a goal and an assist against Akron, for her third three-point game of the season ... all three such games have come in MAC play (Buffalo and Eastern Michigan) • junior Megan Amann's goal vs. Akron was her first of the year, and the fifth of her career ... Amann now has 28 points, moving her into a tie for 13th on the BG career list • Sunday marked the eleventh scoreless tie in the history of the BGSU program ... three of those 0-0 draws have come against Ohio ... the Falcons also have played Kent State to a nil-nil tie on three occasions.
THE 2010 CAPTAINS
Seniors Alicia Almond and Katie Stephenson are the co-captains of the 2010 women's soccer Falcons.
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