Bowling Green girls soccer returns 11 letter winners, but they ran into a brick wall during their home opener, losing to visiting Wapakoneta, 2-0, at Bobcat Stadium Thursday.

BG falls to 0-1-1 after opening the season tying Evergreen 1-1 on a goal by senior forward Maddy Adams and assist by senior defender Lola Thompson. Wapakoneta is 2-0, opening the season by defeating Toledo Bowsher, 3-0.

On Thursday, however, Wapakoneta got two second half goals from sophomore forward Paige Olberding, who dominated the pitch on her side of the field with six shots, including four on goal, plus she had 10 steals.

The Bobcats were outshot 8-3 in the opening half, and BG did not have a shot on goal with Wapakoneta owning possession 65% of the game to BG’s 35%. However, BG was able to keep the game scoreless until halftime.

In the second half, Wapakoneta’s possession time was over 80%, which eventually took a toll.

Olberding got her first goal one-and-a-half minutes into the second half when she blocked a clearing kick by BG senior goalkeeper Ella Billiot with her upper body, and the ball ricocheted, rolling into the net.

Oberding followed with a steal and breakaway, beating a defender to score with 19:14 remaining and putting the Redskins up by two goals. It is a Wapakoneta squad that started nine underclassmen.

“We’re blessed with some good quality players this year,” Wapakoneta coach Mike Foor said. “We have some young freshmen who have come up who are quality.

“We are young. We knew coming in this would be a big challenge for us to see really what we are made of this year, and we played some real good, quality ball tonight.”

In the second half, the Bobcats got two shots on goal, but they ended up being outshot 19-6, including 15-2 in shots on goal in the final count. BG coach Erika Kimple said her team struggled to maintain possession.

“I think overall we just need to do a better job with our confidence knowing that we can handle it when we do have the ball, and if we want to commit to a tackle, commit to a tackle,” Kimple said. “Don’t hesitate, because when you hesitate, that is when we have issues.”

The Bobcats are returning seven seniors, starting four of them along with seven juniors. Kimple believes her team can play with a quality team like Wapakoneta, but they need to believe in themselves.

“It is kind of trusting ourselves — I think it is a confidence thing,” Kimple said. “I think we have the talent. It’s just right now don’t really trust ourselves.”

Billiot did well to grab 13 saves and hold the Redskins to two goals. Other seniors starting were Adams, Thompson, and defender Alaina Mormile.

Billiot had 49 saves and four shutouts last year, while Adams led the team with 24 points on nine goals and six assists, and Thompson also had one goal.

Other seniors contributing are forward Sophia Burtnett and defenders Caitlin Lee and Maggie Layne. Burtnett and Layne scored one goal apiece last year.

Junior starters on Thursday were forward Ella Koester, midfielders Claire Rieman, Allison Wiles, and defenders Tessa Kirchner, Somer Ellis. Junior starters Brianna Skaff and Elena Kramer play both midfield and defense.

Koester led the team in steals Thursday with seven. Last year, Wiles and Kirchner recorded one assist apiece.

The Bobcats finished the 2022 season 8-10, but that was after starting the season 1-5, including a similar 2-0 loss at Wapakoneta, so they were 7-5 over the final two-thirds of the season.

Kimple believes her team can continue that momentum, despite Thursday’s result and some of the play she has seen in preseason scrimmages and the first two games.

“I think we have the potential to be very good,” Kimple said. “I think we have the potential to be better than last year if we can find a way to work together.

“I think we’re struggling right now with just finding a way to keep the ball. We haven’t been able to keep possession, we’ve been playing a lot of kick ball. It’s not our style of play.

“We struggle with being aggressive. Anyways, I think we have a lot of potential and the ability to have a really, really good season, but we just have to find our chemistry.”

Kimple’s assistant coaches are Braden Conrad and Sydney Baer. Baer is a former BG standout who returns to her alma mater to keep involved.

“It’s great to have her back,” Kimple said. “I came to her and asked her. She helped me with my club team last spring, and she mostly just does stats and helps with some little things here and there.

“I think it’s great to have her back, and bring her experience here, and I like that she can give me some pretty good support.”