The defending Mid-American Conference champions battled the current league leaders on Sunday, and the result was an evenly-played match.
Bowling Green State University women’s soccer battled the University at Buffalo to a scoreless draw at Cochrane Stadium.
Lili Berg made four saves in goal to earn the shutout for the Falcons (5-5-4, 3-2-3 MAC). Emily Kelly also stopped all four shots on goal she faced for the Bulls (11-1-3, 5-0-3 MAC).
The BG and Buffalo back lines stood tall on Sunday, as the teams combined for just 15 total shots, including only six in the second half.
Brynn Gardner led the Falcons with three shot attempts, while UB’s Leah Wengender also fired three shots on Sunday.
The Falcons put the ball in the back of the net in the 54th minute, but the play was nullified due to an offside call. Mackenzie Reuber got the ball to Maya Dean on the right side of the field. Reuber was taken down on the play, but the center referee played the advantage. Dean took the ball from right to left across the top of the box and threaded a ball through the UB defense.
Alaina Uncapher was on the receiving end of that pass, cutting through to redirect the ball past Kelly and into the right side of the net from approximately six yards out. But, the assistant referee’s flag was raised and the match remained scoreless.
“I’m really pleased with the performance today,” said coach Jimmy Walker. “We challenged the players to have the grit, the effort, the attitude and the commitment we needed. They responded really well. They completed, fought for every ball and fought for each other. As a coach, I couldn’t ask for more from the players today.”
Following Sunday’s action around the MAC, the Falcons sit in fifth place in the conference standings. Buffalo remains in first place with 18 points, followed by Ball State (17 points), Kent State (15), Miami (13), BGSU (12) and Western Michigan (11). Ohio is in seventh place with 10 points, while Northern Illinois is eighth with eight points.
Teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie.
The top six teams in the final conference standings will qualify for the MAC Tournament. The first and second-place teams in the final standings will earn first-round byes in the league tourney.
Stats, notes & numbers
BGSU had a narrow 8-7 advantage in total shot attempts, and both teams had four shots on goal. UB had three corner kicks to the Falcons’ one, and neither team had a second-half corner kick.
The Falcons have outscored the opponents, 9-1, over the last four games.
Berg recorded her fifth complete-match shutout of the season. Berg has been part of 22 shutouts in her 43 career matches.
Berg lowered her goals-against averages to 1.05 this season, 0.88 in MAC play in 2022 and 0.93 in her career.
BGSU now has an overall record of 63-31-15 since the start of the 2017 season. And, since the beginning of the 2018 campaign, the Falcons are 50-24-14.
Since the start of 2017, BGSU is now 43-11-5 in MAC regular-season matches and 52-12-7 in all matches (regular-season and tournament) vs. MAC foes.
The Falcons wrap up the home portion of the regular-season schedule on Thursday, when Miami comes to Cochrane Stadium. First touch is scheduled for 7 p.m., and admission is free.
BGSU ends the regular season with a pair of afternoon matches on the road. The Falcons will face Eastern Michigan Oct. 23 before meeting Northern Illinois on Oct. 27.
