SETTING THE SCENE / FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team, off to one of the best starts in program history, faces a pair of tough tests this week. Head coach Chris Fox and the Falcons begin the road portion of the Mid-American Conference schedule with a Thursday (Sept. 18) matchup against Ohio University. First touch is set for 4:00 p.m. at Chessa Field in Athens.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will return home to meet defending MAC champion Western Michigan University on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 21). That match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m., and admission is free.

PUPS AT THE PITCH
• Sunday's WMU game is the Falcons' annual "Pups at the Pitch" game, with fans encouraged to bring their favorite canine to the contest.

WHERE TO WATCH
• Thursday's Ohio match will be streamed on ESPN+.

• Sunday's Western Michigan matchup will be streamed on YouTube, and produced by WBGU-TV.

STATS & SOCIAL MEDIA
• Links to live stats (as well as to any available audio/video) for all 2025 matches can always be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com – both on the women's soccer schedule page and in the right column on the main page – on match day.

THE STARTING XI
I – The Falcons are 6-1-1, which is tied for the best start in school history. In the 29 seasons since the program was started, only the 2020(-21) team matched that 6-1-1 mark. That team played only those eight games, with the final contest coming in the NCAA Championships, as Ole Miss advanced past the Falcons via penalty kicks.

II – Head coach Chris Fox and Company will put a six-match unbeaten streak on the line in Athens on Thursday. BGSU is 5-0-1 in the last six contests.

III – The Falcons are 1-0-0 in Mid-American Conference play after Sunday's (Sept. 14) 2-1 win over Kent State at Cochrane Stadium. Junior Emma Stransky scored both BGSU goals, for her first career brace. On Tuesday (Sept. 16), Stransky was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week.

IV – The first RPI rankings of 2025 were released on Monday (Sept. 15), with BGSU checking in at number 45. That is the highest ranking of any MAC school.

V – The Falcons' lone loss this fall was a 1-0 decision vs. Illinois, and BGSU battled Cincinnati to a scoreless draw. In addition to Kent State, BG has posted wins over four Horizon League foes – Oakland, Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy and Robert Morris – along with Duquesne.

VI – Stransky leads the Falcons in scoring, with five goals and 10 points on the year. She has scored the game-winning goal in each of BG's last two games, vs. Duquesne and KSU. Sixth-year collegian Ellie Pool has six points, while juniors Ella Kane and Isabella Mazzaferro each have five. All three players have two goals to date. Sophomore Haley Wolf has a team-high three assists, with one in each of the last three contests. Wolf is tied for the MAC lead in that category.

VII – Sophomore Payton O'Malley has played every second in goal this season, and has 31 saves, a goals-against average of 0.63 and a save percentage of .861. She leads the MAC in save pct and is tied for the league lead in shutouts (three). O'Malley is second in the conference in GAA and third in total saves.

VIII – A total of 25 different players have seen action this season to date, with 18 Falcons having made at least one start. Five players – O'Malley, Pool, Emme Butera, Taylor Green and Gabby Lamparty – each have started all eight games.

IX – BGSU finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 7-7-4 and a MAC ledger of 4-4-3. The Falcons finished in sixth place in the 12-team conference. BG went 4-1-3 at home and 3-6-1 on the road in 2024. Fox and his staff – first-year assistant coaches Steven Samuel and Kyle Pettican – have a total of 20 returning student-athletes. That group includes seven starters from a year ago. Six of the top-nine scorers from '24 returned.

X – Ohio is 3-4-1 heading into Thursday's game. Like the Falcons, the Bobcats are 1-0-0 in MAC play after a 1-0 win at Central Michigan. Sania Dearing leads the club with three goals and six points, while Celesta Sloma has played every minute in goal for coach Aaron Rodgers's club, and has 28 saves and a GAA of just 0.75.

XI – The Falcons trail Ohio, 15-11-6, in the all-time series, and the Bobcats have captured each of the last three meetings, including two last season. Ohio picked up a 3-0 win at Cochrane during the regular season (Sept. 26, 2024) and a 1-0 victory in Athens in the conference tournament (Nov. 3, 2024). The Falcons had gone 8-0-2 vs. the 'Cats in the previous 10 games before the current Ohio win streak. BG's last win in the series was a 2-0 road victory two years ago (Oct. 1, 2023). BGSU is 8-6-3 in home games, 3-8-3 in road games and 0-1-0 in neutral-site matches vs. the Bobcats through the years.

BGSU WSOC FEATURES & LINKS
Sept. 8 - BG Falcon Media - Zig Zone One on One: Taylor Green
Aug. 15 - BG Falcon Media - Searles' Spotlight: Fourth-Year Falcon Earns First Collegiate Start
Aug. 9 - BCSN - Pool Returns to the Pitch for Final Season as a Falcon

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• For more information on the women's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSU_WSoccer), Instagram (bgsu_wsoccer) and Facebook (bgsuwsoc), and on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.
 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21  |  1:00 P.M.  |  COCHRANE STADIUM  |  BOWLING GREEN, OHIO