CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference women's soccer coaches have had their say, and Bowling Green State University has been picked to finish fifth in the league regular-season race this season. The 2025 preseason poll, the result of voting by the conference's 13 head coaches, was released by the league office on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 12).

Head coach Chris Fox's club garnered a total of 93 points in the poll. Western Michigan was picked to win the league regular-season title, receiving 135 points and eight of the 13 first-place votes. Buffalo earned 128 points and four first-place vote, followed by Ohio (123 points), league newcomer Massachusetts (114 points, one first-place vote) and the Falcons.

Kent State was picked to finish sixth and Miami seventh. Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Ball State, Central Michigan and Akron rounded out the poll.

WMU was predicted to capture the conference tourney crown by eight coaches, while UB received four votes and UMass one.

The Falcons return 15 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last season's club. BGSU has a total of 14 student-athletes on the 2025 roster who did not see action for the Falcons last fall. That lengthy list includes five NCAA Division-I transfers, four true freshmen and five players who missed the '24 campaign due to injury.

Since the start of the 2018 season, the Falcons have an overall record of 71-37-21 and a league-best 51-12-9 mark in MAC regular-season matches. 

BGSU begins the 2025 regular-season schedule with three-straight home games, including Thursday night's (Aug. 14) opener vs. Oakland. First touch is set for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium. The Brown and Orange will host Illinois on Sunday (Aug. 17) in a 1:00 p.m. start, before meeting Cleveland State next Thursday afternoon (Aug. 21). The Falcons' MAC opener is set for Sept. 14 vs. Kent State.

The complete poll, along with recent poll predictions and the Falcons' actual league finishes, can be found below. 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) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.

MAC WOMEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
1. Western Michigan – 135 (8 first-place votes)
2. Buffalo – 128 (4)
3. Ohio – 123
4. UMass – 114 (1)
5. Bowling Green – 93
6. Kent State – 89
7. Miami – 73
8. Northern Illinois – 60
9. Eastern Michigan – 55
10. Toledo – 54
11. Ball State – 50
12. Central Michigan – 28
13. Akron – 12

Predicted MAC Tournament Winner: Western Michigan 8; Buffalo 4; UMass 1.

BGSU'S RECENT MAC PRESEASON POLL PREDICTIONS AND ACTUAL FINISH
2016 – Sixth in East Division (Actual Finish: Fourth in East)
2017 – Sixth in East (AF: Second in East; Advanced to MAC Tournament Final)
2018 – Third (AF: Won MAC Regular-Season and MAC Tournament Titles)
2019 – First (AF: Won MAC Regular-Season and MAC Tournament Titles)
2020 (spring '21) – First in East (AF: Won MAC Regular-Season and MAC Tournament Titles)
2021 – Second (AF: Won MAC Regular-Season and MAC Tournament Titles)
2022 – Second (AF: Third; Advanced to MAC Tournament Semifinals)
2023 – Fourth (AF: Second; Advanced to MAC Tournament Semifinals)
2024 – Sixth (AF: Sixth; Advanced to MAC Tournament Quarterfinals)
2025 – Fifth