BGSU at BALL STATE
Thursday, Sept. 19 | 4:00 p.m.
Briner Sports Complex | Muncie, Ind.
Video/Web Stream: BSU All-Access
Live Stats: BallStateSports.com BGSU vs. TOLEDO
Sunday, Sept. 22 | 1:00 p.m.
Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
Video/Web Stream: BCSN/ESPN+
Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com

• The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team begins the Mid-American Conference portion of the schedule with a pair of matches this week. Head coach Chris Fox and the Falcons head to Muncie on Thursday (Sept. 19), for the league opener against Ball State University. First touch is set for 4:00 p.m. at the Briner Sports Complex.

• Then, the Falcons will return home to take on the University of Toledo on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 22). That match will begin at 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and admission is free.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Thursday's Ball State bout will be streamed via BSU All-Access. Sunday's Toledo tilt will be aired by BCSN in the Toledo area, and also will be streamed via the BCSN Now app as well as ESPN+. Live stats and periodic Twitter updates (@BGSU_Wsoccer) will also be available during the match.

• Links to live audio/video/stats for all 2024 matches can be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com (on the women's soccer schedule page and in the right column on the main page) on match day.

SENIOR DAY
• Sunday will be Senior Day at Cochrane Stadium, with five team members scheduled to be recognized in ceremonies prior to the match. That group includes Jayden Bayes, Jaden Frigerio, Isabelle Gilmore, Taylor Kenna and Madison Vukas.

• On the pitch, BGSU is 7-0-1 in the last eight 'Senior Day' games. The Falcons have outscored the opponents by a 21-2 count in those eight matches. That list, and many other lists/charts/etc., can be found in the PDF version of these very notes.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Ball State match with an overall record of 3-2-1. BGSU opened the season with home wins over Detroit Mercy and Findlay on back-to-back Thursdays, outscoring those foes by a combined 6-1. The Falcons then went on the road and suffered losses to Duquesne (2-0, Aug. 25) and Loyola Chicago (1-0, Sept. 1).

• But, the Orange and Brown returned to the road and downed Cleveland State, 2-0 (Sept. 8). Emma Stransky had a goal and an assist in that win. And, four days later (Sept. 12), BGSU played to a scoreless draw with Oakland at Cochrane Stadium.

• The BGSU defense allowed CSU and Oakland to take just three total shot attempts each, with both the Vikings and Golden Grizzlies taking just one shot on goal apiece against the Falcons.

• Freshman Lauren Mahoney and junior Brynn Gardner are tied for the team scoring lead with four points each. Mahoney has a pair of goals, while Gardner has one goal and two assists. Three Falcons – Emme Butera, Alaina Uncapher and Stransky – each have three points on a goal and an assist.

• In goal, Madison Vukas has played all 540 minutes to date, and has 17 saves, a goals-against average of 0.67 and three clean sheets. Vukas, who split time in every match last season, combined on seven shutouts a year ago.

• Along with Vukas, Butera also has played all 540 minutes this fall, while backs Isabelle Gilmore and Taylor Green have been on the field for 528 and 525 minutes, respectively.

 • The Falcons returned 17 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last season's club. The 2023 team went 10-6-2 overall, and BGSU finished the MAC regular-season schedule with a record of 8-1-2, good for second place in the 12-team league (and just one point shy of first-place Western Michigan).
 
• Chris Fox is in his first season at the BGSU helm after two highly-successful seasons leading Morehead State. Assistant coaches Kerry Edwards and Kate Larbes round out the coaching staff.

• The Falcons lost seven letterwinners from last year's squad, but the returning players combined to score 19 of the team's 26 goals last season.

• Brynn Gardner is back after leading the 2023 team with 16 points a year ago, while Ellie Pool was second with 13 points. Stransky had nine points in her freshman campaign to rank among the top-five scorers on the '23 squad.

• Brynn Gardner scored a team-high six goals in '23, with Pool having found the back of the net four times and Stransky three. Pool led the team with five assists, while Brynn Gardner had four and Stransky and Emilie Gardner three apiece.

• Vukas played in all 18 matches in goal a year ago, as she split time with the graduated Lili.Berg – each 'keeper played 45 minutes in each game. Vukas ended the season with a goals-against average of 1.11.

• In MAC matches in '23, Brynn Gardner finished with 14 points, while Pool had 10 and Czerwien five.

• Vukas had a GAA of just 0.55 in MAC games, and led the entire conference in saves percentage in MAC matches (.889). She and Berg combined to post seven shutouts last fall, with six coming against league foes.

• A total of 24 different players saw action in at least one match last season, with 18 players starting at least once.

• This season, through six matches, a total of 21 Falcons have seen action. Sixteen of those players have made at least one start in 2024.

#MACTION
• For the Falcons, Thursday's Ball State match is the first of 11 consecutive MAC matches to end the regular season.

• BG finished with a record of 8-1-2 in MAC play in 2023, good for second place in the league. The Falcons have most definitely enjoyed more than their fair share of success in conference action over the last few years. BG won four-straight regular-season and tournament titles from 2018-21, before finishing third in the MAC in 2022 and second in '23.

• Since the start of the 2018 season, the Falcons have a record of 47-8-6 in MAC regular-season matches, good for a winning percentage of .820. BGSU has eight more wins than any other team during that span, and 10 of the other 11 programs have at least twice the amount of losses as the Falcons in that time...

SUCCESSFUL AT HOME
• Heading into Sunday's Toledo match, BGSU has a record of 46-11-9 at home since the start of the 2017 season. The Falcons are 35-6-6 against MAC teams at Cochrane Stadium in that time, having outscored the opposition, 90-32, in those 47 matches.

SUCCESSFUL ON THE ROAD
• The Falcons have a record of 28-6-3 on the road against MAC opponents since the start of the 2017 season. BG is 25-3-2 in league road contests since the beginning of 2018, having outscored the opponents by a 76-18 count. In those 30 matches, BGSU has scored at least two goals 24 times, and at least three goals on 14 occasions.

• BGSU is 22-2-2 in the last 26 MAC road contests, dating to late in the 2018 season.

• Overall, the Falcons are 18-13-3 in true road games over the last four-plus years. No fewer than eight of those 13 road losses have come against opponents from Power 5 conferences, with a ninth coming to a team (Xavier in 2022) that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships that season.

PRETTY DARN SUCCESSFUL AGAINST THE MAC, NO MATTER THE SITE
• As mentioned, the Falcons have enjoyed great success against MAC competition in recent years. BGSU advanced to the MAC Tournament final in 2017 before falling in OT, then won both the regular-season and tourney titles in both 2018 and '19.

• In 2020 (actually 2020-21), the Falcons went 5-1-0 in MAC regular-season action, then defeated Ball State in the MAC Championship to advance to the NCAAs for the third-straight season. Then, in the fall of 2021, BG captured the MAC's regular-season title, then shut out both Buffalo and Kent State in the league tournament to head back to the national tourney yet again.

• Entering the Ball State match, the Falcons are 29-6-7 in the last 42 games vs. MAC opponents, having outscored the foes by an 82-27 count in that span.

• BGSU is 80-39-19 overall since the start of 2017. The Falcons are 53-12-7 in MAC regular-season matches and 63-14-10 in all games vs. MAC foes in that time. Since the beginning of 2018, BG is 67-32-18 overall, 47-8-6 in MAC regular-season action and 55-9-9 in all games vs. league opposition.

THE OPPONENTS
• Ball State enters Thursday's MAC opener with a 5-2-0 record, and the Cardinals have won four-straight games. BSU has scored a combined 13 goals over the last two matches, and the Cards are 12th in the nation in goals per game. Delaney Caldwell leads the way with six goals and 17 points, while Addie Chester has five goals and 16 points. No BSU goalkeeper has played more than 45 minutes in a match this year. Grace Konopatzki has started six games in net and has 10 saves and a 1.43 GAA. Head coach Josh Rife welcomed back nine players who started at least nine matches apiece from a 2023 club that finished 8-8-3 overall and 6-2-3 in the MAC. BSU was picked to finish second in the MAC in '24.

• Toledo is 3-3-1 on the year, heading into a Thursday home match vs. Kent State. The Rockets have won two-straight matches, over Oakland and Old Dominion. Gabby Anulare and Alli Macbeth each have four points on two goals, while Agnes Stenlund has played every second in net and has 23 saves, three shutouts and a 1.00 GAA. Head coach Mark Batman welcomed back nine players who started at least five games in 2023. Last year's club went 7-9-2 overall and 4-6-1 in the MAC.

THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Ball State, 16-7-5, in the all-time series, but the Falcons won last year's meeting in Muncie, 2-1, on a Brynn Gardner goal with just 28 seconds left. The home team has not fared well in the series as of late, as the visiting team has gone 6-0-0 in the last six regular-season meetings. In all, BGSU is 3-9-1 at home, 4-7-3 on the road and 0-0-1 in neutral-site matchups vs. the Cardinals through the years.

• The Falcons trail Toledo, 15-11-5, in that series, but BGSU is unbeaten in the last five meetings (4-0-1), including a 2-0 win in the Glass City last Sept. 21. Prior to the Falcons' current streak, UT had won 11-straight meetings. BGSU is 3-7-4 at home, 8-7-0 on the road and 0-1-1 in neutral-site kerfuffles with the Rockets over the years. 

UP NEXT
• Following the Toledo tussle,  the Falcons will return to the Cochrane pitch to host Ohio on Thursday, Sept. 26. That match will begin at 7:00 p.m.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will head to Oxford for a matchup with Miami on Sunday, Sept. 29, starting at 1:00 p.m.

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) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.