Despite dominating first half play, the BGSU women’s soccer team lost Friday’s first round NCAA tournament match to Michigan State 0-4.The squad entered the game with confidence after claiming both the Mid-American Conference regular season title and the MAC post-season tournament title and that confidence was apparent early in the game.”It was a very competitive game,” BG coach Andy Richards said. “In the first half, we clearly had the upper hand. We had possession more and more shots on goal. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite finish it off.”Just over five minutes into the second half, the Spartans’ Nina Mastracci took a free kick for Michigan State. As both teams went for the ball, it bounced of a Falcon defender and into the net as an own goal.That goal at the 50:21 mark was the “turning point of the game,” Richards said. After their first score, the Spartans didn’t waste any time increasing their lead.Jenee Witherspoon netted the second goal for the Spartans at 71:12. Witherspoon was assisted by Kristi Timar. Timar was a relentless force offensively, scoring the Spartans last two goals within three minutes. Her first goal at 81:08 came off a rebound from a shot by Dana Voorheis. The ball rebounded right to Timar, whose left side shot found net to put the Spartans up by three.Just under three minutes later, Timar stole the ball from a BG defender and scored on a breakaway to seal the game. MSU keeper Nicole Galas thwarted BG’s few second half chances, ending the match with five saves. BG’s Ali Shingler had four saves in goal for the Falcons.”We just couldn’t score. Had we gotten one or two, the result would have been different,” Richards said.Despite a disappointing result in the first round, getting to the tournament for the second consecutive year is a big accomplishment for the squad.We were in the NCAA Tournament and that was a goal for us at the beginning of the season, so to achieve that was a wonderful thing,” Richards said.The Falcon’s tournament appearance wraps up a year that started slowly, but was full of highlights.”It’s been a phenomenal year for us,” Richards said. “We came into this season with a lot of hope. I felt that after winning the conference tournament [in 2004], we kind of had a target on our backs. We really exceeded expectations, but when you look at all the talent and leadership we had this year, I’m really not surprised.”The Falcons were led this lead by a group of nine seniors who were a big part of building the program into the force it is today. Richards credited those seniors with bringing the program to the next level.”They have been excellent student athletes, in the whole meaning of the word. They were great in the classroom and on the soccer field,” he said.It’s easy to look back at the year’s many accomplishments, but the final game of the 2005 season has been played and for the returning players and coaches, thoughts are beginning to turn to next season. Returning sophomores Janie Babich and Danielle Cygan and junior Lindsay Carter along with several freshmen who saw time this season will combine with new players and lead the team into the 2006 season. “We have great returning players. Obviously we’ve got a lot of hard work a head of us, but the new faces will be coming into a great situation,” Richards said.