The BGSU women’s soccer team returns to Mid-American Conference action this weekend, facing Ball State tomorrow and Miami on Sunday.
The Falcons are 5-5 overall and 1-1 in the league after splitting last weekend’s matches. This weekend’s matches will be the Falcons’ fourth and fifth consecutive road contests, but BG coach Andy Richards does not see that as a problem.
“This is our second weekend on the road and some people would consider that a hard schedule, but my team tends to play well on the road,” he said.
The MAC competition is likely to present more of a challenge than playing away from home. The parity within the conference is apparent, as eight teams have a conference record of 1-1 and no team has emerged as a dominant power.
Last weekend, the Falcons beat MAC foe Northern Illinois 3-1 before falling to Western Michigan 4-0.
“It’s very hard to compete in the MAC,” Richards said. “They’re very tough games, and when you only have one day in between, it’s really hard.”
Ball State, like BGSU, is 1-1 in the MAC (8-2 overall). The Cardinals shut-out Kent State, 2-0, before falling to Buffalo 1-0 last weekend. The loss to Buffalo snapped a six-game winning streak.
“Ball State had a terrific start this season. Of course, like us, they’re 1-1 in the MAC. I think they’ll be very confident with a few wins behind them,” Richards said.
Miami (3-4, 1-1 MAC) will also challenge the Falcons. The RedHawks blanked Buffalo 2-0 and lost to Kent State 4-1 last weekend. Sunday’s match will be Miami’s first home conference match. They boast a 6-2-0 record in MAC home openers.
Richards has focused on the physical recovery of some of his players in practice this week.
“We have to take it a little easy,” he said. “There are some players who are a little banged up.”
Despite some bumps and bruises, Richards is confident his team will once again play well this weekend.
“[We want to] continue to perform well,” Richards said. “We were disappointed with our performance at Western Michigan. We need to tighten up defensively.”
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