The women’s soccer team went into this weekend’s two Mid-American Conference games hoping to win both and make a statement in the conference. The team ended up splitting the two games, beating Marshall 3-0 Friday and then falling to Ohio yesterday 1-0.

Bowling Green coach Andy Richards was pleased with the play of the Falcons.

“If you’d have told me on Thursday night that we’d win one game and lose one, I would have accepted it,” Richards said. “It shows the kids that we can play with anybody in the MAC.”

The Falcons played one of their best games all season on Friday night against Marshall. Richards said the 3-0 win was great for the team.

“That’s the biggest win we have had in the MAC all season,” Richards said. “Marshall is a team we really respect, and they’re a team we expect to be battling with at the end of the season.”

Despite a first half downpour and a strong wind, BG dominated the game. Kristy Coppes scored her first of two goals at 37:10 to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. Coppes’ second goal at 69:59 gave her seven on the season, and the Falcons never looked back.

Richards said that Coppes was unlucky to just get two goals. “Kristy played very well today, and put a lot of pressure on Marshall,” Richards said. “She had other chances, and could have gotten a hat trick.”

Jill Conover closed the scoring with a goal at 87:31 to put the game out of reach.

Goalkeeper Erika Flanders shined, earning her second consecutive shutout. Flanders said she is happy with the team’s recent play.

“We had two wins last weekend and a win on Friday,” Flanders said. “You can’t beat that.”

Another player that was impressive on Friday was Samantha Meister. In her first game back from a broken nose, Meister was credited with an assist on Coppes’ second goal, and just missed scoring a goal of her own.

Richards said that Meister had an excellent first game back.

“I thought she played exceptionally well,” Richards said. “To come back in after missing seven games and play like that, it’s a testament to the kind of player she is. She reads the game very well and knows where to be.”

Bowling Green’s game yesterday against Ohio was a tough and physical affair. When regulation concluded, neither team had scored. In overtime, Ohio’s Rachael Najjar scored at 92:45 to give the Bobcats the win, 1-0.

The loss dropped BG to 4-3 in the MAC. Despite the defeat, Richards was encouraged by the way BG played against Ohio, one of the top teams in the conference.

“I’m very proud of the way the team played,” Richards said after the game. “We really fought against Ohio this year when last year the game was very one-sided. So we made some major strides forward.”

Flanders, who was excellent again on Sunday, agreed with the coach.

“I think we played great today,” Flanders said. “We dominated the first half, and just had that one breakdown in overtime. Other than that, we did well.”

The Falcons will head south on Tuesday for a non-conference game on the road against Cincinnati. Richards is excited to play the Bearcats, one of the best teams in the country.

“We’ll go in as underdogs,” Richards said. “But once again I think this is a chance for us to surprise some people with the way we play.”