After a string of non-conference games to begin the season (with the exception of a win over arch rival Toledo) the women’s soccer team begins the most crucial part of the season today.
The Falcons will begin a long stretch of MAC games with two home games this weekend. BG faces Miami today and Ball State on Sunday.
Falcons Coach Andy Richards believes the team is ready for the test of playing Miami, a team picked by many to win the conference.
“With Miami being the favorites, that plays into our hands a little bit,” Richards said. “I don’t know how our team deals with pressure, especially being so young, but I feel good about where we’re at.”
Richards believes that the Miami game will be emotional for several of the players.
“For some of these kids, particularly those from the Cincinnati area, they see Miami as a big rival,” Richards said. The Miami game is one that a lot of people are excited about.”
Several of the players admitted they were nervous before the team’s first game against Michigan State and it affected their performance. Richards hopes that the pressure felt before these games will be used in a positive way.
“We have tried to draw on our experiences,” Richards said. “We will draw on them to make sure we don’t make the mistakes we did against Michigan State.”
Kristy Koppes believes the Falcons will play well this weekend.
“Miami is a game that we really want to win,” Koppes said. “If we play well against Miami, we should be able to carry that into the game against Ball State.”
Ball State is a team that Richards said has improved over the past few seasons. They defeated BG 3-0 in the Falcons’ final game last season.
“They are a strong team and we have a lot of respect for them,” Richards said. “They are another team that we have to beat.”
BG is still dealing with injuries. Koppes has seen limited time, and several other players have been dealing with health issues.
Despite the problems, the only player expected to miss the games this weekend is Samantha Meister, who is recovering from a broken nose. Richards did not have practice Wednesday to rest the players.
“We have spent some time going over films and have tried to take it easy,” Richards said. “We haven’t practiced as hard as we normally would because we want them to be ready for Friday.”
Richards acknowledges that Koppes has not been healthy all season. Despite that, Koppes has won MAC player of the week and scored three goals in a half against Detroit. Richards is excited to see what Coppes can do when she is healthy.
“Here’s a kid who hasn’t been 100 percent fit and she’s still our leading scorer and still won MAC player of the week,” Richards said. “We have had a few disappointments in our six games so far, but one of the things I am most excited about is that we haven’t reached our potential this year.”
The Falcons play Miami today at 4 p.m. and Ball State on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Cochrane Field.
