Women’s soccer coach Andy Richards said he isn’t sure why his team has had so much success away from home.
“I don’t know why we play so well on the road,” Richards said. “It was like that last year too.”
The Falcons won two road games this weekend to improve their Mid-American Conference record to 3-2-1.
In fact, BG has not dropped a regular season game in the Mid-American Conference since falling to Ball State in Muncie 3-0 in the last game of the 2001 season.
The first win of the weekend came on Friday, as the Falcons downed Ball State.
Kristy Coppes scored the Falcons’ first goal just 7:19 into the first half. The game then became a defensive struggle, reamining 1-0 until there were just under five minutes remaining in regulation.
Samantha Meister iced the game for BG by scoring and giving BG a 2-0 advantage. The teams played scoreless ball for the remainder of the contest, and BG got it’s second MAC win.
Goalkeeper Ali Shingler was strong in the victory, grabbing six saves and getting her second shutout of the season.
On Sunday, BG played defending MAC champion Miami in Oxford.
It was the Redhawks who eliminated BG from last year’s tournament, and it was the first time the two teams had met since that game.
The Falcons had never beaten Miami going into Sunday’s game. The Redhawks led the Falcons 2-0 with just under 25 minutes to play.
BG retaliated.
Kristy Coppes scored two goals in a five-minute span, tying the game and giving the Falcons new life.
Julie Trundle finished the comeback by knocking in a goal with just 5:26 remaining in the game, and the Falcons held on for a 3-2 win.
Richards said that the team usually starts to play good ball at this point in the season.
“It’s been like that every season except one,” Richards said.
That was in 2001, when injuries depleted the Falcon roster and they struggled against the MAC.
Coppes, who now leads all BG players with 29 career goals, was named MAC player of the week.
The Falcons will now be off until Friday, when they travel to Western Michigan. The road trip continues Sunday, when they travel to Northern Illinois.
