It has been a long and busy offseason for The Orange and Brown who are looking to the promising future of 2024 in the first season under new head coach Chris Fox.
After a disappointing exit in the semi-final of the 2023 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship in a 2-1 loss to the 6th-seeded Ohio Bobcats, the Falcons will be looking for revenge with a new look squad.
Fox describes his goals for the 2024 season as fluid, moving in motion with how the team lives up to his standards and continues to improve week in and week out.
“I think in my mind, we shoot for a top-four finish, and if we achieve that, awesome. If we are in the mix to compete for a post-season championship or we do better than that great,” Fox said. “I think ultimately, for me, it’s about the implementation of philosophy, game model, culture, setting high standards, and just continue to improve.”
The Falcons will have plenty of opportunity for improvement in the non-conference department, as their six opponents average a 2023 postseason RPI ranking of 216 compared to 2023, which featured a non-conference average ranking of 116.
Coach Fox sees this as an opportunity, hoping the team will take advantage of the schedule that was given to them.
“I don’t think we are going to take anybody lightly by any means,” Fox said. “It’s just about learning, growing, evolving and using every game as a teacher so that we can ready ourselves and prepare for conference play.
Departures and Arrivals
Building for the future of the team under Fox was an obvious focus for the Falcons this season as they attempted to fill the hole left by the graduation of seven players, including Katie Cox, Maya Dean and Lacee Bethea with eight new freshman signings as well as two players transferring in. Redshirt freshman Kaley Simqu arriving from The University of Pittsburgh and Michelle Hochstadt arriving with Fox from Morehead State.
BG is losing a substantial amount of the production that earned them the two seed in the MAC tournament last year, but senior captain Isabelle Gilmore believes that the new roster will prove themselves as trustworthy.
“The new girls are very personable, very friendly, they’re awesome. Super outgoing,” Gilmore said. “As a captain, I just try to make them feel comfortable. I think back to my freshman year and I had some great leaders to look up to, I just want to be that for those players.”
As the season progresses, look for this new core to progressively make more of an impact as the season goes along and they gain experience and time behind veterans like Gilmore and fifth-year graduate student Ellie Pool.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
The junior striker is poised for another big season after scoring six goals in both her freshman and sophomore seasons with the Falcons and leading the teams in goals last season.
Gardner’s finishing ability will allow her to capitalize on chances created by Fox’s heavy possession-based offensive system that relies on a high volume of chances and shots on goal, many of which will be Gardner’s.
Having already achieved an All-MAC First Team nomination in her sophomore season, the sky is the limit for what she can do for Bowling Green in her final two years.
The captain of the BG team is entering her final year of eligibility, and her play will be a key to success for the Falcons.
A versatile defender who is poised to direct the team on both sides of the ball, Gilmore has an exceptional skill that has been showcased in the last three years and will continue to be showcased this season.
As the leader of this new-look roster, Gilmore will have to adapt to Fox’s new system, but if preseason and spring league are any indication, it seems she already has.
“I think in my role now, I must be more of a leader, Gilmore said. “I need to have more patience on the ball all over the field, that is what (Fox) is looking for in this type of system.”
The oldest of the two Gardner systems on the team, Emilie will be spending her final year as a lockdown defender beside Gardner this season.
Gardner is following up a fantastic, breakout 2023 season where she led the team in minutes while playing, starting in all but one game and earning multiple National Team of the Week awards in October.
One of six Falcons in their final year of eligibility, she will look to make the most of it and improve on the success she had in 2023.
One of two transfers that the Falcons acquired in the offseason, the sophomore midfielder already has plenty of experience both at the college and professional level, playing in every game for Fox at Morehead State as a freshman.
Hochstadt grew up in Germany, where she spent seven years with Eintracht Frankfurt, playing with their U17 squad for three years before making the jump to Eintracht Frankfurt II, where she played for four seasons.
“She’s technically brilliant, both feet and vision, and she has a high IQ for the game,” Coach Fox said when talking about Hochstadt. “She’s already had a full season under me last year, so she has a real great understanding of everything.”
Hochstadt’s knowledge of Fox’s system and experience in her role will allow her to be a role model, and to get a head start on the rest of the team when it comes to learning the new system, allowing her to be bound for a breakout season if the stars align correctly.
What Lies Ahead
The Falcons will start the season at home at Cochrane Stadium against the Detroit Mercy Titans on Thursday, Aug. 15, and face the Findlay Oilers a week later.
After four more games in non-conference play, the Falcons will open conference play in Muncie on Thursday, Sep. 19 against Ball State, and will play their first conference home game against Toledo three days later.
The season will conclude with senior night on Thursday, Oct. 24 against Eastern Michigan followed by two away games against the Akron Zips and the Kent State Golden Flashes.
