BGSU women’s soccer (1-0-0) will look forward to their second game of the season against the Division II Findlay Oilers after a statement win last Thursday over the Detroit Mercy Titans by a score of 3-1.
The matchup against the Oilers will mark only the second time the Falcons have played a school outside of Division I in the regular season, the first coming against the same Findlay Oilers back in 2015.
Findlay will be playing in their first game of the season, as their season of games against Division II opponents won’t start until a matchup against Illinois Springfield on Sep. 5.
The Falcons will be attempting to go 2-0 to start the year for the first time since 2020 when they beat Akron and Ohio to start things off.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleimeyer and Henry Kosko will have the call for the game on Thursday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m., produced by WBGU-PBS and streaming on their YouTube Channel. Tune in by clicking the link below.
Scouting the Past
The Falcons are carrying great momentum into the Thursday night matchup after a big win over the Titans, which proved that head coach Chris Fox’s new system is one to look out for.
BGSU dominated possession of the ball, especially in the second half, and that will be the game plan for them again as they bring the Oilers to Cochrane Stadium.
Despite Findlay being a Division II school, their women’s soccer program has seen success in past years, winning the G-MAC (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) championship in 2019 and posting a winning percentage above .600 in conference play in each of the last six seasons.
Findlay’s defense was the leading force in their 2023 success, as they allowed only 16 goals, good for second most in the G-MAC.
Their offense also produced at an efficient rate, scoring 33 goals in only 20 games last season.
BGSU and Findlay have only played in the regular season once in program history, in 2015, when the Falcons beat the Oilers 4-0.
Falcons to Watch
The freshman midfielder from Akron started off her college career with a bang in the season opener, scoring two of the three Falcon goals to help them to a 3-1 win and becoming the first Falcon ever to score two or more goals in their freshman debut.
Mahoney showed fantastic awareness of the ball by making herself available for multiple chances in the box, which allowed her to get those two scoring chances. She seemed one step ahead of the Detroit Mercy defense for all 21 minutes she was on the pitch.
Due to the nature of the game, many if not all of Fox’s new freshmen will likely see the field, and Mahoney is sure to be the leader of the younger unit after her stellar performance last week.
Gilmore put on an outstanding performance against the Titans while playing in all 90 minutes and her calm and composed presence at the center of Fox’s back four makes her a player to watch anytime she is on the pitch.
Veterans like Gilmore will make the skill gap between the MAC and G-MAC teams extremely evident, as the Oilers offense is going to have their hands full dealing with the 2023 All-Mac First Team defender.
Watch for Gilmore to be the anchor of a defense that may end up on the young side, especially in the second half of the game against Findlay.
Oilers to Watch
If the Oilers want to stay in the game on Thursday, they are going to need a serious contribution from the grad student midfielder who scored a team-leading nine goals on her way to a First Team All-G-MAC award.
Rybicki is a fast-paced player who can get a shot on goal quicker than defenders realize that she got by them, and surprise attacks and steady chances will be the key for the Oilers in their uphill battle against the brick wall that is the 2024 Falcon defense.
The veteran midfielder grew up in Maumee, OH with her sister Jenna, who is a junior defender on the Findlay team, where they attended Anthony Wayne, the same high school as Alania Uncapher and the Gardner sisters.
Goalkeeping is likely going to be under a spotlight for Findlay on Thursday night thanks to the high volume of shots that Bowling Green likes to take combined with the talent discrepancy between different divisions of college soccer, and Maria White is going to have to take on the task of keeping BG from scoring.
Maria White is a senior goalkeeper who didn’t play in 2023 due to injury, but she will likely be given the starting role thanks to it being her final year of eligibility with the team.
Coach Fox is going to look to put extreme pressure on the Findlay defense, and White will have to be the one to step up if Findlay wants any chance against the Falcons.
