The past couple weeks have been a wake-up call for a BGSU women’s soccer (2-2-0) team that started off the season on cloud nine after lucrative wins over Detroit Mercy and Findlay at Cochrane, but losses against Duquesne and Loyola Chicago have left BG desperate to get back in the win column.
Only two games remain on the non-conference schedule, and both will take place within five days, but let’s take it one game at a time, starting with BG’s matchup with the Cleveland State Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 1 p.m. at Krenzler Field.
Cleveland State will be looking to get their first win of the season after coming so very close against the Saint Francis Red Flash in a matchup that ended in a 1-1 tie, putting the Viking’s current record at 0-3-1 ahead of Sunday’s battle.
Scouting the Past
BGSU was successful in their only other game against a Horizon League opponent in 2024 with a 3-1 win over Detroit Mercy in the home opener.
Cleveland State are winless in their last nine games against MAC opponents dating back to 2021, the most recent game being their 2024 season opener against Kent State, which they lost by a score of 2-1.
Cleveland State is pursuing its first-ever Horizon League championship after not appearing in the conference tournament in the last two seasons, and they are attempting to reach their first conference championship game since 2018 when they lost to first-seeded Milwaukee in their first-ever championship game.
Cleveland State moved on from former head coach Dallas Boyer at the end of the 2023 season after spending seven seasons with the Vikings that featured a 49-55-14 record and they decided to start a new era with first-year head coach Mark Sappington.
Sappington will be a familiar face for new BGSU head coach Chris Fox, who spent two seasons alongside the former Morehead State assistant coach that featured a 2023 OVC conference championship and an NCAA tournament appearance.
Falcons to Watch
Emma Stransky came painfully close to scoring her first goal of the season in the matchup with Loyola Chicago last Sunday, and she will be looking to get revenge and finally breakthrough in the final road matchup before the start of Mid-American Conference play.
Tied alongside junior forward Brynn Gardner and sophomore midfielder Emme Butera for the most shots on the team so far this season, Stransky has been playing with aggression and confidence, and she will be starting to feel a sense of urgency after a rough past couple of games, meaning she will have opportunity to better the team’s luck.
The German midfielder has been growing into her role in her first few games as a Falcon, and she managed to spread her wings last week with an impressive all-around outing.
Hochstadt was in command of the ball all game, being the main facilitator in many of the team’s chances and creating her own when there was none available to her.
Her experience at many different levels of women’s soccer means she’s a versatile player, and she can adapt to a situation quickly and find a way to make an impact.
Hochstadt has done that in two ways so far in 2024, both adapting to playing on a new team in a country she has only played soccer in for two years and adapting to the playstyle of a completely new roster. The sky is the limit for a player with as much confidence and experience at such a young age, and we will see her continue to develop before our very eyes on Sunday against Cleveland State.
Although the team has only scored three goals so far this season, Sesmas has shined in her new role as a junior midfielder with the Vikings squad.
Having grown up in Athens, Georgia, Sesmas came to Cleveland State and immediately started to contribute, scoring four goals in her rookie season in 2022 and three goals along with two assists in 2023.
Cleveland State needs to see some sort of offensive production if they want hope of competing with the Falcons on Sunday, and it all begins with the facilitation and execution of Sesmas along the midfield.
The veteran defender has had a great start to her 2024 season, and she will be key in creating big plays and crucial stops in the Viking back line to beat them in the game against Bowling Green.
Every team needs a gritty veteran defender who can anchor the back line, and Bashardoust has been that for the Vikings throughout the last couple of seasons.
Bashardoust is three games away from her 50th career as a college soccer player, and she’s played over 2300 minutes over her first four years with the program.
The Loveland, OH native will have her work cut out for her against a Falcon offense that is keen to get back in the scoring column after two straight shutouts, and she will have to be perfect if the Vikings want a chance on Sunday.
