BGSU women’s soccer (7-7-4, 4-5-3 MAC) fell to the third-seeded Ohio Bobcats (11-4-4, 5-3-3 MAC) in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) quarterfinal at Chessa Field, where an early goal gave them all they needed to beat an underdog Falcon team.
Despite six Falcon shots compared to only three for the Bobcats and a steady offensive attack that had its bright spots throughout a tense tournament match, BG couldn’t quite get that one goal that would’ve kept their hopes alive.
The loss marks the third straight loss for the Falcons against the Bobcats dating back to the 2023 regular season, as the pursuit for Ohio’s second straight MAC championship will continue in Kalamazoo while BG is sent home early.
The match would be back and forth in the first section of the first half, with both teams earning quality chances.
After an offside penalty that took away an Ella Deevers goal, the former Falcon would come right back and go up 1-0 off a goal, this time off a corner kick that landed smack in the middle of the box where Deevers waited to slot the ball into the net.
BG retaliated with great pressure after the goal, as the veterans Brynn Gardner and Lexi Czerwien took advantage of great forward progress with looks.
The first half would end uneventfully, with BG’s two shots on goal outdoing OU’s one.
The Bobcats started the second half with a bang in Aubrey Rea’s strike that soured just over the crossbar, setting the tone for an intense second half.
A similar result came from Emme Butera’s free-kick just outside the box that might have fallen just under the crossbar and into the net if it weren’t for a textbook one-handed save by Ohio goalkeeper Celeste Sloma.
Ohio would challenge with 21 minutes left with back-to-back corner kicks that resulted in two solid chances, but BG would keep the deficit at only one goal.
The pressure was there towards the end of the second half for the Falcons, but a great goalkeeping performance by Sloma combined with solid defense kept Bowling Green off the board in the end despite four shots in the second half.
The loss marks the first time the Falcons have failed to reach at least the MAC semifinal since 2016, as the Bobcats will be the ones who will take on Buffalo in Kalamazoo on Thursday, Nov. 7. at the WMU Soccer Complex.
