BGSU women’s soccer will be in search of revenge on Thursday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m. in their battle against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, a match that marks the beginning of the 2025 season at Cochrane Stadium.
In the same matchup between the squads in 2024, Oakland managed to hold on to a 0-0 draw despite the Falcons outshooting the Golden Grizzlies 17-3. While the matchup was one of the lowlights for a Bowling Green team that went on to make the MAC Tournament, it was a highlight for an Oakland squad that finished the season 3-14-2 and 0-6-1 against MAC opponents.
The Falcons will be looking to get a similar start to the season that they saw in their 2024 opener against Detroit Mercy, which resulted in a 3-1 victory and featured two debut goals from then freshman midfielder Lauren Mahoney.
Scouting Oakland
As the Golden Grizzlies enter their second season under head coach Devin Zvosec, they have completely overhauled their roster, which earned them last place in the Horizon League. Only 10 returning players join 14 transfers and six signings, including multiple from Power Four programs.
One of the worst offense in the country in 2024 makes crucial steps to this year’s improvement, including returning former WMU forward Frankie Mudd, who led the team in goals and points in 2024 and giving the senior some help offensively, adding sophomore transfer Mallory Anderson from Florida Atlantic and midfielder/forward Allie Leonard from Butler as a grad student.
The team addressed their defense that gave up the most goals in the Horizon League as well, bringing in grad student Grace Harvey from Delaware and redshirt freshman Bella Haynes from Pittsburgh.
In the goalkeeping department, Oakland started completely fresh, bringing in three transfers, including redshirt sophomore and Bowling Green native Carrina Wiseman-Esparza, who previously spent two seasons at Ball State.
Bowling Green is the first of four MAC opponents in Oakland’s non-conference schedule, and their first of two on the road. The team was 1-8-1 on the road in 2024, with their lone win coming at Green Bay and their lone draw coming against the Falcons in non-conference play.
The Golden Grizzlies tied for ninth out of 11 teams in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, putting them on pace for improvement after their 11th-place finish in 2024.
Scouting Bowling Green
Despite being the youngest team in the Mid-American Conference, BGSU was picked to finish fifth by the 2025 MAC Preseason Coaches Poll thanks to returning players, not just the ones that saw the field in all of 2024, but the ones who sat on the sidelines as well.
Three Falcons who saw crucial minutes in 2023 and were sidelined in 2024 due to injury have returned, including grad student Ellie Pool, who earned 13 points on four goals and five assists in 2023 and will play a crucial role in dictating the Falcon offense if she is fully healthy.
Redshirt sophomores Audrey Oliver and Christie Fransen also return and are joined by five transfers that include two junior strikers, Isabella Mazzaferro, who earned 25 points in 35 matches for Niagara, and Ella Kane, who played in nine matches for Louisville last year.
The Falcons lose Lexi Czerwien, their leading scorer in 2024, but retain juniors Emma Stransky and Emme Butera, who earned 10 and seven points, respectively, throughout the season.
The Orange and Brown also retained junior defender Taylor Green, who started all 18 matches in 2024 and became the team captain of the 2025 Falcons.
Bowling Green went 2-0-1 against Horizon League opponents in 2024, and the matchup with Oakland is the first of four against members of the conference in 2025.
After their weekend battle with Illinois on Aug. 17, the Falcons host Cleveland State on Aug. 21 before heading to Detroit to play the Titans on Aug. 28 and rounding out the matchups in Pennsylvania against Robert Morris on Sept. 4.
WHERE TO WATCH
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleimeyer and Henry Kosko will have the call on WBGU-PBS YouTube Channel starting at 7:00 p.m.
