After winning their first game of the season against Oakland, BGSU women’s soccer (1-1-0) fell to the Illinois Fighting Illini (2-0-0) in a Sunday matchup at Cochrane Stadium.
“From the starters to the bench, I feel like we brought the energy, and that’s exactly what we talked about before the game,” junior forward Lizzie Bultynck said post-match.
The Orange and Brown came out with a strong attack against the Illinois defensive system; unfortunately for the Falcons, four of those runs were called back by offside penalties.
Bultynck came off the bench for the Falcons and added an instant offensive impact with three shots, with two shots on goal.
The Fighting Illini did not take long to find a groove and flip the pressure to the Bowling Green defensive half, with Illinois senior Sarah Foley getting three shot attempts.
Sophomore goalkeeper Payton O’Malley kept the Falcons’ defense in place, making three saves in the first half.
The Illini came out of the halftime break and put pressure on the Falcons’ defense, causing the Falcons to turn the ball over.
That pressure would turn into the perfect opportunity for sixth-year midfielder Sydney Stephens to score in the 54’, with a left-footed shot that bounced off the undersized crossbar to beat O’Malley. Which ultimately ended up being the game-winning goal.
The Falcons would have plenty of attempts to even the score, but were never able to get a shot attempt in the second half of play.
Tired legs seemed to play a big part in the second half struggles “I think we began to get a little bit tired. You can see that with some of our passes, we’re struggling to get the distance on them and under hitting them, and it was leading to transition,” head coach Chris Fox stated after the game.
Although the second half of the play was not what the Falcons had in mind, coach Fox was pleased with the showcase of fight against a tough Big Ten opponent.
“I think it was a very even game, ecstatic with the performance and something we can build on,” Coach Fox stated.
Next up for the Falcons, they will welcome the Cleveland State Vikings to Cochrane Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 21, with kickoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
