BGSU women’s soccer (1-1) returns to Cochrane Stadium for the third game of their season-opening home stand after splitting the opening matches, this time taking on the Cleveland State Vikings (1-1) on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 4 p.m.
The match plays part of a midweek doubleheader, with the BGSU men’s soccer team taking on IU Indy in their season opener at 7 p.m., following the conclusion of the first game.
The Falcons were outdueled on their home turf by the Big Ten’s Illinois Fighting Illini on Sunday afternoon after failing to register a shot in the second half, but they will be looking for their second win against a Horizon League opponent on Thursday after a season-opening 1-0 victory over Oakland last Thursday.
In last year’s matchup in Cleveland, Bowling Green earned a 2-0 victory over the Vikings, their second victory of the season in their first matchup against the squad since 2014.
The game also marks the second of four games BG will play against Horizon League opponents, with road matchups against Detroit Mercy and Robert Morris coming up before Mid-American Conference (MAC) play begins.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Falcon squad registered five shots in the 1-0 loss over Illinois, three of them coming off the feet of junior forward Lizzie Bultynck, who led the scoring push in the first half with two shots on goal that forced the hand of Illinois redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Lee.
Sophomore goalkeeper Payton O’Malley was busy in Sunday’s match, making five saves on 14 total Illinois shots, six coming on goal.
Head coach Chris Fox continued his trend of utilizing depth at the forward position, playing eight different forwards throughout the match, with junior forward Ella Kane being the only Falcon forward besides Bultynck to register a shot in the match.
The Falcons had consistent time in the Illinois half and a consistent forward attack, but struggled with four offside penalties registered throughout the match, thanks to an Illinois high press that attempted to keep the ball away from their box at as high a rate as possible.
Much more offensive success reached Bowling Green in their season opener against Oakland, with their season-opening goal coming off the foot of Kane as part of 10 shots throughout the night, including three on goal.
Defenders Taylor Green and Gabby Lamparty showed dominance as centerbacks in the BG defense and will look to reign supreme over another Horizon League opponent on Thursday afternoon.
Scouting Cleveland State
The Vikings enter the matchup with Bowling Green with a 1-1 record after falling in their season opener to Kent State but rebounding for a 2-0 win over Southern Indiana on Sunday.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper and Bowling Green transfer Hayleigh Lewis has lit up the stat sheet to begin the season, making 16 saves and allowing just one goal in 180 minutes of play, a mark that’s good for a .941 save percentage between the first two games.
The goals against USI came at the feet of junior and redshirt junior forwards Elise Boyd and Sophia Cucchetti.
Boyd achieved her first goal after 20 matches played with the Vikings, while Cucchetti earned her first of the year after earning five points as a part of the squad in 2024.
The Vikings return their leading points scorer from last season, senior forward Mayra Sesmas, and they added offensively as well, scoring sophomore transfer True Benshoff from Hagerstown Community College, where she led NJCAA Division I in goals with 42, nearly doubling second place’s total of 27.
Cleveland State also returns its leader in minutes from the 2024 season, grad student defender Maria Bashardoust, who registered 1,475 minutes while starting 17 games for the Vikings.
Under head coach Mark Sappington, who was formerly an assistant coach under Fox at Morehead State, the squad finished 2-14-1 overall and 2-8 in Horizon League play, earning victories over Youngstown State and Oakland. With 13 goals for and 38 goals allowed, CSU had both the 10th-ranked offense and the 10th-ranked defense out of 11 Horizon League teams.
The Vikings were predicted to finish in last place in the 2025 season by the 2025 Horizon League Preseason Poll with only 27 points, narrowly placing below Oakland and Youngstown State, who tied for ninth with 32 points each.
Falcon Media Sports Network will have highlights and recap following the match on bgfalconmedia.com.
