BGSU women’s soccer (2-1-0) gets on the road for its first away match of the season, traveling to Detroit, Michigan, to take on Detroit Mercy (1-3-0) on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m.
The match is the first of two for the Orange and Brown this week as they return to Cochrane Stadium for a matchup against Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 31.
BGSU and Detroit Mercy will be playing for the fourth straight season, dating back to 2022. The Falcons are currently 3-0 during those years, including a 3-1 win last year on the season opener, which was played at Cochrane Stadium.
This game will be one of the final two played against Horizon League opponents, with the last being played at Robert Morris before Mid-American Conference (MAC) play starts.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Falcons are coming off a 2-1 victory over the Cleveland State Vikings, where both junior forward Emma Stransky and junior defender Gabby Lamparty were able to find the back of the net on headers.
The Orange and Brown also controlled the shots, having 15 total with eight on goal in comparison to Cleveland State’s 10 with six on goal.
Offensively, BGSU looks to break down the scoring barrier, which they have struggled slightly with so far this season, only having three goals in three games. Junior forward Ella Kane, along with Stransky and Lamparty, are the only girls who has been able to get the ball past the keeper so far this season.
Sophomore goalkeeper Payton O’Malley had another impressive match, tallying five saves out of their six on goal.
Defensively, the Falcons kept the Vikings from scoring till the 72nd minute, which is almost 20 minutes before they allowed their goal against Illinois in their 1-0 loss. They’ll look to continue their dominant defensive play in the pre-conference matchups.
Scouting Detroit Mercy
The Titans are coming off three Power-4 losses in a row with shutouts against Kentucky 2-0, Louisville 8-0, and Michigan 4-0. They’re looking to bounce back against a non-power-4 team in Bowling Green like they did in their first game of the season against Valparaiso, which they won 2-1.
Detroit Mercy looks to get their first goal in two weeks, with any type of offense being useful. They’ll look toward leaders on the team, such as senior midfielder Abbey Ladato, who scored their first two goals of the season, and senior midfielder/defender Soraya Puerto-Khalil, who started in 18 out of her 19 games played last season.
The Titans finished third last year in the Horizon League with a 10-8-2 record and a 7-1-2 record in the conference. Detroit Mercy is looking for another high-end year with the start of league play coming against Cleveland State on Sept. 18.
Falcon Media Sports Network will have highlights and a recap following the match on bgfalconmedia.com.
