BGSU women’s soccer (3-1-1) faced off against the Cincinnati Bearcats (2-2-2) in their return to Cochrane Stadium after their first away match on Thursday against Detroit Mercy.
Both teams utilized their impressive defensive performances to prevent either side from gaining momentum, ultimately propelling them to a scoreless 0-0 tie.
“I felt like we were very disciplined, showed a lot of desire and heart. I think the result is probably fair with two even teams, even chances,” head coach Chris Fox said. “I’m just proud of the group and the performance.”
The Falcons had the opening shot of the match in the 4th minute with a hearty strike from junior forward Emma Stransky, which was picked up by the Bearcats’ goalkeeper, redshirt senior Camryn Miller.
Cincinnati had its best chance early in the first half when senior forward Coley Sidloski flew up the sideline with an opening at a shot before junior defender Christine Erdman stuck her leg out to block the attempt in the 10th minute.
The Orange and Brown sophomore goalkeeper Peyton O’Malley got her first taste of the action in the 22nd minute, getting her first save of the day on a shot by Bearcat junior midfielder Molly Cochran.
O’Malley picked up her second save out of seven on the day in the 31st minute with a shot by Sidloski.
The Orange and Brown slowly broke down the Cincinnati defense to get one final stretch of offensive attack in the first half, leading to multiple shots, none of which found the back of the net.
The second half picked up quickly with Cincinnati blasting shots towards O’Malley for the first 10 minutes.
O’Malley continued to shine, getting a diving stop against Bearcat freshman defender Christa Gibbons in the 48th minute. She then one-upped herself with her best save of the match in the 56th minute, diving down left and pushing the ball out of play, to help keep the game at a stalemate.
“That’s what we ask of you as a goalkeeper, to come up with those saves, that is a match-tying save,” Fox said.
Heading into the final five minutes of the match, the Orange and Brown picked up the pace once again to try and break the tie, but came up short before the clock struck zero.
“People call them the key moments of the game, the first five minutes of the half and the last five minutes of the half,” Coach Fox said. “I think it’s people looking at the clock, realizing there is not much time left, giving them that little boost of adrenaline and energy. The intensity starts to pick up.”
The Falcons will head into the final week of non-conference play with matchups against Robert Morris on Thursday, Sept. 4, and Duquesne on Sunday, Sept. 7.
