BGSU women’s soccer (3-1-1) battled a physical Cincinnati Bearcats team (2-2-2) in a game that ended 0-0. 

Whenever teams meet, the feeling-out process between the two teams takes some time to figure out the opponent, but that went out the window as from the opening kick, the teams were looking to impose their will.  

During the game, each team tallied up 10 fouls, with the Falcons getting two yellow cards and the Bearcats getting one.  

The grind of the game seemed to play into the hands of the Cincinnati offense as they were able to put together good offensive attacks, resulting in seven shots on goal.  

The Falcons’ defense did not break under the pressure from Cincinnati as goalkeeper Payton O’Malley kept the Bearcats off the board.  

“I thought it was a stressful game in moments, but I always trust my backline,” O’Malley said. “I can definitely say with a lot of confidence, my back line is definitely a brick wall.”  

This type of physical game can help the Falcons set up for Mid-American Conference play, as when that starts, the games take on a different meaning.  

“In our conference, a lot of the games get really physical, kind of chaotic,” defender Taylor Green said post-game. “That’s not really our style of play.” 

Being able to see the physical type of play early helps the Falcons find their way around those types of games and gives them a good idea of how they can work around teams that play that way.  

“When you’re playing against teams that have physical qualities over you, then it becomes all about quality movement, being on the same page,” head coach Chris Fox said. “I think we have shown that we can play in the scrappy, physical, and chaotic games.” 

For this Falcons team, although they don’t try to play the physical grind-it-out game, they are more than equipped to handle that type of game. Being able to handle those types of games and opponents gives them an advantage over the competition, who may not be as comfortable in those games.  

This is a growing experience for the Falcons, as during the match against Cincinnati, there were 10 subs for Bowling Green. Having the depth to play through those physical games can be a huge lift for the team.  

The Falcons next travel to Moon Township, Pa., to play Robert Morris on Thursday, Sept. 4.