BGSU women’s soccer (5-1-1) begins Mid-American Conference (MAC) play on Sunday with a matchup against the Kent State Golden Flashes (2-2-3) at Cochrane Stadium.
Bowling Green currently sits atop the MAC standings heading into conference play, while Kent State finds themselves in the middle of the pack at seventh in the conference.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Henry Kosko and Tyler Kavalecz will have the broadcast of the match on WBGU-PBS’ YouTube channel, beginning at 1 p.m. Falcon Media Sports Network will also have additional coverage for the matchup on bgfalconmedia.com and @BG_FMSN on Twitter/X.
Matchup History
The teams have previously faced each other 32 times, with BGSU taking 17 of the matches. The Orange and Brown are 9-3-5 at home against the Golden Flashes.
Last season, Kent State came out on top in a 4-2 result.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Falcons finished in the top-half of the MAC last season with a 4-4-3 conference record and a 7-7-4 overall record. The program has not lost a conference opener since 2017 to Ball State, looking to continue that streak against the Golden Flashes.
BGSU has started the season as hot as can be with a 5-1-1 record. Not only is that good enough for the top spot in the MAC, but it also gives the Falcons one of the best records of all mid-major schools, along with the second-best record in program history through seven games.
The Falcons head into the match on a two-game winning streak after victories against Duquesne (1-0) and Robert Morris (2-1).
The Orange and Brown took their shutout win against Duquesne on account of an Emma Stransky goal, her third of the season, which leads BGSU and is tied for third in the MAC.
Another Falcon finds themselves on the MAC leaderboard in sophomore defender Haley Wolf being tied for second in assists.
The Orange and Brown lead the conference with a goal differential of plus-six, with 10 goals scored and only four allowed. This is in part a result of outstanding goalkeeping from Payton O’Malley.
BGSU is 3-1-1 in games played at Cochrane Stadium this season, closing in on their 4-1-3 record last season at home.
Scouting Kent State
The Golden Flashes finished fourth in the MAC last season with a 5-4-2 conference record and 9-7-3 overall record. Similar to BGSU, Kent State has not lost a conference opener since 2018 to EMU.
The Golden Flashes enter the contest with a chip on their shoulder following two ties to Oakland (1-1) and Cornell (1-1), along with a blowout loss to Louisville (0-8).
Kent State comes into the match following a 1-1 draw against Oakland, as Mia Cleroux knocked in the game-tying goal before half. Cleroux is tied for the most goals on the team with two.
The Blue and Gold space the field well, making it natural for multiple players to find the back of the net. A total of eight Golden Flashes have gotten the ball passed the keeper this season.
The junior goalkeeper, Leah Shaffer, has controlled the net for Kent State. She has played in all 630 possible minutes during the season so far.
The Golden Flashes have one of the longest-tenured coaches in the MAC. Rob Marinaro is in his 25th season as the head coach of the team and has had plenty of success throughout the years including three MAC Coach of the Years and a MAC Tournament Championship.
