BGSU women’s soccer (6-1-2, 1-0-1 MAC) returns home on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. for a matchup with the Western Michigan Broncos (5-2, 1-0 MAC) that features the two Mid-American Conference (MAC) leaders in winning percentage in 2025, and two successful programs that have won a combined seven of the last 12 conference championships.
The Falcons, who earned a draw on the road in Athens on Thursday after late drama brought a game-tying goal from junior Gabby Lamparty, enter the first of a two-match homestand that features a week off before a battle with Central Michigan (0-7-1, 0-1-1 MAC) on Sunday, Sept. 28.
The Broncos have a quick turnaround from a Thursday night 3-2 victory over Miami (OH) that featured drama of its own, with WMU coming back to win after going down 2-1 to begin the second half.
Bowling Green is 2-1-2 against Western Michigan since 2021, including a 4-0 loss in Kalamazoo in 2024 and a 2-0 MAC Tournament quarterfinal victory over the Broncos in 2022.
Scouting Bowling Green
After the draw with Ohio on Thursday, the Falcons still haven’t allowed more than one goal to an opponent through nine 2025 matches, but that streak will be at risk against a WMU team that has scored at least two goals in its past five matches and leads the MAC with two goals per game through its first seven.
The back line, led by junior captain Taylor Green and supported by Lamparty, Haley Wolf, and Jayna Searles as mainstays in a starting lineup, has led the squad to a conference second-best six goals allowed through the opening nine, a mark that is only one less than Buffalo’s five goals allowed despite two more games played.
Lamparty and defensive midfielder Emme Butera have been no strangers to offensive production as well, with Lamparty scoring the game-tying goal on a header that came from a beautiful free-kick from Butera in the 82nd minute. Lamparty ties grad student Ellie Pool with six points on the season, the second most on the season, with two goals and two assists to this point.
Junior forward Emma Stransky has 10 points via five goals on the year, a mark that leads the team and ties her for second in the conference. Stransky will also be happy to return home on Sunday, as four of her five goals have come at Cochrane Stadium, including two in a 2-1 victory over Kent State last Sunday.
Depth has been a common theme in games coached by head coach Chris Fox in 2025, as the Falcons have averaged 18 players per game, with 25 of the 29 players on the roster seeing minutes in at least two of the first nine games.
Sophomore goalkeeper Payton O’Malley continues to top the MAC goalkeeper rankings with a conference-best .667 goals against average and a .846 save percentage on 33 saves from 39 total shots on goal.
Scouting Western Michigan
The 2025 MAC favorites according to the 2025 MAC Coaches Preseason Poll have backed up the expectations laid on them so far, as after beginning the season with road losses to No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 12 Iowa, they’ve gone 5-0 in their last five, including 2-0 victories over former BGSU head coach Jimmy Walker’s Creighton and DePaul of the Big East and a 2-1 road win over the Michigan Wolverines.
Senior forward Abby Werthman has had a rocket of a start to the season, with 13 points through the first two games and three games with three points or more, including Thursday’s game against Miami (OH), where she registered a goal and an assist. After earning MAC Tournament MVP and a spot on the All-MAC Second Team in 2024, she’s on pace for another award-winning season with the second-most points in the MAC through the first seven.
Redshirt senior Mira Pierre-Webster returns to the Bronco back line after missing the 2024 season due to injury, and she hasn’t missed a beat, playing all 630 minutes and registering her first point of the season against the RedHawks. Pierre-Webster is a former MAC Defensive Player of the Year award winner in 2023, playing every minute that season on her way to an All-MAC First Team selection.
WMU head coach Lewis Robinson enters his fourth year at the helm of the program, registering a 30-8-9 record through 47 games with the program. He looks to become the first MAC head coach outside of Bowling Green to win back-to-back conference championships since Tom Anagnost achieved the feat with Central Michigan in 2009 and 2010.
