BGSU women’s soccer (8-1-6, 3-0-5 MAC) returns home after a victorious Thursday night in DeKalb, Illinois, but another tough matchup awaits them at Cochrane Stadium, this time against the Ball State Cardinals (8-5-2, 5-3-1 MAC) on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m.
After a corner kick found the foot of junior forward Emma Stransky after bouncing around the box, the Falcons earned their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) road victory of the season, extending the longest unbeaten streak in program history to 13 straight matches. The Falcons are 7-0-6 in that span, outscoring their opponents 20-9 in that span and remaining as one of 12 remaining NCAA Division I programs with one loss or less.
Ball State has had an impressive season of its own, currently sitting third in the MAC standings with a 5-3-1 conference record and rolling into BG on a three-game winning streak after victories over Eastern Michigan, Akron, and Toledo, outscoring their opponents 6-1 in that span.
The battle between Ball State and Bowling Green will feature what would be the fifth and third seeds in the MAC Tournament if the season ended today, and a victory for the Falcons could mean a potential jump to third if things go their way.
The matchup looks like it may be the first Falcon home game to be affected by weather, as rain is in the forecast all Sunday afternoon with wind gusts projected over 40 miles per hour.
Scouting Bowling Green
After the crucial victory against a tricky Northern Illinois team on Thursday night, Bowling Green has given itself a bit of padding in the MAC Tournament race, gaining a three-point lead on UMass and a four-point lead on Eastern Michigan, who are currently just outside and looking in on the MAC Tournament picture.
Head coach Chris Fox and the Falcons have a tough remaining road schedule, with two long road trips up to the Northeast, first to take on Buffalo (11-3-1, 7-2 MAC) on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., and then a trip to UMass to round out the season on Wednesday. Oct. 29 at 1 p.m., with Senior Day at home against Akron on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.
Sophomore goalkeeper Payton O’Malley achieved what may have been the most impressive of her six shutouts on the season, making six saves, most of which came in a second half where NIU outshot Bowling Green 10-5 despite the 1-0 final score. O’Malley is second in the conference with a .605 average goals against and a .855 save percentage, and the ranks 40th in both NCAA Division I categories without Thursday night’s match factored in.
Stransky earned her seventh goal of the season in DeKalb, which was not only enough to put her firmly in the second most in the MAC but enough to tie her for the most game-winning goals in the conference with four. Junior Emme Butera and grad student forward Ellie Pool tie for fifth in the MAC with four assists after Pool assisted Stransky’s game-winning goal against the Huskies.
With only three games left on the regular season schedule, the Falcons are poised to make their eighth straight MAC Tournament, the longest active streak in the conference.
Scouting Ball State
The Cardinals have exceeded expectations greatly in 2025 under first-year head coach Andy Stoots, who has impressed many after arriving from the University of Missouri, where he spent four years as associate head coach. Ball State was predicted to finish 11th out of 13 MAC teams in the 2025 MAC Women’s Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, but they instead find themselves third with three regular-season matches left to go.
Senior forward Addie Chester continues to add to her illustrious four-year resume with the Cardinals, leading the MAC with nine out of her team’s 21 goals on the season, The 2024 All-MAC First Team member is a two-time MAC Offensive Player of the Week honoree in 2025, and she scored in Ball State’s most recent victory, a 2-1 win over Toledo on Thursday afternoon.
Defenders Delaney Ahearn and Jordyn Klaasen lead the squad in minutes with 1,336 and 1,299, respectively. Klaasen, a freshman out of Zeeland, Michigan, earned last week’s MAC Defensive Player of the Week award after she scored the game-winning goal in Ball State’s 1-0 win over Eastern Michigan.
After their trip to BG, the Cardinals will host Miami (OH) for another crucial match with MAC Tournament implications on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. before rounding out the season in DeKalb, Illinois against NIU on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 3 p.m.
