After the 3-1 defeat of the UMass Minutewomen that earned BGSU women’s soccer (9-2-8, 4-7 MAC) their ninth straight Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament appearance, head coach Chris Fox looks forward to a rematch against the Buffalo Bulls (12-4-2, 8-3-1 MAC), this time at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.
The match will be the first ever neutral-site conference tournament match in MAC history after it was hosted by the regular season champion the past 28 seasons as well as a rematch of the 2021 MAC Tournament semifinal, when the Falcons beat the Bulls 1-0 at Cochrane Stadium en route to their fourth straight MAC title.
The most recent matchup between the two foes came on Oct. 23, when BG travelled up to Buffalo for a 0-0 draw in a match that was held on a cold and windy night at UB Stadium. The match was the most recent of four BG draws away from the friendly confines, and it was the only draw for a Bulls squad that finished the season in third place.
If the Falcons earn the victory on Saturday, they will move on to the semifinal to meet the second-seeded Miami (OH) RedHawks (8-2-2, 5-4-1 MAC) on Tuesday Nov. 4 at either 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. If they lose, they will fail to reach the MAC semifinal for the second time in the two seasons of the Fox era.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Falcon offense had a much-needed field day at Rudd Field in Amherst, Massachusetts, putting up a trifecta of goals that was the only conference match where the Falcons scored more than one goal despite the 2-0-4 road MAC record.
Junior forward Emma Stransky was credited with her eighth goal of the season by scoring first in the 7th minute of the match, tying herself for third-most goals in the conference, averaging .411 per game at the end of the regular season.
Yet another junior forward by the name of Lexi White scored the third and final goal, slotting it into the back of the net off the foot of her high school teammate Audrey Oliver, earning her second of the year and the second of her career.
The Falcons finished the year tied in fifth with 25 total goals for in 2025, but the highlight of the squad was a defense that rivals the best in the program’s history, allowing what would be a program record 12 goals allowed in 19 matches, which is good for only .63 goals allowed per game, a mark that is tied for 16th in NCAA Division I.
Multiple Bowling Green players will be in talks for All-MAC teams when the season concludes, including junior defender Gabby Lamparty, who’s presence on the back line has been critical to the BG defense’s success, especially in the short absence of junior captain Taylor Green. Her offensive production has been impressive as well, leading MAC defenders in points with nine on the season, including a last-second game winner against Akron that could have ended up as a season-saving goal.
Defensive midfielder Emme Butera will be in conversations as well due to a career season that’s seen her earn one goal and six assists, tied second-most in the conference, and her vital contributions to a team that has used their ability to consistently possess the ball to their advantage.
Sophomore goalkeeper Payton O’Malley had an impressive regular season of her own, finishing the season second in the conference in both average goals allowed and save percentage. O’Malley has seven shutouts on the year including her most recent against Buffalo, where she made five saves on seven total shots.
With the overtime rules in tournament play that feature two 10-minute overtime periods followed by a penalty kick shootout if the score remains tied, the pressure often falls on the goalkeeper to make the one save that moves the team forward. This seems even more likely with Bowling Green’s result tendencies this season, finishing the season with eight draws on the season, seven of which came in conference play.
Scouting Buffalo
The Bulls came just short of a quarterfinal bye in the MAC Tournament, holding the second-seed in the MAC standings through nearly all but the final result, as a loss 2-0 home loss to the tournament favorite Western Michigan Broncos saw them fall to the third spot after a 1-0 Miami (OH) victory over Kent State that vaulted them up to the last bye position.
Consistency has been a powerful strong point of head coach Shawn Burke’s Buffalo teams, and it continues to be in his 12th season with the program, earning two MAC championships and MAC Tournament appearances in 10 of his 11 seasons excluding the shortened 2020 season where only a MAC championship game was held.
Grad student Jasmine Guerber has been a staple of Burke’s offensive units ever since she transferred from Memphis in 2021. In Three full seasons with the Bulls over four total years with the team due to missing 2023 with an injury, Guerber has racked up 52 points, 29 of which came this season on seven goals and five assists.
Defender Frederique St. Jean, who is entering her fifth year of collegiate soccer and her second with the Bulls after transferring from St. John’s ahead of the 2024 season, is widely regarded as one if not the best defender in the MAC, earning All-MAC First Team honors in 2024 and following it up with another impressive season where she started 15 of the 18 Buffalo matches and racked up over 1300 minutes and one MAC Defensive Player of the Week award.
The Bulls will be hungry for their first taste of a MAC Tournament final since 2022, but any of the six teams in the 2025 MAC Tournament will be hungry to get their hands on the trophy at the end of what will be a long week at Historic Crew Stadium.
