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ATHENS, Ohio -- The third-seeded Ohio soccer team (10-4-4) opens play at the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 3 when they take on No. 6 Bowling Green (6-7-4) in the MAC Quarterfinals in Athens. First touch is set for 1 p.m. at Chessa Field and can be been on ESPN+.
Series History
Sunday's matchup will be the 33rd time Ohio and Bowling Green will match up. The Bobcats currently have a slight edge in the all-time series record at 14-11-7.
This will be the third time the two programs will face off in the MAC Tournament. The last time, Nov. 2, 2023 in the MAC Semifinals, the Bobcats took down the Falcons, 2-1, to advance to the MAC Championship game.
Last Matchup
This will not be the first time Ohio and Bowling Green have faced off this season. The Bobcats traveled to Bowling Green earlier this year and dominated with a 3-0 victory.
The Bobcats came out strong to start the match, with Jaimason Brooker (Powell, Ohio) taking an early shot in the third minute. Bowling Green's goalkeeper, Madison Vukas, was ready, however, making the save to keep things level at 0-0. But just before halftime, in the 44th minute, Sydney Crowe (Wilmington, Ohio) capitalized on an assist from Iro Fakinou (Athens, Greece) to put Ohio on the board, giving them a 1-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, Brooker stayed aggressive, firing two consecutive shots on goal that were both stopped. Soon after, in the 48th minute, Anna Burchett (Prestonburg, Ky.) managed to break through Bowling Green's defense, finding the net for Ohio's second goal and pushing the lead to 2-0. Finally, Ryann Pruss (Perrysburg, Ohio) scored in the 82nd minute, securing a 3-0 victory for the Bobcats.
Sophomore goalkeeper Celeste Sloma (Columbus, Ohio) recorded six saves in the game. Bowling Greens's goalkeeper, Madison Vukas, had nine saves.
Ohio totaled 19 shots, 12 of which were on target, and four corner kicks. On the other end, Bowling Green had 11 shots, six shots on goal, and six corners.
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green wrapped up the regular season with a 7-6-4 overall record and a 4-4-3 mark in MAC play, making it into the tournament on the final day of the regular season as the sixth seed.
Bowling Green is led by freshman goalkeeper Payton O'Malley took over the starting keeper roll after the Falcons and Bobcats last met up in September. In eight games, O'Malley has played 720 minutes, allowing 13 goals and recording a 1.62 goals against average. She also has 26 saves and two shutouts.
Offensively, Lexi Czerwien led BGSU with five goals and one assist for 11 points, while Emma Stransky added four goals, two assists and 10 points. Overall, BGSU scored 21 goals this season, recording a 1.24 goals per game average.
Scouting Ohio
The Bobcats ended the regular season with an overall record of 10-4-4 and a 5-3-3 mark in MAC play.
Overall this season, Ohio scored 34 goals for a 1.89 goals per game average, while holding opponents to just 12 goals and a 0.67 goals per game average.
Ohio continued to prove to be one of the best defensive teams in the MAC this season, only allowing seven goals in 11 matches during conference play. This was helped by stellar goalkeeping from Sloma, who finished the year with 58 saves, a GAA of 0.629, and nine clean sheets.
Offensively, Brooker led the Bobcats with seven goals, six assists and 20 points overall, with five goals one assist and 11 points coming in conference play. Pruss added nine points for Ohio during the season, with three goals and three assists, while graduate student Aubrey Rea (Akron, Ohio) added four goals and one assist and nine points, with five of those points coming during conference play.
MAC Tournament
The winner of Sunday's quarterfinal match will face off with No. 2 Buffalo on Thursday, Nov. 7 in Kalamazoo, Mich., with the top-seeded Western Michigan Broncos serving as host.
Find a full breakdown of the MAC Tournament structure and schedule here.
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