MAC champs to meet Spartans in NCAA soccer

The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team celebrates the winning kick by senior Julie Trundle as BG defeated Kent State University to capture the MAC Tournament title. (Craig Bell Photo)BOWLING GREEN, O.—BGSU’s women’s soccer team has earned the Mid-American Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament by capturing the MAC Tournament title for the second straight year.

The women’s soccer team has lost only six of 22 matches this season, including a 1-0 setback at Michigan State University on Sept. 9. Now, the Falcons are getting a rematch on a bigger stage.
BGSU will travel to Notre Dame, Ind., Friday (Nov. 11) to open the NCAA Division I tournament against the Spartans. Kickoff will be at 5 p.m.

The Falcons will take a 14-6-2 record into the match, whose winner will face the winner of a Friday night match between Valparaiso and defending national champion Notre Dame. The second-round match will be played Sunday (Nov. 13). Last year, in their first-ever trip to the national tournament, the Falcons fell in the first round to Ohio
State, 2-0.

Bowling Green, which also won the MAC regular-season championship this year, has played Michigan State every year since BGSU added the sport on the varsity level in 1997. The Spartans (11-5-5 in 2005) lead the series with the Falcons, 7-1-1.

(Posted November 08, 2005)