Spring Play Day at BGSU a Success!

The Ohio Northern University Women's Soccer team had their one play date allowed by the NCAA this past weekend on the campus of Bowling Green State University.  The women's soccer team participated in the annual BGSU Spring Tournament as they took on DI Bowling Green at noon and then played NAIA Sienna Heights at 2p. 
"My vision for the weekend was to keep everyone healthy, compete, and have fun," said Head Coach Mark Batman.  "I felt we did all three of those things on Saturday.  It was going to be interesting to see how our girls competed since it was our first game since November; especially while the two teams we were set to play had been training and playing games all winter/spring.  The girls were fantastic.  Their energy was great and they haven't lost that passion to play and compete.  This is very exciting leading into the summer and next fall.  If they continue on this path, I believe next season will be loads of fun for them."
The Polar Bears fell 1-0 to Bowling Green in their first match.  The game certainly wasn't one sided as you may have thought.  BGSU had the early advantage and put pressure on the Polar Bears, but solid team defense kept the Falcons from scoring until late in the first half.  The second half started and ONU created some very dangerous scoring opportunities but unfortunately weren't able to capitalize on any of them.  Solid team defense and great decision making with the ball kept BGSU on their heels for most of the second half.  You could certainly see ONU got their rhythm and looked like the team from the fall for most of the second half.
Game two of the day was all ONU, but ended up tying Sienna Heights 0-0.  Again, Sienna Heights showed they had been playing all winter/spring and put early pressure on the Polar Bears.  But they weathered the storm and then created great scoring changes and held the ball for most of the match.
"Overall it was a great day for us," said Coach Batman.  "The girls had fun, everyone stayed healthy, and we competed to our capabilities.  We are looking forward to our new additions in the fall and we'll see how the new players get on with the returning players.  Next fall should be a fun and exciting time for ONU Women's Soccer."

The team will finish their last week of non traditional practice this week with their annual Black v Orange competitions.  The two teams compete in various games throughout the course of the week.  It's a great way for the team to cap off their spring season, relax before finals, and have fun heading into the summer.