CMU soccer triumphs in nail biter over Bowling Green
With four minutes remaining in a tied game, Lauren Walker fielded a pass from Gabriella Sapia directly in front of the net.
To avoid a potential tie, Walker nailed the kick giving Central Michigan soccer a one goal lead over Bowling Green late in the game.
The game winning goal solidified the win for CMU as it defeated the Falcons 2-1.
The Chippewas now stand at 5-6-4 on the season and 3-3-2 in conference play. As the season enters it's final stretch, CMU stands at fourth in the Mid-American Conference.
"This part of the season is just about finding a way to win," head coach Jeremy Groves said. "We were under a lot of pressure. We made some adjustments to stop the bleeding, which worked and obviously we were able to nick a goal at the end."
The first half began with a defensive showdown that saw Central Michigan control the pace of the game through time of possession.
The Chippewa offense struck first at the 21-minute mark with Claudia Muessig finding the net to take an early 1-0 lead.
The CMU defense continued to be unrelenting for the rest of the first half as the Falcons failed to find a shot on goal. Central Michigan entered halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Bowling Green came out of the locker room determined to tie the score, with the offense seeming to find their stride.
BGSU's offense was able to force two consecutive corner kicks giving the Falcons momentum early in the second half. At the 51-minute mark Bowling Green was able to capitalize off of a corner kick which evened the score at one.
"Straight from the get-go we were really disappointed we gave up the set piece goal which we've been working on all week," Groves said. "We were under a lot of pressure there. Previous years we would have crumbled but this year I think we've toughened up."
The Bowling Green offense continuously attempted to take the lead following the goal, but CMU goalie Allison LaPoint registered three straight saves to bail out the Chippewas and keep the game tied.
With only four minutes remaining, Lauren Walker scored the game-winning goal to give Central Michigan the win over the Falcons.
The Chippewas will face off against Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.
