Kordan and Bland reflect on the Season:

Senior Captains Colleen Kordan and Samantha Bland were recently asked to provide some reflection on the past season to the BGSU school news paper. See below to read their the article that was published in this weeks BG News:

Looking back on four years of playing soccer with the Falcons, senior co-captains Samantha Bland and Colleen Kordan have bittersweet emotions.

They both loved their time playing soccer under coach Andy Richards but now that it is over, both are already missing it.

“I can’t even explain the emotions,” Bland said. “You never think the day actually will come when you’re done with something that you have put so much time into your whole life.

“I’m extremely sad to be done with BGSU soccer, it was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Kordan shares some of the same and some different feelings about finishing her final season.

“I am excited to move onto a new chapter of my life and enjoy things that I couldn’t while I was playing soccer,” Kordan said. “I’m planning on graduating in the spring. It’s an exciting part in my life.”

But Kordan is hung up on some of the way this season panned out.

“The way my senior class and I went out, that’s not how I wanted to be remembered,” Kordan said. “It was my goal to help lead my team to a championship and I wasn’t able to fulfill that goal. It’s sad — soccer has been a part of my life for the past 15 years and now it’s gone. It still hasn’t hit me yet.”

There are a lot of things that Kordan and Bland will take with them now that their season has come to a close and they are on their way to graduation. Richards has definitely left them with some good lessons that apply to both on and off the field.

“Losing makes you appreciate winning,” Bland said. “Don’t be selfish. When you work as a team, you can accomplish so much more than working for yourself.”

But some lessons will be left on the soccer field.

“Always keep the ball low and hard and in the corner,” Bland said.
The seniors also will miss much more from their four years playing.

“Hands down: my teammates,” Kordan said. “It’s funny. You come into college not knowing a single teammate and by the end of your four years, you’ve truly become a family — especially with those you’ve played with for four years. It’s an irreplaceable feeling.”

Bland also will miss her teammates.

“I will miss the girls,” she said. “I have made some of my best friends here — the bus trips, home games and being able to play competitively.”

Now that the season has come to a close, Kordan and Bland have different ideas of how soccer will fit in their lives.

“I’ve never pictured myself as a coach, but who knows,” Bland said. “I definitely want to focus my dietetics career around something sports-related; soccer would be great.”

“I hope to play co-ed and in leagues with my former teammates,” Kordan said. “Maybe one day, I’ll go back to coaching. I hope to stay connected to the BGSU program by attending games and working the summer camp.”

Looking back, one must look at the highlights and accomplishments of these two soccer players. Kordan has accumulated five goals scored along with seven assists in her four years here as a Falcon. She was named to the All-MAC team her freshman year, named co-defensive MVP along with Bland her sophomore year and named First Team All-MAC her junior year.

Bland has scored three goals and two assists in her tenure here at BG. Her defensive accomplishments are even more impressive though, as she has been named the team’s defensive MVP each year with the Falcons.

For these two players, looking back on their memories on the field is very rewarding and emotional. Now that they have left their legacies on the field, they are leaving the world of BG soccer with some advice for the younger players, to help them prosper.

“Always give 100 percent and have fun,” Kordan said. “I remember when I was a freshman the seniors used to tell me, ‘Enjoy it — it’ll be over before you know it.’”

Samantha Bland had a similar message, along with a certain goal she would like the Falcons to carry out.

“Stay in shape, stay out of trouble, don’t get down on yourself,” she said. “And win a flippin’ ring.”

As previously mentioned, the team is hard at work to make winning next season's MAC championship a possibility. ROLL ALONG!

Almond and Stephenson earn Academic All-District Honors

Two Bowling Green State University student-athletes have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV University Division Women's Soccer Team. Juniors Alicia Almond and Katie Stephenson each earned third-team honors.

Stephenson makes the team for the second consecutive year, having been named to the second team in 2008. Almond earns academic all-district honors for the first time.

Almond maintains a 3.95 cumulative grade point average as a health science major. Stephenson, a finance major, has a 3.94 cumulative GPA in her BGSU career to date.

A native of Findlay, Ohio (Findlay HS), Almond was one of just four Falcons to start all 20 matches in 2009. A mainstay on BGSU's back line, she played a total of 1728 minutes, the second-highest total on the team, and scored three points.

Almond scored a goal in the Miami game, and assisted on freshman Keely Chandler's game-winning goal vs. Youngstown State. In her career, Almond has played in 47 matches, making 21 starts, and has seven points on three goals and an assist.

Stephenson, who hails from Lexington, Ohio (Lexington HS), played in all 20 matches in 2009, making 12 starts. Like Almond, Stephenson had three points on a goal and an assist. Her goal came in BGSU's win at Detroit, and she also assisted on Chandler's winner in the YSU match.

In her career, Stephenson has played in 63 of BGSU's 64 matches since her arrival on campus, making 32 starts. She has 16 career points on five goals and six assists.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District University Division Team is made up of student-athletes from Division I schools in the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. To be nominated, a student-athlete must hold at least sophomore status, be a starter or key reserve, and carry a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher. Team members are selected by a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) within the district.

Two Falcons Earn Conference Recognition

Senior Samantha Bland earned MAC honors with a 2nd team all-MAC selection, and Freshman Kelly chandler was recognized for her immediate impact on the team with her selection to the MAC All-Freshman Team. The two players earned honors following end of the season voting by each of the Head Coaches n the conference. Bland was a co-captain of the 2009 squad and started in every match played by the Falcon’s on the season. Chandler started 10 of the Falcon’s 20 games this weason, and recorded 3 goals on the year.

BGSU’s all time list of selected players includes:


BGSU WOMEN'S SOCCER ALL-MAC SELECTIONS

First Team
Alexa Arsenault, 2008
Colleen Kordan, 2008
Britt Anderson, 2005
Samantha Meister, 2005
Samantha Meister, 2003
Erika Flanders, 2002
Tracy Gleixner, 1998

Second Team
Samantha Bland, 2009
Corbie Yee, 2008
Corbie Yee, 2007
Corbie Yee, 2006
Julie Trundle, 2005
Kristy Coppes, 2004
Leah Eggleton, 2004
Ashley Enser, 2000
Beth Wechsler, 2000
Beth Wechsler, 1998

All-Freshman Team
Keely Chandler, 2009
Megan Amann, 2008
Alyssa Zuccaro, 2008
Alexa Arsenault, 2007
Meagan Moran, 2007
Jackie Tamerlano, 2007
Colleen Kordan, 2006
Susan Hunter, 2005
Corbie Yee, 2005