By Nicholas Huenefeld

Special to the Sentinel-Tribune

The Bowling Green State University women’s soccer team is intent on getting back to the NCAA Tournament this fall under new head coach Chris Fox, and the sister duo of Anthony Wayne graduates Emilie and Brynn Gardner will play an integral role in that effort.

“I think the biggest thing motivating our team is each other,” Brynn said. “We hold each other to such a high standard. That work ethic has to come within the team. The coach can’t put that in us. It has to come from within.

“We kind of motivate each other the most, but definitely losing in the (MAC) tournament the past two years and a big chunk of our team being seniors, we need to step up and make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Brynn, a junior forward, has produced 12 goals and 11 assists in her career after enrolling early in January 2022. She is coming off a First Team All-MAC season in 2023, where she led the Falcons in goals and points while adding three game-winning goals.

Her play also led to a Second Team All-Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association selection.

“I would definitely say coming in early helped me get to the level of competition BGSU was at,” she said. “It took me a few weeks to adjust to the speed and psychology of the players and the team in general. Once I got a hold of that, I knew what to expect.”

In her first season on campus, Brynn was thrust into a larger role than initially expected because of injuries, and ultimately produced six goals and a team-best seven assists en route to a MAC All-Freshman Team selection.

Last year, BGSU lost 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year Kennedy White to the transfer portal, so Brynn and Ellie Pool had to step into being the team’s primary goal scorers.

“We had to work on our chemistry up front,” Brynn said. “I changed from more of a winger to a striker, so I had to develop myself as a player in that new position.”

Now, Brynn and the Falcons are adjusting to a possession-based system under the direction of Fox, who led Morehead State to the NCAA Tournament last season.

“We worked all spring on changing our system of play, working through some kinks, and growing our relationship with him and each other,” Brynn said. “We got really far towards the end of the spring season in terms of growth in that system, so I’m really excited to see how we come out this year.”

Emilie, meanwhile, enters her fifth season on campus. After opening her career with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, she looks to serve in a leadership role for a team intent on erasing the memory of back-to-back losses in the MAC Tournament semifinals.

“I would really like to end my career on a high note” Emilie said. “Going to the NCAA Tournament would be an experience like no other. The past two times we’ve been there were so awesome, and I would love to take the team back there, especially for the underclassmen.

“It (would be) great for them to experience it. It’s great exposure, and it’s an atmosphere like you can’t describe. I really just want to be the player that the underclassmen look up to for advice and leadership. I may not be the most outspoken or demanding teammate, but more so leading by action.”

National honoree

In 2023, Emilie was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week on Oct. 3 after recording her first three collegiate assists.

In fact, after playing in just six matches over her first two seasons, Emilie has competed in 32 matches over the past two campaigns, including 17 starts in 2023.

“Honestly, it was really just a trust-the-process type thing,” she said. “Each year I was getting a little more experience, a little more confidence, and I kind of just evolved into the player I am today.

“I knew my role on the team. I wasn’t going to be a big-minutes player or score these big-time goals, but I just knew my time would come and that everyone is on the team for a reason.

“If that meant I showed up to practice and I bettered the older players, then that was my job that day or that year. It just happened that that was what I was meant to do the first two years.”

Last year produced a special moment for the sisters as Emilie, along with her roommate, Pool, assisted on a game-winning goal from Brynn in the final minute against Ball State on Oct. 22.

“It was a really fun moment,” Brynn said. “It was literally the last few seconds of the game. She took a free kick and put it into the box, and it was kind of a scramble.”

The two sisters, who both had very successful prep careers locally at Anthony Wayne, will compete on the same team for the last time this fall.

“I just want to go into this season and create as many memories as possible and try to bring the positive out of as many situations as possible and really cherish the moments with my teammates, especially my sister,” Emilie said.

For Brynn, she thinks that realization will set in later.

“Right now, I’m excited because we still have a full season ahead,” she said. “Obviously as we work into the season, it’s going to be a sad realization that I won’t be playing aside her anymore, but I think we just need to take every day one at a time. Hopefully by doing that, we can finish the season off on a really good note.”

Academically, Emilie earned her undergraduate degree in the spring and is beginning her master’s program in dietetics, which is about a two-and-a-half-year program. Following that, she plans on getting certified.