.png&type=webp)
Bowling Green State University Athletics
1999 Falcons Men's Soccer Outlook
January 03, 2000 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 19, 1999
"Although the 1998 season ended with a disappointing loss in the (Mid-American) conference tournament championship game, we believe the experience of competing for a fourth consecutive tournament title and NCAA appearance last November helped to mold our 1999 squad, a group anxious to once again compete for the top spot in the Mid-American Conference," said sixth-year head coach Mel Mahler.
The Falcons have 19 returning letterwinners that accounted for 70% of BG's goals last season back in the fold including eight players who had at least 12 starts a year ago. Competition for starting roles should come from seven other returnees that combined for 25 starts last year.
"Overall we are much improved from a year ago. Continuous development throughout the spring has enabled us to better define player's roles and address some positional concerns, thus becoming a more cohesive unit," added Mahler. "We're excited about the challenges we will face and every player knows that nothing of value comes easy."
A position by position breakdown of the 1999 Falcons:
GOALKEEPER
Senior Ty Fowler has performed well when given the opportunity playing behind two-time NSCAA All-American Scott Vallow the last three seasons.
He recorded a 4-1 win over Northern Illinois in the 1997 MAC tournament for his second career triumph. Won his first collegiate game in the regular-season finale at Eastern Michigan in relief of Scott Vallow.
After seeing limited action the during his college career, the challenge for Fowler will be to perform at a high level on a daily basis. He brings to his senior season a 0.77 career goals-against average.
Fowler's back-up will freshman Michael Began (Broadview Hts., OH/Brecksville-Broadview Hts.), the younger brother of former Falcon Jason Began.
DEFENDERS
Last season, the Falcons allowed 18 goals in 20 matches, while recording 10 shutouts. BG allowed more than two goals in a match only twice in 1998.
Senior tri-captain Kevin Jackson (Hudson, OH) has spent his career marking the opponents' top forward and will get that assignment once again this year. Junior Fred Degand (Highland Park, IL) can cover a lot of ground and is very good going forward. Degand is one of the Falcons' most dominant players in the air.
Senior tri-captain Jason Bryant (Pickerington, OH) has been a two-year starter at defensive midfield. While his primary focus will be to perform the role of 'stopper,' his distribution skills will be vital to the Falcons offense.
Junior Matt Lyons (Maineville, OH/Cincinnati Moeller) established himself in the sweeper role late last season starting the final five matches. Lyons will be expected to organize the team defense and be instrumental in building the attack from the back.
Junior Chris Kraft (North Olmsted, OH) and sophomore Adam Schokora (Clinton Township, MI/De La Salle) give the Falcons versatility and depth in the back. Both have had considerable playing time either as a starter or as a substitute and will push for playing minutes.
Freshman Matt Martinka (Newton, NJ) rounds out the BG backfield corps.
MIDFIELDERS
Juniors Adam Erhard (North Olmsted, OH) and Tommy Thomas (Elida, OH) will be starters in the wide midfield in order to utilize their speed, aggressiveness and one-on-one capabilities.
Sophomores Kevin Wisniewski (North Olmsted, OH) and Detrick Matthews (Bellefontaine, OH/ Hope) will be competing for playing time in the central midfield.
Senior tri-captain Chris Dore (Vermillion, OH/Lorain Catholic) will be in the attacking midfield. Dore is a proven talent that can score, distribute the ball and a lot of the play in the midfield will go through him this season. He is known for his outstanding work ethic.
Sophomores Mike Tinajero (Findlay, OH) and Ben Vaccaro (Kent, OH/Roosevelt) will give the Falcons depth in the wide midfield.
Freshman Matthew Leardini (Youngstown, NY/Lewiston Porter) is the lone newcomer in the midfield.
FORWARDS
BG scored on 8.6% of its total shots last year, a percentage that will need to increase dramatically for the Falcons to be competitive.
Senior Bobby Biggs (Dublin, OH/De Sales) has scored 13 goals over the last two seasons including seven-match winners. Biggs has a strong work ethic and is a proven big game scorer. He has a knack for finding the goal evidenced by his four goals scored in MAC tournament play over the last two seasons.
Junior Zac Olson (Mason, MI) and sophomore Tony Malik (Parma, OH/Padua Franciscan) bring size (Olson 6-2, Malik 5-11), speed and athleticism up front. Both players can be dominant in the air.
Junior Gene Braxton (Cincinnati, OH/Turpin) came off the bench last year for BG and brings an element of speed to the game.
Sophomore Matt Johnson (Cincinnati, OH/Turpin) has the ability to score and will push for playing time.
Newcomer Justin Follebout (Warren, MI/De La Salle) should make an immediate impact during his freshman campaign.
SCHEDULE
"As we've been able to do the past five years, we aim to be playing our best soccer by November to put us in a position to win the MAC Championship and move on into post-season play."
The 1999 schedule includes three contests against teams ranked in the top 20 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) final 1998 poll: Southern Methodist (15th), Akron (17th) and Penn State (20th).
Both Southern Methodist (Midwest) and Penn State (Mid- Atlantic) were ranked No. 1 in their regions final 1998 poll. The Falcons will face both schools in the Florida International Classic on Sept. 24-26.
BG's opponents in the Holiday Inn City Centre Classic, Bradley and Tulsa, hosted by Bradley University were rated sixth and fourth in the midwest, respectively.
Three MAC schools were listed in their regions final polls a year ago: Akron (second in Great Lakes), Buffalo (eighth in New York) and Northern Illinois (ninth in midwest).
"Although we (MAC) secured an automatic qualification for the NCAA Tournament, it is unfortunate the tournament field was not expanded from 32 to 48 teams. The expansion would have afforded our conference the opportunity to send more than one school to the post-season. Every year the MAC becomes a stronger soccer conference and the opportunity to showcase a few MAC schools in the NCAAs is just what our conference needs and deserves."
The challenge to return to the top of the MAC should make the 1999 season a fun and exciting journey. A young team from a year ago has returned with the dedication and enthusiasm to carry on the tradition of Falcon soccer.
"Our mission each year is to be the premier program in the conference and Ohio, and to accomplish this we will look towards our senior class and their leadership skills. They have observed for three years the leadership styles of some very successful seniors, and now it's their turn to demonstrate what they have learned and direct this team to the best of their abilities."
"After a three-year stint as the backup goalkeeper, Ty Fowler (Northville, MI) will take over in the nets. Ty has the tools to maintain the long tradition of exceptional goalkeeping here at BG. We know that Ty welcomes this opportunity and is looking forward to the challenge."
"As we enter the season, the strength of our team will be the back four. We have great depth, experience and athleticism that should pay dividends. They are battle-tested and have the proven ability to shut down the opponent."
"The focus last year and this past spring was to put together the right combination in the midfield. We are pleased with the development of our wide midfielders, and we're very close to completing the missing pieces in the central midfield. We should have a more balanced attack as well as a tough defending unit to patrol the midfield this fall."
"We have quality depth and versatility - players with size, strength and speed that have demonstrated the ability to score. Unfortunately, we struggled scoring last year (23 goals in 20 matches, shutout six times). It was not due to a lack of creating scoring chances. The players are aware that they need to finish more of these chances and we're confident they will find a way to get it done."
"More so than any other year, our September schedule will test our competitive spirit. We believe it is very important to schedule good competition early to prepare us for the very difficult MAC schedule, and the highlight of our season, the MAC tournament.
