Bowling Green State University Athletics
Men's Soccer To Host MAC Championship Match on Sunday
November 07, 2000 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 7, 2000
The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team will host the 2000 Mid-American Conference tournament championship match this Sunday at 1 p.m. against the University of Kentucky. Tickets are priced at $4 for adults and $2 for students. All BGSU students must buy a ticket per conference regulations. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Falcons defeated Buffalo (1-0) last Sunday in Buffalo to advance to the title game. Senior Gene Braxton scored on a header just 2:46 into the match with Fred Degand and Adam Erhard earning assists on Braxton's third goal of the season.
The Wildcats defeated Northern Illinois (1-0) and Marshall (1-0) last weekend in MAC tournament play to advance to the championship game.
Earlier in the week (Oct. 31), BG played Michigan State to a 1-1 double overtime tie at Cochrane Field. Kevin Wisniewski scored the lone BG goal with an assist from Benjamin Vaccaro.
The Falcons will be participating in the MAC title for the sixth time in the seven-year history of the league tournament. BG has won three conference tournamen titles (1995-96-97) and finished second on two other occasions (1994-98).
Kentucky is the defending MAC tournament champions having defeated Northern Illinois, 2-1, in last year's title game. UK also played in the 1996 championship match falling to the Falcons, 4-0.
UK is led in scoring by sophomore midfielder Chris McDaniel (5-1--11), senior midfielder Giovani Fernandes (2-4--8), senior defender Tyler Cook (2-4--8) and freshman forward Chris Soler (2-4--8). Senior goalkeeper Brian O'leary has compiled a 10-6-1 record with a 1.09 goals-against average and seven shutouts for seventh-year head coach Ian Collins. Collins has a record of 81-55-10 with the Wildcats and an overall coaching mark of 92-86-18 in 10 years.
Kentucky defeated BG, 2-1 in overtime on a goal by Tyler Cook, earlier this season (Oct. 20) in Lexington.
Bowling Green moved up two spots to No. 8 in this Great Lakes Region poll sponsored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). UK is ranked ninth this week.
