Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Host Kentucky In A Key Men's Soccer Matchup
October 04, 2001 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 4, 2001
Bowling Green, Ohio -
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Bowling Green (3-2-1 overall, 1-1-0 MAC) hosts... Kentucky (4-4-1 overall, 2-0-0 MAC), Friday, Oct. 5, 4 p.m. Northern Illinois (2-6-0 overall, 0-2-0 MAC), Sunday, Oct. 7, 2 p.m.
Falcons to Host Kentucky and Northern Illinois... Bowling Green returns to Cochrane Field this weekend and hosts two Mid-American Conference opponents when Kentucky (Oct. 5) and Northern Illinois (Oct. 7) visit Northwest Ohio. The Wildcats were tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the MAC title and are currently tied for first place while NIU is winless (0-2) in league play.
Series Previews... BGSU is 6-5-1 overall against Kentucky since the two teams hooked up for the first time in 1993. UK has won four of the last five matches against the Falcons, all by one goal, including last year's MAC Championship at Cochrane Field, 1-0. In fact, seven of the 12 games played between the two schools have been decided by one goal and one ended in a 0-0 tie. BGSU is 4-6 against NIU. The first matchup between the two schools came in 1974. The Huskies have won three of the last four matches against BGSU including a 1-0 victory in their only meeting in 2000.
Head Coach Mel Mahler... Mel Mahler (High Point '78) is in his eighth season as head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons. During that time, Mahler has a record of 92-48-9 (.648 pct.). Overall, Mahler is 110-80-10 (.576 pct.) in 10 years of coaching. Prior to becoming head coach at BGSU, Mahler served as assistant coach under Gary Palmisano. Mahler coached in his 200th collegiate game on Sunday, Sept. 30, in a 1-0 win over Buffalo. On Friday, Mahler will coach in his 150th match as the BGSU mentor against Kentucky.
Falcons Working Overtime... Bowling Green played in its third overtime match of the 2001 season on Sunday, Sept. 30, in a 1-0 victory at Buffalo. BGSU has gone to extra periods against Canisius (0-0 tie, two overtimes), UW-Milwaukee (1-0 win, two overtimes) and Buffalo (1-0 win, one overtime) for a 2-0-1 record. Combined, the Falcons have not surrendered a goal in the 341 minutes of the three overtime matches and goalie David DeGraff has had 18 of his 31 saves against those three opponents.
BGSU Splits MAC Weekend Opener... The Falcons split their league games last weekend with a loss at Akron (2-1) and a victory at Buffalo (1-0, OT). In the loss to the Zips, BGSU's Tim Butler made good on his one shot of the evening with a lob over goalie Kyle Milligan at 64:17. For Butler, it was his second goal of the season, tops among the Falcons. However, Akron held a 22-11 shot advantage for the match, as well as a 10-3 advantage in corner kicks. At Buffalo, Bowling Green played in its third overtime match of the season and remained undefeated in extra periods with a 1-0 victory. The game-winner came off of the foot of co-captain Tony Malik. The senior connected on his first goal in nearly two years with an assist from freshman Burt Weaver.
Falcons Win 2001 Diadora Classic... With a goal by senior Detrick Matthews at 110:15 of Sunday's double-overtime match against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Bowling Green won its 2001 Diadora Classic at Cochrane Field. Matthews headed in the winner for a 1-0 BGSU victory. Matt Martinka and Tony Malik assisted on the goal. The goal ended over 230 minutes of scoreless action this weekend for the Falcons. The goal served as Matthews' first of the season, while the assist was Malik's first in over a year since moving to defender and was Martinka's first ever point at BGSU. Sophomore goalkeeper David DeGraff ended with 12 saves in the two games in the Classic and did not allow a goal in over 230 minutes played (230:15). Two of his seven saves on Sunday came on point-blank shots by the Panthers in the early moments of the match and one was off of a penalty kick by the Panthers at 62:52 of the match. DeGraff, Malik, Martinka and Matthews all were members of the 2001 All-Diadora Classic Team. Malik was voted Most Valuable Player.
Bowling Green 1-1 vs. Big-10 Opponents in 2001... Bowling Green is 1-1 against Big-10 opponents so far this season with a 4-0 loss to begin the year at 13th-ranked Ohio State (Sept. 9) and a 3-1 victory at Michigan State (Sept. 17). The MSU match was originally scheduled for Sept. 7, but was called early in the second half due to lightning and was forced to be rescheduled. In the win against the Spartans, three Falcons netted their first goal in the Brown and Orange, beginning with junior Matt Leardini (Youngstown, N.Y.), who put the visitors up 1-0. Then freshman Burt Weaver (Kettering, Ohio) gave BGSU a 2-0 lead, thanks to an assist from fellow frosh Jon Hundley (Lititz, Pa.). The final goal of the game came off of the foot of junior Tim Butler (Broadview Hts., Ohio) for the final 3-1 decision. BGSU plays at Michigan on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. for its final Big-10 matchup.
Falcons Among MAC Leaders... Shots Per Game Detrick Matthews (T-9th, 1.83 Points Per Game Tim Butler (T-9th, 0.67) Goals Tim Butler (T-9th, 2) Goals Per Game Tim Butler (T-5th, 0.33) Assists Per Game Jon Hundley (T-7th, 0.25) Game-Winning Goals Burt Weaver (T-3rd, 1) Tony Malik (T-3rd, 1) Detrick Matthews (T-3rd, 1) Saves David DeGraff (5th, 31) Shutouts David DeGraff (T-1st, 3) Shutouts Per Game David DeGraff (1st, 0.50) Goals Against Avg. David DeGraff (4th, 1.05)
