Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Kick-Off Conference Season in DeKalb
September 27, 2006 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 27, 2006
Complete Weekly MAC Release in PDF Format
Complete Release in PDF Format
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The soccer Falcons (1-8-1, 0-0-0) will travel to DeKalb, Illinois to open Mid-American Conference action against the Huskies of Northern Illinois University (6-3-1, 1-0-0). NIU has one conference win under their belts after Sunday's 5-0 shutout over IPFW.
Birds of Prey
The Past Week in Falcon Soccer
• Regionally ranked Michigan State beat the Falcons, 1-0, on a penalty kick at Mickey Cochrane Field...at the Sept. 20 match, r-freshman keeper Mark Scholz recorded five saves against the Big Ten powerhouse...regionally ranked Evansville beat the Falcons on Sunday afternoon...the final score was 4-1...BGSU's score came off a Ryan Perea PK.
BGSU and the PK
• Ryan Perea's penalty kick conversion on Sunday was his first as a Falcon and was his second goal on the season...freshman Ahmad Smith also connected on a PK...he has scored two additional career goals...BGSU is 2-2 on PK's this season...both have been made at home.
Scouting the Huskies
NIU team history
• The Huskies have been led by Steve Simons for the past three seasons and recorded a 26-26-4 record under the head coach at the end of last season...15 players return from last season's 11-6-2 squad...seven starters return from the 4-1-0 squad that finished second in the MAC.
The Huskies in 2006
• NIU has accumulated a 6-3-1 overall record after their win over IPFW...prior to Sunday's match, the Huskies took #21 Notre Dame to a double overtime scoreless tie on Wednesday in South Bend...it was keeper Joe Zimka's second career shutout...NIU is 2-0-0 at home this season.
In MAC play
• The Huskies are 1-0-0 after shutting out MAC opponent IPFW 5-0 on Sunday...keeper Joe Zimka recorded five saves on as many shots on goal...Luis De La Cerda led the Huskies with two goals...Marcus McCarty, Emmanuel Luvert, and Ben Thomas each chipped in an additional goal.
The BGSU/NIU Series History
• The Huskies lead the all-time series (9-6) dating back to 1974...NIU has also outscored the Falcons 32-27...in their last meeting, NIU beat the Falcons at Mickey Cochrane Field 3-0 on October 7, 2005...the 2-1 victory on November 7, 2003 was the last time BGSU beat the Huskies...the match was at home...October 6, 2002 marked the last Falcon victory in DeKalb...BGSU won 2-1.
The Mid-American Conference
Soaring in the MAC
• The Falcons rank second among the MAC programs as they average 11.80 shots per game...they sit just one slot higher than their opponent NIU's 10.70 shots per game...the BGSU keeper corps have combined for 50 saves in 10 games...the number is second among conference opponents...this will be important because NIU's 15 total goals is second among all conference participants...the Huskies average 1.50 goals per game.
Painting the MAC Orange and Brown
• Justin Kim and Alec Perea are tied for fifth among all MAC players with 21 shots taken in 10 games and average 2.10 shots per game...Ryan Perea and George Davis IV tie other MAC players for the ninth spot with 16 shots taken...Ahmad Smith's three goals are good enough to tie for a fourth ranking...NIU's Marcus McCarty is one of three conference leaders to score five goals this season...Kim and R. Perea sit among eight other players to score two goals to date...in seven matches, Paul Shoemaker recorded 23 saves and his 3.29 average saves per game ranks fourth in the conference.
BGSU and Regionally Ranked Opponents
Great Lakes Region (0-3-0)
• The Huskies are ranked 5 in the Great Lakes region and will be the second opponent in the past four matches to be ranked among the Top Ten in the Great Lakes region...other opponents include the No. 7 Spartans of Michigan State (9/20)...MSU beat the Falcons 1-0 on a PK.
Midwest (1-2-0)
• The Falcons have posted a 1-2-0 record against those currently ranked in the Midwest region...the Falcons beat No. 7 Western Illinois in their season opener on Aug. 25, 2-1 (OT)...No. 6 Eastern Illinois beat BGSU, 2-1. on Aug. 27...most recently, No. 9 Evansville beat the Falcons, 4-1 on Sunday afternoon...all three of the matches were played at Mickey Cochrane Stadium.
