Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Drop Conference Opener
September 29, 2006 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 29, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Bowling Green State University fell to 0-1-0 in conference play as Northern Illinois, the fifth ranked program in the Great Lakes regional, scored twice to extend their MAC win streak to two.
BGSU is 1-9-1 on the season while the Huskies improve to 7-3-1.
"This was a good Midwest soccer game. It was played hard and fast and there was always something going on," said coach Fred Thompson.
NIU took the lead at the 19:03 mark as Marcus McCarty netted a header from a Justin MaGrane pass. McCarty is one of three players to lead the Mid-American Conference in goals scored.
"The free header inside the box is something that should not have happened defensively," said Thompson. "But it is the only mistake I can count in the first half."
The Falcons picked up their play after the goal and gave a solid offensive effort in the remainder of the first half and into the second noted Thompson.
The mental rhythm of the Falcons was disrupted when junior forward Abiola Sandy picked up a red card after fouling one of the Huskies.
"It took a few minutes of being down a man to get back into our set, but once we got our composure it was hard to tell we were a man down," said Thompson.
The Falcons best chance to tie the match came as Hunter Van Houten slid a through-ball, which was aimed at the back post of the goal structure, just six yards in front of the NIU keeper. The score would be determined by who would reach the ball first, and the Huskies came up with possession.
"If we would have had the eleventh man on the field, that play would have more than likely resulted in a goal and the remaining minutes of the match could have been very different," said Thompson.
NIU's second score was a result of a Paul Shoemaker misplayed ball in the direct path of NIU's Luis De la Cerda.
"I am proud of their effort and fight tonight. The match was a back and forth possession dual, but we had players covering every inch of the field and most times it was easy to forget we were a man down because of our effort," said Thompson.
The Falcons will travel to Detroit on Tuesday afternoon before returning to conference action to host the Bulls of the University at Buffalo. The Detroit match will begin at 4:00 p.m., while the UB match will kick-off at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.
