Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
CLEVELAND STATE
Cleveland State Squeaks Past Falcons, 2-1
August 19, 2007 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 19, 2007
BGSU-Cleveland State Final Stats
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Host Cleveland State University got a pair of late goals, the second coming on a penalty kick, to pick up a 2-1 win over the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team Sunday afternoon (Aug. 19). The exhibition match was held at CSU's Krenzler Field.
Sophomore Jacob Lawrence scored the lone goal for the Falcons, with senior Ryan Perea picking up an assist. The goal came in the 79th minute and knotted the score at 1-1, but the Vikings would score the eventual winner on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute.
In a match played in a steady rain that eventually waterlogged the Krenzler Field turf, BGSU outshot the hosts by a 13-6 margin, and the Falcons were credited with seven shots on goal to the Vikings' two.
"I am quite pleased with what I saw today," said BGSU head coach Fred Thompson, who enters his fourth season at the Falcon helm. "We have a lot of returners, but we also have a lot of newcomers, and it was good to see some of them get in there and do well."
The first half saw a total of five shot attempts credited, with four coming from the Falcons. Offensive opportunities were few and far between in the opening 45 minutes, but play picked up in the second half.
The Vikings opened up the scoring at the 72:37 mark as Bryan Henson found the back of the net from 10 yards out as a result of several clean CSU passes. Less than six minutes later, however, the Falcons notched the equalizer.
On BGSU's scoring play, Ryan Perea made a nice run down the right side of the field, cutting past a CSU defender and heading toward goal. Perea's pass found Lawrence in close, and the sophomore converted from five yards out.
With just under nine minutes remaining in the second half, however, a BG defender was called for holding in the box, and CSU was awarded a penalty kick. Jordan Zapotechne scored into the right corner of the net to give the hosts the lead, and that held up as the winning goal.
In all, five newcomers were on the field for the Falcons at the opening kickoff. The BGSU starting lineup was comprised of two seniors, two juniors (including one first-year transfer), three sophomores and four freshmen.
"Our entire back line was comprised of guys who were not here last year," said Thompson. "To see how they did was key, and I could not be more pleased. That group did not let Cleveland State have any scoring chances in the first half.
"All in all, we were a little bit sharper, a little bit stronger, and we were better soccer players than last year. The match got extremely physical toward the end, and we held our own, where past teams might not have held up so well.
"All indications are very positive, very encouraging from today. Again, I am pleased with our performance, and I look forward to getting back on the practice field and continuing to work toward getting better each day."
The Falcons have one more exhibition match before the regular season begins. BGSU will host Oakland University on Friday (Aug. 24) at 5:00 p.m. The Brown and Orange will play the first four regular-season matches away from home, beginning with a contest at Florida International on Aug. 31.
