BGSU Heads to Akron to Face Defending National Champions

The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team has a pair of tough tests, to say the least, this week. The Falcons of head coach Eric Nichols play Mid-American Conference games against two teams that have spent time in the national rankings this year, beginning with a midweek match against the defending national champions.

On Wednesday night (Oct. 26), BGSU will face the University of Akron in the Rubber City. Kickoff between the Falcons and the 2010 NCAA champions is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field.

Then, the Brown and Orange will return to Cochrane Field for one final time this season. BGSU will host Northern Illinois University on Saturday night (Oct. 29), with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. It will mark the second home night game in program history, and the second in as many Saturdays.

BGSU CUMULATIVE STATISTICS: HTML   |   PDF
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Akron   |   Northern Illinois
LIVE STATS LINKS: Wednesday at UA   |   Saturday vs. NIU
BGSU 2011 MEDIA GUIDE:   PDF   |   Flip Interactive

FALCONS at AKRON
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 • 7:30 p.m.
VENUE: FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field; Akron, Ohio
RECORDS:
• BGSU: 7-4-3, 1-1-1 Mid-American Conference (6-9-3, 3-3-0 MAC in 2010)
• Akron: 11-2-2, 4-0-0 MAC (22-1-2, 6-0-0 MAC in 2010)
SERIES*: Akron leads, 39-8-3   |   STREAK: Akron - 11
LAST MEETING: Akron 2, at BGSU 0 (Sept. 11, 2010)
LAST MEETING IN AKRON: at Akron 6, BGSU 0 (Sept. 26, 2009)
COACHES:
• BGSU: Eric Nichols (Ohio State, 2000), 16-25-9 in third year at BGSU; 75-47-10 in seventh year overall; 6-7-2 in MAC matches
• Akron: Caleb Porter (Indiana, 1998), 101-15-12 in sixth year at UA and overall; 30-1-1 in MAC matches
LIVE STATS: Available at www.GoZips.com or BGSUFalcons.com
RADIO: WARF-AM 1350
LIVE STREAMING: Via MAC-Sports.com (link provided at BGSUFalcons.com)

FALCONS vs. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Saturday, October 29, 2011 • 7:00 p.m.
VENUE: Cochrane Field; Bowling Green, Ohio
RECORDS:
• BGSU: 7-4-3, 1-1-1 MAC (6-9-3, 3-3-0 MAC in 2010)
• NIU: 10-4-0, 2-2-0 MAC (9-6-2, 2-4-0 MAC in 2010)
SERIES*: NIU leads, 15-8-0   |   STREAK: NIU - 5
LAST MEETING: at NIU 1, BGSU 0 (Oct. 30, 2010)
LAST MEETING IN BOWLING GREEN: NIU 3, at BGSU 0 (Oct. 31, 2009)
COACHES:
• BGSU: Eric Nichols (Ohio State, 2000), 16-25-9 in third year at BGSU; 75-47-10 in seventh year overall; 6-7-2 in MAC matches
• NIU: Eric Luzzi (St. Mary's [Minn.], 1997), 29-18-3 in third year at NIU and overall; 7-9-0 in MAC matches
LIVE STATS: Available at BGSUFalcons.com
* Note: Series information can be found on page 37 of the 2011 BGSU online media guide, which is available in both PDF and flip interactive formats here at BGSUFalcons.com

LIVE STATISTICS
Again this season, all BGSU home matches (and very likely all away contests as well) will have live statistics available on the web. The live stats links can be found on the front page of BGSUFalcons.com (in the 'schedule' section) or by clicking on the men's soccer schedule and choosing the corresponding match.

LIVE VIDEO/AUDIO
Wednesday's match at Akron will feature free live video streaming. The contest will be streamed via the MAC web site, MAC-sports.com. Wednesday's match also will be broadcast by WARF-AM 1350 in Akron, and the audio stream will be simulcast as part of the video stream.

SENIOR NIGHT
Saturday's Northern Illinois match will be 'Senior Night' for the BGSU men's soccer program, with the team's five seniors recognized in a ceremony prior to the match. The Falcons' senior class includes Colin Armstrong, Byard Ebling, Tanner Fink, Chris Jurtovski and Miguel Rosales.

MAC STANDINGS
(as of Tuesday morning, Oct. 25)
Team (Overall)   MAC    Pct.
Akron (11-2-2)      4-0-0   1.000
Buffalo (7-7-1)           2-2-0   .500
Northern Ill. (10-4-0)   2-2-0   .500
Bowling Green (7-4-3)     1-1-1   .500
Hartwick (5-5-3)      1-1-1   .500
Western Mich. (5-10-1)   1-2-1   .375
Fla. Atlantic (5-6-2)   0-3-1   .125

THIS WEEK'S MAC SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Oct. 26
Bowling Green at Akron, 7:30 *
Western Michigan at Michigan State, 3:00

Saturday, Oct. 29
Northern Illinois at Bowling Green, 7:00 *
Buffalo at Florida Atlantic, 7:00 *
Western Michigan at Hartwick, 3:00 *
Wake Forest at Akron, 7:30

LAST TIME(S) OUT
The Falcons played to a pair of double-overtime draws last week. BGSU went on the road and earned a scoreless tie at Michigan State on Wednesday (Oct. 19), despite being shorthanded for the majority of the match. Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Wiest made five saves as he extended his shutout streak vs. Big Ten Conference foes. BG played a man down for the final 68-plus minutes after junior Rodcliff Hall was given his second yellow card of the match.

On Saturday (Oct. 22), in the first home night game in BGSU men's soccer history, the Falcons battled Hartwick to a 1-1 tie at a raucous Cochrane Field. Senior Colin Armstrong scored the Falcons' goal late in the first half, taking a pass from freshman Danny Baraldi and converting from 18 yards out. HC equalized in the second period, however, and neither team would score again. The Falcons hit the crossbar twice, including once early in the first OT period. Wiest and fifth-year senior Miguel Rosales split time in net, with Wiest playing the opening half and Rosales the final 65 minutes.

LIGHTING IT UP
Saturday's Hartwick game, as mentioned, was the first home night game in BGSU men's soccer history. The Cochrane Field lights project was completed last week, and both the BG men's and women's teams played a match under the lights last weekend.

The lights are a culmination of a project which saw the BGSU men's soccer alumni raise the majority of the money. Gary Kovacs (1967-69) and Nan Chul Shin (1983-86) provided major leadership gifts for the project, while other Falcon men's and women's soccer alums donated as well. Kovacs was in attendance on Saturday, along with approximately 35 other alumni, and was recognized at halftime of the match.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
The Falcons enter the week with an overall record of 7-4-3, and BGSU is 1-1-1 in MAC play. BG is currently locked in a four-way tie for second place in the conference standings.

After opening the campaign with a 2-0 victory over then ninth-ranked Michigan (Aug. 26), BG picked up a 3-0 win over IPFW (Aug. 31) before suffering a 2-1 loss to Cleveland State (Sept. 3). All three of those matches came at Cochrane Field.

BG then went on the road for five consecutive matches, going 3-1-1. The Falcons played in back-to-back tournaments, heading to Pittsburgh and posting 1-0 wins over Duquesne in double OT (Sept. 9) and Pittsburgh in regulation (Sept. 11). The following weekend, BGSU lost to Belmont (3-2; Sept. 16) and tied Lipscomb (1-1; Sept. 18) at the Hyatt Place Brentwood Invitational, but the Falcons bounced back with a 4-1 win over Detroit (Sept. 21).

BG returned home and picked up shutout wins vs. IUPUI (1-0, Sept. 30) and Florida Atlantic (3-0, Oct. 2). But, the Falcons then returned to the road and fell victim to two shutouts, at Ohio State (1-0 in OT, Oct. 5) and Buffalo (5-0, Oct. 9).

Last week, the Brown and Orange battled to a pair of double-overtime draws, including a road match at Michigan State (0-0, Oct. 19) and a home game vs. Hartwick (1-1, Oct. 22). BG is 4-1-1 at home, 2-3-2 on the road and 1-0-0 in neutral-site matches. In the MAC, the Falcons are 1-0-1 at Cochrane and 0-1-0 away from home.

Freshman Danny Baraldi leads the Falcons in scoring, with 14 points. The Canton, Ohio, native has eight assists to lead the Brown and Orange in that category, and Baraldi is one of six Falcons with at least two goals on the year.

Junior Rodcliff Hall is second on the team with nine points, while senior Colin Armstrong has eight. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Silva and redshirt junior Zach Lemke are tied for fourth on the Falcons with seven points apiece.

Armstrong and Hall are tied for the team goal-scoring lead, with four each, while Lemke is second on the Falcons with three assists.

Baraldi and Silva each have three goals this season to date. Sophomore Ryan Comiskey has six points on the year, as he and Lemke have two goals apiece. Comiskey, senior Tanner Fink and sophomore Ryan Snashall each have two assists at this juncture.

Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Wiest has started 11 matches this season – including the first four contests of the year as well as the last seven games – while redshirt senior Miguel Rosales has made five appearances, including three starts.

Wiest has had six shutouts this fall, and has 35 saves, a save percentage of .814 and a goals-against average of 0.80. He posted shutouts in each of his first two collegiate starts, vs. ninth-ranked Michigan and IPFW, and also kept clean sheets vs. Duquesne, IUPUI, FAU and Michigan State.

Rosales has 19 saves, one shutout and a GAA of 1.24 to date. He blanked Pittsburgh on the road, the seventh shutout of his BGSU career, and made a season-high eight saves in over 80 minutes of relief work at Ohio State. Rosales was an All-Mid-American Conference Second-Team selection a year ago.

Third-year coach Eric Nichols and his staff, assistants Charlie Edwards and Paul Habrecht, welcomed back a total of 17 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last year's club. The 2010 Falcons finished the season with an overall record of 6-9-3 and a MAC ledger of 3-3-0. BGSU, after being picked to place sixth in the league in the 2010 preseason coaches poll, tied for third in the final regular-season standings and returned to the conference tournament after a one-year absence. BGSU doubled the overall win total from the previous fall (3-12-3).

BGSU's returning players combined for seven of the team's 15 goals and nine of the Falcons' 15 assists a year ago. The top-returning scorers from last season were junior Joey D'Agostino and Comiskey, each of whom had four points on two goals.

Freshman Alex Bechtol has played all 1336-plus minutes this season, while soph Zach Schewee has played 1321.    Lemke and Baraldi have been on the pitch for 1262 and 1239 minutes, respectively, this year to date, while Fink has played 1226 minutes. Fink had played every minute this season until missing the Hartwick match due to injury.

A total of four Falcons have started all 14 games to date. That list includes Baraldi, Bechtol, Lemke and Schewee. Fink, Hall and Silva have made 13 starts apiece.

THE OPPONENTS
Akron enters Wednesday's match with an overall record of 11-2-2, and the Zips are 4-0-0 in the MAC. UA saw a three-match winning streak come to an end with last Tuesday's (Oct. 18) 1-0, overtime loss at Michigan, but the Zips bounced back with a 5-2 victory at Buffalo over the weekend. Akron is ranked sixth in the nation by College Soccer News and ninth in the Top Drawer Soccer poll. Both polls were released Monday (Oct. 24). UA was ranked fourth in the most recent NSCAA, Soccer America and Soccer Times polls, prior to last week's matches. The Zips are 6-0-1 at home this season to date, with the only blemish a 1-1 tie with New Mexico on Sept. 16. The Zips are unbeaten in their last 35 MAC matches, including postseason play, and Akron is unbeaten in its last 46 home matches, an NCAA record. Darren Mattocks leads an explosive Akron attack with 15 goals and 32 points. Scott Caldwell has 17 points, including five goals. Aodhan Quinn leads the team with eight assists, followed by Caldwell's seven. Quinn has 12 points, while Luke Holmes has scored 11 points in just eight matches. David Meves has played every second in goal and has 39 saves, nine shutouts and a goals-against average of just 0.57. Caleb Porter is in his sixth season as head coach of the Zips. Porter, who has an overall record of 101-15-12, welcomed back eight letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's club (the other seven 2010 starters all were selected within the first 33 picks of the Major League Soccer [MLS] Draft). The 2010 Zips posted an overall record of 22-1-2 and a MAC ledger of 6-0-0, and UA won the national championship. The school's athletics web site is www.GoZips.com.

Northern Illinois is 10-4-0 this season to date, and the Huskies will bring a 2-2-0 MAC mark into Saturday night's match vs. BGSU. Northern spent some time in the national rankings earlier this season, winning five games to begin the year and improving to 8-2 in early October, but the Huskies then suffered back-to-back 2-0 losses at Akron and Northwestern. Northern has bounced back with a pair of home shutout wins over the last week, beating Western Michigan (3-0, Oct. 19) and Florida Atlantic (1-0, Oct. 23). The Huskies are 4-1 at home, 5-2 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site matches this season. James Stevenson leads the team with five goals and 11 points, while Gael Rivera and Pat Sloan have eight points apiece and Karim Darbaki seven. In goal, Jordan Godsey has played every game, and has eight shutouts, 41 saves and a GAA of just 0.69. Head coach Eric Luzzi welcomed back 16 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last year's club. The 2010 Huskies went 9-6-2 overall and 2-4-0 in the MAC. The school's athletics web site is www.NIUHuskies.com.

THE SERIES
The Falcons trail Akron, 39-8-3, in the all-time series between the teams, and the Zips have won the last 11 meetings. Last season, Akron scored a pair of second-half goals for a 2-0 win over the Brown and Orange at Cochrane Field (Sept. 11, 2010). Darren Mattocks had a goal and an assist in that match. The Zips blistered the nets for six first-half goals in the teams' last meeting in Akron, a 6-0 UA win two seasons ago (Sept. 26, 2009). BGSU's last victory over the Zips came nine years ago, a 1-0 triumph at Cochrane Field (Oct. 27, 2002) The Falcons' have not won on the road against UA in 14 years, since a 1-0 victory on Oct. 3, 1997.
THE BGSU-AKRON SERIES
(Akron leads, 39-8-3 - last 25 meetings)
Oct. 24, 1993 -- Akron 2, at BGSU 1
Oct. 14, 1994 -- at Akron 2, BGSU 1 (OT)
Nov. 5, 1994 -- BGSU 1, at Akron 0 %
Oct. 15, 1995 -- Akron 1, at BGSU 0
Nov. 5, 1995 -- BGSU 2, Akron 0 !
Oct. 18, 1996 -- BGSU 2, at Akron 1
Oct. 3, 1997 -- BGSU 1, at Akron 0
Nov. 9, 1997 -- BGSU 1, Akron 0 ^
Oct. 2, 1998 -- at BGSU 0, Akron 0 (2-OT)
Nov. 14, 1998 -- at Akron 4, BGSU 1 %
Oct. 22, 1999 -- at Akron 1, BGSU 0
Oct. 29, 2000 -- at BGSU 2, Akron 1
Sept. 28, 2001 -- at Akron 2, BGSU 1
Oct. 27, 2002 -- at BGSU 1, Akron 0
Nov. 17, 2002 -- Akron 4, at BGSU 1 %
Sept. 26, 2003 -- at Akron 4, BGSU 1
Oct. 3, 2004 -- Akron 4, at BGSU 0
Nov. 5, 2004 -- Akron 1, BGSU 0 $
Oct. 16, 2005 -- at Akron 3, BGSU 0
Oct. 20, 2006 -- Akron 4, at BGSU 1
Nov. 3, 2006 -- Akron 8, BGSU 2 #
Oct. 19, 2007 -- at Akron 4, BGSU 0
Oct. 11, 2008 -- Akron 2, at BGSU 0
Sept. 26, 2009 -- at Akron 6, BGSU 0
Sept. 11, 2010 -- Akron 2, at BGSU 0
$ MAC Ty. Quarterfinal (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
# MAC Ty. Semifinal (DeKalb, Ill.)
% MAC Ty. Championship
^ MAC Ty. Championship (Oxford, Ohio)
! MAC Ty. Championship (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

BGSU trails Northern Illinois, 15-8-0, in that series, and the Falcons will be looking to snap a five-match losing streak to the Huskies. Last year, Northern scored with just 4:23 left in the second half for a 1-0 win over the Falcons in DeKalb (Oct. 30, 2010). In the last meeting in Bowling Green, the Huskies posted a 3-0 win on Halloween afternoon (Oct. 31, 2009). The Falcons' last win over NIU came four years ago at Cochrane Field (Nov. 2, 2007), as the Brown and Orange scored twice within the first five-plus minutes en route to a 3-1 win. BGSU is 6-5-0 in home games, 1-9-0 in road contests and 1-1-0 in neutral-site meetings against the Huskies.
THE BGSU-NIU SERIES
(NIU leads, 15-8-0)
Nov. 9, 1974 -- at Northern Ill. 4, BGSU 2
Nov. 8, 1975 -- Northern Ill. 1, at BGSU 0
Oct. 13, 1979 -- at Northern Ill. 1, BGSU 0
Oct. 11, 1980 -- at BGSU 2, Northern Ill. 1
Oct. 26, 1997 -- at BGSU 4, Northern Ill. 3
Nov. 6, 1997 -- BGSU 4, Northern Ill. 1 $
Oct. 11, 1998 -- at Northern Ill. 3, BGSU 2 (OT)
Oct. 17, 1999 -- at BGSU 4, Northern Ill. 1
Nov. 5, 1999 -- at Northern Ill. 4, BGSU 2 #
Oct. 6, 2000 -- at Northern Ill. 1, BGSU 0
Oct. 7, 2001 -- Northern Ill. 1, at BGSU 0
Oct. 6, 2002 -- BGSU 2, at Northern Ill. 1
Oct. 12, 2003 -- at BGSU 2, Northern Ill. 1
Nov. 7, 2003 -- at BGSU 2, Northern Ill. 1 #
Oct. 8, 2004 -- at Northern Ill. 6, BGSU 3
Oct. 7, 2005 -- Northern Ill. 3, at BGSU 0
Sept. 29, 2006 -- at Northern Ill. 2, BGSU 0
Nov. 2, 2007 -- at BGSU 3, Northern Ill. 1
Nov. 13, 2007 -- Northern Ill. 3, at BGSU 0 #
Oct. 25, 2008 -- at Northern Ill. 1, BGSU 0
Nov. 13, 2008 -- Northern Ill. 2, BGSU 0 %
Oct. 31, 2009 -- Northern Ill. 3, at BGSU 0
Oct. 30, 2010 -- at Northern Ill. 1, BGSU 0
$ MAC Tournament QF (Oxford, Ohio)
# MAC Tournament QF
% MAC Tournament QF (Akron, Ohio)

GOOD START
• BGSU is 7-4-3 on the year, and the Falcons have topped the win total for all of last season. The 2010 team finished with an overall mark of 6-9-3. In fact, BG had not won as many as seven matches in a season since 2003.

• The Falcons are off to the program's best start in 14 years. The 2011 team's winning percentage of .607 through 14 matches is BGSU's best since the 1997 season. That year, coach Mel Mahler's Falcons were 9-5-0 (.642) after 14 games. That team won 11 consecutive matches en route to a third-straight appearance in the NCAA Championships.

MOST WINS SINCE 2003
The Falcons have won seven matches for the first time since the 2003 season. That '03 club went 8-9-5 overall and advanced to the championship match of the MAC Tournament in Mel Mahler's final season as BGSU coach.

75 WINS FOR NICHOLS
The Falcons' 3-0 win over Florida Atlantic on Oct. 2 was the 75th head-coaching victory for Eric Nichols. Nichols, who had a record of 59-22-1 in his four seasons at Ohio Dominican (2004-07), has an overall winning percentage of .606 as a collegiate head coach.

FALCONS FINDING THE NET
The Falcons have scored 20 goals through 14 matches this season to date, after scoring a total of 15 goals during all of last year. BGSU is averaging 1.43 goals per game this fall, after scoring 0.83 goals per contest last year. At the other end of the pitch, the Falcons are allowing only 1.08 goals per game in 2011, as compared to 1.44 goals allowed per game last season.

BGSU ON THE OFFENSIVE
The Falcons have already exceeded last season's totals in several offensive categories. As mentioned, the Falcons have scored 20 goals this season to date, surpassing the total for all of 2010. The 2011 club has taken 91 shots on goal, after posting a total of 77 last season. And, BG has had a total of 90 corner kicks this fall, after last year's team had 71.

HELPS TO SCORE EARLY
BGSU has scored 11 goals in the first half this season. Last year, in 18 matches, the Falcons scored a total of just four first-half goals.

HOME WINS
Before the month of August came to an end, the Falcons had matched the home win total for all of last season. BGSU will enter Saturday's Northern Illinois match with a record of 4-1-1 at home this year, having doubled the win total for all of last fall. The Brown and Orange went 2-4 at Cochrane Field in 2010. The Falcons had not won as many as four home matches since the 2007 team had a 4-3-2 mark at Cochrane. The 2008 team went 2-4-0 at home, while the '09 Falcons were 2-4-2.

BIG CROWDS AT COCHRANE FIELD
BGSU and Hartwick squared off before a crowd of nearly 800 on Saturday night. The 2011 season marks the first time in at least 15 years that the Falcons have played before three crowds in excess of 500 at Cochrane Field. BG's season-opening win over Michigan came before a crowd of 2,133, more than triple the previous largest gathering at Cochrane Field in the last decade and a half. Attendance records are incomplete prior to 1997, but to follow are the top attendance figures at Cochrane during that time.
LARGEST HOME CROWDS (Since 1997)
2,133 - vs. Michigan; Aug. 26, 2011
771 --- vs. Hartwick; Oct. 22, 2011
650 --- vs. Miami; Oct. 12, 1997
608 --- vs. Kentucky; Nov. 12, 2000
537 --- vs. Ohio State; Sept. 20, 2007
531 --- vs. Cleveland State; Sept. 3, 2011
520 --- vs. Akron; Oct. 2, 1998
513 --- vs. Akron; Sept. 11, 2010

MULTIPLE THREATS
• Head coach Eric Nichols and his staff are getting scoring from many different sources in 2011. A total of six players have scored at least two goals this year. Colin Armstrong and Rodcliff Hall are tied for the team lead with four goals apiece, while Danny Baraldi and Brandon Silva each have scored three times. Ryan Comiskey and Zach Lemke both have two goals this season to date.

• BGSU's six multi-goal scorers tops the total for all of last year. Four different Falcons had two or more goals in 2010.

• The Falcons had not had as many as six players with multiple-goal seasons since 2007, and BG has not had more than six players score two goals or more since 2003. That fall, eight different players had at least two goals on the year.

BARALDI LENDS AN ASSIST
• Freshman Danny Baraldi had an assist on the lone goal in the Hartwick match on Saturday (Oct. 22). Baraldi now has eight assists on the season, and leads the team in both assists and points (14).

• Baraldi's total of eight assists is the highest by a BGSU player since Eric Duda had eight helpers in the 2003 season.

• In the latest NCAA statistics, Baraldi is tied for sixth in the nation in total assists. He is deadlocked for eighth in the country in assists per game (0.58).

HELPS TO SCORE FIRST
• BG has scored first in nine of this year's 14 games to date. Last year, the Falcons scored first only six times in 18 matches.

• Not surprisingly, it helps to score the opening goal of the match. In 2011, the Falcons are 7-0-2 when scoring first, and BGSU is 0-4-0 when the opponent scores the first goal. Last fall, BG was 5-1-0 when scoring first, and 1-8-1 when the opposition scored first.

BLANKING THE BIG TEN
Sophomore Michael Wiest made five saves in Wednesday's (Oct. 19) scoreless draw at Michigan State. Wiest now has two shutouts in as many complete-match outings against Big Ten Conference foes. He blanked Michigan in his first collegiate start, helping the Falcons to a 2-0 win in the season opener (Aug. 26, 2011).

In his career, Wiest has played over 240 minutes – 241:46, to be exact – against Big Ten opponents in his career, and has yet to allow a goal. In addition to this year's U-M and MSU matches, he has had brief stints in two other contests. Wiest's collegiate debut came last season in Ann Arbor, as he played 29:16 in relief of a loss to the Wolverines. He also played the first 12:30 of this year's Ohio State game, before leaving the match due to injury. Wiest has made a total of 10 saves en route to that 0.00 GAA vs. the Big Ten to date.

FALCON COACH ERIC NICHOLS
BGSU coach Eric Nichols is in his third season at the Falcon helm. Nichols, who was hired on Feb. 17, 2009, is just the fifth head coach in the history of the program, now in its 47th season. He enters Wednesday's Akron match with a record of 16-25-9 with the Falcons and a 75-47-10 mark in his seventh season as a collegiate head coach. Nichols is 6-7-2 all-time in MAC matches heading into the UA contest.

Nichols guided the 2010 team to a 6-9-3 overall mark and a MAC ledger of 3-3-0. BGSU, after being picked to place sixth in the league in the preseason coaches poll, tied for third in the final regular-season standings and participated in the semifinals of the league tournament.

Nichols came to BGSU after spending the 2008 season as assistant coach at Davidson College. Prior to his stint at Davidson, Nichols was the head men's soccer coach at Ohio Dominican for four seasons (2004-07), guiding the Panthers to a record of 59-22-1 (.728), including a final ranking of fourth in 2007. That team advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament. Nichols played collegiately at Ohio State, and also played five years of professional soccer for several teams, including the Columbus Xoggz and Indiana Blast of the USISL.
ERIC NICHOLS YEAR BY YEAR AT BGSU
2009 -- 3-12-3 overall (2-3-1 MAC)
2010 -- 6-9-3 overall (3-3-0 MAC)
2011 -- 7-4-3 overall (1-1-1 MAC)

LEADERS OF THE MAC ...
The Falcons are ranked among the Mid-American Conference statistical leaders in several team and individual categories. As a team, BGSU leads the MAC in corner kicks (6.43). The Falcons are ranked second in assists per game (1.57), and third in no fewer than nine categories.

Individually, freshman Danny Baraldi leads the MAC in both assists (eight) and assists per game (0.57), and he is third in the league in points (14). Junior Rodcliff Hall is second on the lead in shots (43) and shots per game (3.31), and is tied for seventh in goals, with four.

Senior Colin Armstrong also is deadlocked for seventh with his total of four goals, and Armstrong is tied for sixth in the MAC in goals per game (0.33). Baraldi and Hall are tied for third in the league in game-winning goals, with two apiece.

Sophomore Michael Wiest leads the MAC in save percentage (.814), and he is third in shutouts (six), shutouts per game (0.55) and GAA (0.80).

... AND THE NATION
The Falcons are ranked near the top of several national stats lists as well. According to the latest NCAA men's soccer rankings, BGSU is 19th in shutout percentage, 45th in goals-against average, 49th in save pct., 51st in winning pct., 82nd in scoring offense and 88th in total goals. Individually, freshman Danny Baraldi is tied for sixth in the nation in total assists and is deadlocked for eighth in assists per game. Sophomore Michael Wiest is 30th in the country in GAA and 32nd in save pct.

SIKICH STEPS IN AND STARTS
After senior tri-captain Tanner Fink suffered an injury in the Michigan State game and was unable to play vs. Hartwick, head coach Eric Nichols inserted sophomore Sean Sikich into the starting lineup vs. the Hawks. Sikich played all 110 minutes at a center-back position against HC. Prior to Saturday, the Youngstown native had played a career total of seven minutes.

BGSU IN THE RPI
The NCAA released the first Men's Soccer RPI of the 2011 season last Tuesday (Oct. 18), and the Falcons were ranked 102nd in the nation. BGSU has played three teams in the top-100 so far this season, and has gone to overtime with all three (Ohio State - 63; Hartwick - 66 and Michigan State - 87). Each of this week's Falcon opponents are ranked among the top 30 in the nation, as Akron is sixth and Northern Illinois 29th. BG also has Wright State (79th) and Western Michigan (166th) remaining on the schedule.

BGSU IN THE RPI II
The Falcons were ranked 117th of 204 schools in last season's final NCAA Men's Soccer RPI. In the five years from 2005 through 2009, BGSU did not have an RPI higher than 152. In the '09 season, BG finished 180th of 204 schools in the final RPI.

BUILD FROM THE BACK
The Falcons were an improved defensive team in 2010. BGSU had a team goals-against average of 1.39, ranking 134th in the nation. The Falcons had been 192nd in the country in GAA the prior season. And, BGSU is doing quite well in that category – and others – again this season. To follow are a few more statistics that illustrate BG's defensive improvement over the last few seasons...
TOTALS/RANKINGS IN VARIOUS CATEGORIES
Category       2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2011
Team goals-against avg. * 173rd / 192nd / 134th / 45th
Shutout percentage *      174th / 153rd / 66th / 19th
Save percentage * 142nd / 162nd / 122nd / 49th
Winning percentage * 176th / 179th / 133rd / 51st
Shutouts 2 / 3 / 6 / 7
Goals allowed      37 / 44 / 26 / 14
Matches allowing 2 or more goals   14 / 13 / 8 /   3
Matches allowing 3 or more goals    5   /   9 / 2 / 2
Multiple-Goal losses      9 / 8 / 6 / 1
* NCAA rankings; all other categories are BGSU's season totals

FALCONS PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH IN MAC RACE
The Falcons were picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference race in 2011. The preseason coaches poll was the result of voting by the league's seven head coaches. Akron, the defending national champion, was picked to capture the 2011 MAC title. The Zips received 49 points in the voting, and also garnered all seven votes to win the MAC Tournament.

Northern Illinois was tabbed to finish second with 36 points, followed closely by Western Michigan (35 points). The Falcons received 25 points, while Buffalo received 24, Hartwick 14 and Florida Atlantic 13.

Last fall, BG was predicted to place sixth, but the Falcons wound up in a tie for third place in the regular-season standings.
2011 MAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Akron (49 points)
2. Northern Illinois (35)
3. Western Michigan (34)
4. Bowling Green (25)
5. Buffalo (24)
6. Hartwick (14)
7. Florida Atlantic (13)

Predicted MAC Tournament Champion: Akron (7 votes)

THE 89TH MINUTE (A FEW FINAL FALCON NOTES)
Sophomore Michael Wiest's complete-match shutout at Michigan State was his sixth of the season ... Wiest's total ties the number of clean sheets kept by Miguel Rosales last season ... no BGSU 'keeper has had more than six shutouts since Dave DeGraff had seven in the 2001 season • Rosales has one complete-match shutout this fall, giving the Falcons a total of seven as a team in 2011 ... that is the most shutouts by BGSU since that 2001 campaign • Senior Colin Armstrong's goal vs. Hartwick was his fourth of the year, tying him with junior Rodcliff Hall for the team lead ... Armstrong entered the season with a career total of one goal • BGSU now leads Hartwick, 2-1-3, in the all-time series, and both the Falcons and Hawks have scored seven goals in the six meetings • Each of the three meetings between BG and HC at Cochrane Field has ended in a draw ... the teams battled to 2-2, double-OT ties in both 2007 and '09 in Northwest Ohio • The Falcons scored a total of six goals and allowed eight in home games last season ... this year, in six matches at Cochrane Field, BGSU has scored 11 goals and surrendered just three.

THE CAPTAINS
Seniors Tanner Fink and Miguel Rosales and redshirt sophomore Brandon Silva are the tri-captains of the 2011 men's soccer Falcons.

UP NEXT
Following this week's UA and NIU matches, BGSU plays two matches on the road to close the regular season. The Falcons will step outside of conference play for one last time, heading to Dayton for a match against Wright State University on Tuesday night, Nov. 1. Then, the Brown and Orange will travel to Kalamazoo., Mich., to face Western Michigan University on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 5.

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