Bowling Green State University Athletics
Wednesday, September 21
Detroit, Mich.
4:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
at
Detroit
Rodcliff Hall and the Falcons face Detroit on Wednesday in the Motor City (photo by Doug Sampson)
BGSU Travels to Motor City for Midweek Matchup
September 20, 2011 | Men's Soccer
Falcons take on Detroit in the lone game of the week
The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team, after travelling to a pair of tournaments in back-to-back weekends, has one match remaining on a season-long five-game road swing. The Falcons of head coach Eric Nichols head to the Motor City for a Wednesday (Sept. 21) match vs. the University of Detroit Mercy. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Titan Field on the UDM campus. Following the Detroit match, the Falcons will not play another contest until Sept. 30.
FALCONS at DETROIT
Wednesday, September 21, 2011 • 4:00 p.m.
VENUE: Titan Field; Detroit, Mich.
RECORDS:
• BGSU: 4-2-1 (6-9-3, 3-3-0 Mid-American Conference in 2010)
• Detroit: 3-3-0 (8-9-2, 4-4-0 Horizon League in 2010)
SERIES*: BGSU leads, 15-6-2 | STREAK: BGSU - 1
LAST MEETING: BGSU 1, at Detroit 0 (Sept. 15, 2010)
LAST MEETING IN DETROIT: BGSU 1, at Detroit 0 (Sept. 15, 2010)
COACHES:
• BGSU: Eric Nichols (Ohio State, 2000), 13-23-7 in third year at BGSU; 72-45-8 in seventh year overall
• Detroit: Nicholas Deren (Detroit, 1999), 15-16-2 in third year at UDM and overall
LIVE STATS: Available at www.DetroitTitans.com and right here 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
LINKS
BGSU 2011 STATISTICS: HTML | PDF ||||| CAREER STATS FOR CURRENT FALCONS
BGSU 2011 MEDIA GUIDE
LAST WEEK
The Falcons played a pair of close contests at the Hyatt Place Brentwood Invitational over the weekend, losing to Belmont and tying Lipscomb in Nashville. Despite a lopsided advantage in numerous statistical categories, BGSU suffered a 3-2 loss to BU Friday (Sept. 16). The Bruins scored twice in the first 10 minutes to take the lead for good. Senior Colin Armstrong and redshirt sophomore Brandon Silva each scored for the Falcons, who had advantages of 20-8 in shots and 8-2 in corner kicks. Fifth-year senior Miguel Rosales made two saves on the day.
On Sunday (Sept. 18), BGSU battled to a 1-1 draw with Lipscomb. The Falcons got an early goal from Armstrong, taking the lead less than five minutes into the match. And, less than 30 seconds after Armstrong's goal, sophomore Sam Galloway hit the crossbar with a shot. But, the Falcons could not increase their lead, and the Bisons equalized in the game's 33rd minute. Neither team could get another shot past LU 'keeper Brent McGee or Rosales. Rosales had four saves.
HYATT PLACE BRENTWOOD INVITATIONAL
Friday, Sept. 16
Belmont 3, Bowling Green 2
IPFW 2, Lipscomb 2 (2-OT)
Sunday, Sept. 18
Belmont 4, IPFW 0
Bowling Green 1, Lipscomb 1 (2-OT)
LIVE STATISTICS
Again this season, all BGSU home matches, and most away contests, 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.
GOOD START
Despite a loss and a tie over the weekend, the Falcons are still off to the program's best start in quite some time. The 2011 team's record of 4-2-1 through seven matches is BGSU's best since the 1996 season. Coach Mel Mahler's '96 team went 4-0-1 to begin the year, lost the next three matches, then won 14-straight games to advance all the way to the second round of the NCAA Championships.
MORE HARDWARE FOR BARALDI (& SOME FOR ARMSTRONG AS WELL)
Freshman Danny Baraldi was named to an all-tournament team for the second consecutive weekend. Baraldi and senior Colin Armstrong were named to the all-tourney team at the Hyatt Place Brentwood Invitational in Nashville, Tenn. Baraldi, along with junior Rodcliff Hall and sophomore Michael Wiest, had earned all-tournament team accolades at the Pitt/Nike Invitational the previous weekend.
ABOUT THE FALCONS.
The Falcons, as mentioned, are 4-2-1 on the season. After opening the campaign with a 2-0 victory over then ninth-ranked Michigan (Aug. 26), BGSU 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 headed to Pittsburgh and posted a pair of 1-0 wins, downing Duquesne in double overtime (Sept. 9) and Pittsburgh in regulation (Sept. 11). Last weekend, BGSU lost to Belmont and tied Lipscomb at the Hyatt Place Brentwood Invitational. The tournament, hosted by LU, actually was held at BU's home field.
Freshman Danny Baraldi leads the Falcons in scoring, with eight points. The Canton, Ohio, native has four assists to lead the Falcons, and is one of four Falcons with two goals on the year. Senior Colin Armstrong, junior Rodcliff Hall and redshirt sophomore Brandon Silva each have a pair of goals this season as well.
Hall and Silva are tied for second on the team in scoring, with five points apiece, while Armstrong is one of three Falcons with four points. Sophomores Ryan Comiskey and Ryan Snashall each have four points as well, with a goal and two assists apiece, while redshirt junior Zach Lemke has scored three points on the year.
Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Wiest started the first four matches of the season, while redshirt senior Miguel Rosales has started the last three. Wiest had three shutouts in his four matches, and has 20 saves, a saves percentage of .909 and a goals-against average of just 0.48. He posted shutouts in each of his first two collegiate starts, vs. ninth-ranked Michigan and IPFW, and also kept a clean sheet vs. Duquesne.
Rosales has eight saves, one shutout and a GAA of 1.24 to date. He posted a shutout on the road against Pittsburgh, the seventh of his BGSU career. 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.
Two Falcon defenders, senior Tanner Fink and freshman Alex Bechtol, each have played all 663-plus minutes this season, while soph Zach Schewee has played 648. Baraldi and Lemke have been on the pitch for 633 and 612 minutes, respectively, this year to date.
A total of seven Falcons have started all seven games to date. That list includes Baraldi, Bechtol, Fink, Hall, Lemke, Schewee and sophomore Sam Galloway.
FALCONS FINDING THE NET
The Falcons have scored 11 goals through seven matches this season to date, an average of 1.57 goals per game. Last fall, BGSU had a total of 15 goals in 18 matches (0.83 goals per game).
BGSU ON THE OFFENSIVE
The Falcons have played just over one-third of the regular-season schedule in 2011. But, BGSU already is threatening to top last season's totals in several offensive categories. As mentioned, BGSU has scored 11 goals this season to date, after scoring a total of 15 during all of 2010. The 2011 club has taken 51 shots on goal, not too far off from the total of 77 last season. And, BG has had a total of 50 corner kicks this fall, after last year's team had 71.
HELPS TO SCORE EARLY
BGSU has scored five goals in the first half this season. Last year, in 18 matches, the Falcons scored a total of just four first-half goals.
A GOAL A GAME FOR ARMSTRONG
Senior Colin Armstrong entered last weekend with a career total of one goal. He struck in each game in Nashville, though, scoring late in the first half of Friday's match vs. Belmont (Sept. 16), and heading home another shot less than five minutes into Sunday's (Sept. 18) Lipscomb match. For his efforts, Armstrong was named to the all-tournament team.
A FEW MORE NOTES ON COLIN ARMSTRONG
• Senior Colin Armstrong now has four points this season (on the two goals in Nashville) and eight in his career. With seven shot attempts and five shots on goal this year, he already has set career bests in each category.
• Armstrong played in three of the Falcons' first five games this season, seeing a total of just 55 minutes on the pitch during that span. Then, however, the senior played 66 minutes against Belmont and 81 vs. Lipscomb. The latter total is his highest in a game since he played 84 minutes in back-to-back contests as a freshman (Nov. 1, 2008, vs. Buffalo; Nov. 4, 2008, at Detroit).
• Armstrong had three shot attempts against Lipscomb, putting two of those shots on goal. Both totals are new career highs.
BARALDI LENDS AN ASSIST
Freshman Danny Baraldi had an assist on each of Colin Armstrong's goals over the weekend. Baraldi now has four assists on the season, leading the Falcons in that category. He also paces BG in points, with eight, and is tied for the team lead with two goals.
STREAKY
• Freshman Danny Baraldi currently has a three-game point-scoring streak, with a goal in the Pittsburgh (Sept. 11) match and assists vs. both Belmont (Sept. 16) and Lipscomb (Sept. 18). It marks the second three-game point streak by a BG player in 2011, after no Falcon turned the trick in 2010.
• Sophomore Ryan Comiskey also had a three-game point-scoring streak this season. Comiskey had an assist in the season-opening win over Michigan, scored a goal in the IPFW match and had a helper on Brandon Silva's goal against Cleveland State.
• For all intents and purposes, Silva has a three-game streak as well. The redshirt sophomore had his first collegiate goal in the CSU match, before suffering an injury just 1:45 into the Duquesne game. Silva missed the Pittsburgh match, but returned to action vs. Belmont and scored the second goal of his Falcon career. Then, he was credited with an assist in the Lipscomb contest.
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 the Detroit match with a record of 13-23-7 with the Falcons and a 72-45-8 mark in his seventh season as a collegiate head coach.
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 -- 4-2-1 overall
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 shots, with 111, and corner kicks per game, with 7.14. BG is second in the league in shots per game (15.86), tied for third on goals per game (1.57) and third in goals-against average (0.81).
Individually, freshman Danny Baraldi and junior Rodcliff Hall are tied for first in the MAC with two game-winning goals. Baraldi is second in assists (four) and assists per game (0.57), fifth in points per game (1.14) and sixth in points (eight).
Sophomore Michael Wiest leads the league in saves percentage (.909) and shutouts per game (0.75; three shutouts in four games). Wiest also ranks second in GAA (0.48) and third in both saves (20) and saves per game (5.00). Redshirt senior Miguel Rosales is fifth in the conference in GAA (1.24).
... 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 18th in shutout percentage, 34th in save pct. and 39th in team GAA. Individually, sophomore Michael Wiest is sixth in the country in save pct., 13th in GAA and 34th in saves per game. Freshman Danny Baraldi is tied for ninth in assists, with four.
WORKING OVERTIME
• The Falcons' tie vs. Lipscomb marked the team's second overtime match of the season, and the second in as many weekends. BGSU posted an OT win at Duquesne. BGSU played four overtime matches in 2010, with all four coming away from home. The Falcons went 1-0-3 in those contests.
• The Falcons now have a record of 2-1-7 in overtime matches during the Eric Nichols Era. That mark includes a record of 2-0-5 in overtime games played away from home. The Falcons have not lost an OT game away from BG since a 2-1 loss at Florida Atlantic in the 2008 season.
THE OPPONENT
Detroit enters Wednesday's match with a 3-3-0 overall record. The Titans' three wins all have come on the road, including a 1-0 overtime victory over then-#19 Michigan State to begin the season. UDM's other wins have come against Saint Joseph's (Pa.) and Davidson. The Titans have lost to Appalachian State in a neutral-site match, and to Buffalo and Michigan at home. The U-M game, the team's most recent action, was a 4-1 decision on Wednesday (Sept. 14). Otieno Victor leads the Titans with three goals and six points. Tevin Wynter has two goals, while Adam Bedell has a team-leading three assists. Anthony Shepherd has started each of the team's first six matches in goal, and has 32 saves and a GAA of 1.34. Shepherd, however, received a red card in the Michigan contest, and will miss the BGSU match. Martin Robinson made his season debut in the U-M game, allowing a pair of goals and making one save in the final 24-plus minutes. Head coach Nicholas Deren welcomed back 17 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last year's club. The 2010 Titans posted an overall record of 8-9-2 and a Horizon League ledger of 4-4-0. The school's athletics web site is www.DetroitTitans.com.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Detroit, 15-6-2, in the all-time series between the teams, and BGSU won last year's meeting, which also was played in the Motor City. The Falcons posted a 1-0 victory (Sept. 15, 2010), with Miguel Rosales picking up the shutout. The Falcons are 7-4-1 in road games vs. UDM. In the two previous years, the visiting team rallied from multiple-goal deficits. Detroit came back from two goals down for a 3-2 win in overtime at Cochrane Field two years ago (Nov. 4, 2009). That match came one year to the day after BGSU trailed, 3-0, early in the second half at UDM before rallying for a 3-3 tie.
THE BGSU-DETROIT SERIES
(BGSU leads, 15-6-2)
Sept. 1, 1987 -- BGSU 2, at Detroit 1
Sept. 24, 1988 -- at BGSU 4, Detroit 1
Oct. 3, 1989 -- BGSU 5, at Detroit 1
Oct. 16, 1990 -- at BGSU 2, Detroit 0
Oct. 16, 1991 -- BGSU 1, at Detroit 0
Oct. 18, 1992 -- at BGSU 3, Detroit 1
Oct. 6, 1993 -- at Detroit 2, BGSU 0
Oct. 5, 1994 -- at BGSU 2, Detroit 1
Sept. 30, 1995 -- at BGSU 1, Detroit 0 %
Sept. 25, 1996 -- at Detroit 3, BGSU 1 (OT)
Nov. 23, 1996 -- at BGSU 4, Detroit 0 #
Sept. 25, 1997 -- BGSU 3, at Detroit 0
Sept. 1, 1998 -- at BGSU 2, Detroit 1
Sept. 14, 2000 -- BGSU 2, at Detroit 1
Oct. 28, 2001 -- Detroit 3, at BGSU 2
Sept. 11, 2002 -- at Detroit 4, BGSU 1
Nov. 2, 2003 -- at BGSU 1, Detroit 1 (2-OT)
Sept. 8, 2004 -- at Detroit 1, BGSU 0
Oct. 3, 2006 -- BGSU 3, at Detroit 0
Oct. 24, 2007 -- at BGSU 2, Detroit 1
Nov. 4, 2008 -- BGSU 3, at Detroit 3 (2-OT)
Nov. 4, 2009 -- Detroit 3, at BGSU 2 (OT)
Sept. 15, 2010 -- BGSU 1, at Detroit 0
% Kwik Goal/BGSU Soccer Classic
# NCAA Tournament First Round
FALCONS PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH IN MAC RACE
The Falcons have been 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 points, 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 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 the Detroit match, the Falcons will be idle for over a week. Then, however, BGSU will play four matches in a nine-day span, beginning with a pair of home games. The Falcons will host IUPUI on Friday, Sept. 30, at 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane Field, then will open Mid-American Conference play by hosting Florida Atlantic on Sunday, Oct. 2. The FAU match is slated for a noontime start.
FALCONS at DETROIT
Wednesday, September 21, 2011 • 4:00 p.m.
VENUE: Titan Field; Detroit, Mich.
RECORDS:
• BGSU: 4-2-1 (6-9-3, 3-3-0 Mid-American Conference in 2010)
• Detroit: 3-3-0 (8-9-2, 4-4-0 Horizon League in 2010)
SERIES*: BGSU leads, 15-6-2 | STREAK: BGSU - 1
LAST MEETING: BGSU 1, at Detroit 0 (Sept. 15, 2010)
LAST MEETING IN DETROIT: BGSU 1, at Detroit 0 (Sept. 15, 2010)
COACHES:
• BGSU: Eric Nichols (Ohio State, 2000), 13-23-7 in third year at BGSU; 72-45-8 in seventh year overall
• Detroit: Nicholas Deren (Detroit, 1999), 15-16-2 in third year at UDM and overall
LIVE STATS: Available at www.DetroitTitans.com and right here 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
LINKS
BGSU 2011 STATISTICS: HTML | PDF ||||| CAREER STATS FOR CURRENT FALCONS
BGSU 2011 MEDIA GUIDE
LAST WEEK
The Falcons played a pair of close contests at the Hyatt Place Brentwood Invitational over the weekend, losing to Belmont and tying Lipscomb in Nashville. Despite a lopsided advantage in numerous statistical categories, BGSU suffered a 3-2 loss to BU Friday (Sept. 16). The Bruins scored twice in the first 10 minutes to take the lead for good. Senior Colin Armstrong and redshirt sophomore Brandon Silva each scored for the Falcons, who had advantages of 20-8 in shots and 8-2 in corner kicks. Fifth-year senior Miguel Rosales made two saves on the day.
On Sunday (Sept. 18), BGSU battled to a 1-1 draw with Lipscomb. The Falcons got an early goal from Armstrong, taking the lead less than five minutes into the match. And, less than 30 seconds after Armstrong's goal, sophomore Sam Galloway hit the crossbar with a shot. But, the Falcons could not increase their lead, and the Bisons equalized in the game's 33rd minute. Neither team could get another shot past LU 'keeper Brent McGee or Rosales. Rosales had four saves.
HYATT PLACE BRENTWOOD INVITATIONAL
Friday, Sept. 16
Belmont 3, Bowling Green 2
IPFW 2, Lipscomb 2 (2-OT)
Sunday, Sept. 18
Belmont 4, IPFW 0
Bowling Green 1, Lipscomb 1 (2-OT)
LIVE STATISTICS
Again this season, all BGSU home matches, and most away contests, 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.
GOOD START
Despite a loss and a tie over the weekend, the Falcons are still off to the program's best start in quite some time. The 2011 team's record of 4-2-1 through seven matches is BGSU's best since the 1996 season. Coach Mel Mahler's '96 team went 4-0-1 to begin the year, lost the next three matches, then won 14-straight games to advance all the way to the second round of the NCAA Championships.
MORE HARDWARE FOR BARALDI (& SOME FOR ARMSTRONG AS WELL)
Freshman Danny Baraldi was named to an all-tournament team for the second consecutive weekend. Baraldi and senior Colin Armstrong were named to the all-tourney team at the Hyatt Place Brentwood Invitational in Nashville, Tenn. Baraldi, along with junior Rodcliff Hall and sophomore Michael Wiest, had earned all-tournament team accolades at the Pitt/Nike Invitational the previous weekend.
ABOUT THE FALCONS.
The Falcons, as mentioned, are 4-2-1 on the season. After opening the campaign with a 2-0 victory over then ninth-ranked Michigan (Aug. 26), BGSU 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 headed to Pittsburgh and posted a pair of 1-0 wins, downing Duquesne in double overtime (Sept. 9) and Pittsburgh in regulation (Sept. 11). Last weekend, BGSU lost to Belmont and tied Lipscomb at the Hyatt Place Brentwood Invitational. The tournament, hosted by LU, actually was held at BU's home field.
Freshman Danny Baraldi leads the Falcons in scoring, with eight points. The Canton, Ohio, native has four assists to lead the Falcons, and is one of four Falcons with two goals on the year. Senior Colin Armstrong, junior Rodcliff Hall and redshirt sophomore Brandon Silva each have a pair of goals this season as well.
Hall and Silva are tied for second on the team in scoring, with five points apiece, while Armstrong is one of three Falcons with four points. Sophomores Ryan Comiskey and Ryan Snashall each have four points as well, with a goal and two assists apiece, while redshirt junior Zach Lemke has scored three points on the year.
Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Wiest started the first four matches of the season, while redshirt senior Miguel Rosales has started the last three. Wiest had three shutouts in his four matches, and has 20 saves, a saves percentage of .909 and a goals-against average of just 0.48. He posted shutouts in each of his first two collegiate starts, vs. ninth-ranked Michigan and IPFW, and also kept a clean sheet vs. Duquesne.
Rosales has eight saves, one shutout and a GAA of 1.24 to date. He posted a shutout on the road against Pittsburgh, the seventh of his BGSU career. 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.
Two Falcon defenders, senior Tanner Fink and freshman Alex Bechtol, each have played all 663-plus minutes this season, while soph Zach Schewee has played 648. Baraldi and Lemke have been on the pitch for 633 and 612 minutes, respectively, this year to date.
A total of seven Falcons have started all seven games to date. That list includes Baraldi, Bechtol, Fink, Hall, Lemke, Schewee and sophomore Sam Galloway.
FALCONS FINDING THE NET
The Falcons have scored 11 goals through seven matches this season to date, an average of 1.57 goals per game. Last fall, BGSU had a total of 15 goals in 18 matches (0.83 goals per game).
BGSU ON THE OFFENSIVE
The Falcons have played just over one-third of the regular-season schedule in 2011. But, BGSU already is threatening to top last season's totals in several offensive categories. As mentioned, BGSU has scored 11 goals this season to date, after scoring a total of 15 during all of 2010. The 2011 club has taken 51 shots on goal, not too far off from the total of 77 last season. And, BG has had a total of 50 corner kicks this fall, after last year's team had 71.
HELPS TO SCORE EARLY
BGSU has scored five goals in the first half this season. Last year, in 18 matches, the Falcons scored a total of just four first-half goals.
A GOAL A GAME FOR ARMSTRONG
Senior Colin Armstrong entered last weekend with a career total of one goal. He struck in each game in Nashville, though, scoring late in the first half of Friday's match vs. Belmont (Sept. 16), and heading home another shot less than five minutes into Sunday's (Sept. 18) Lipscomb match. For his efforts, Armstrong was named to the all-tournament team.
A FEW MORE NOTES ON COLIN ARMSTRONG
• Senior Colin Armstrong now has four points this season (on the two goals in Nashville) and eight in his career. With seven shot attempts and five shots on goal this year, he already has set career bests in each category.
• Armstrong played in three of the Falcons' first five games this season, seeing a total of just 55 minutes on the pitch during that span. Then, however, the senior played 66 minutes against Belmont and 81 vs. Lipscomb. The latter total is his highest in a game since he played 84 minutes in back-to-back contests as a freshman (Nov. 1, 2008, vs. Buffalo; Nov. 4, 2008, at Detroit).
• Armstrong had three shot attempts against Lipscomb, putting two of those shots on goal. Both totals are new career highs.
BARALDI LENDS AN ASSIST
Freshman Danny Baraldi had an assist on each of Colin Armstrong's goals over the weekend. Baraldi now has four assists on the season, leading the Falcons in that category. He also paces BG in points, with eight, and is tied for the team lead with two goals.
STREAKY
• Freshman Danny Baraldi currently has a three-game point-scoring streak, with a goal in the Pittsburgh (Sept. 11) match and assists vs. both Belmont (Sept. 16) and Lipscomb (Sept. 18). It marks the second three-game point streak by a BG player in 2011, after no Falcon turned the trick in 2010.
• Sophomore Ryan Comiskey also had a three-game point-scoring streak this season. Comiskey had an assist in the season-opening win over Michigan, scored a goal in the IPFW match and had a helper on Brandon Silva's goal against Cleveland State.
• For all intents and purposes, Silva has a three-game streak as well. The redshirt sophomore had his first collegiate goal in the CSU match, before suffering an injury just 1:45 into the Duquesne game. Silva missed the Pittsburgh match, but returned to action vs. Belmont and scored the second goal of his Falcon career. Then, he was credited with an assist in the Lipscomb contest.
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 the Detroit match with a record of 13-23-7 with the Falcons and a 72-45-8 mark in his seventh season as a collegiate head coach.
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 -- 4-2-1 overall
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 shots, with 111, and corner kicks per game, with 7.14. BG is second in the league in shots per game (15.86), tied for third on goals per game (1.57) and third in goals-against average (0.81).
Individually, freshman Danny Baraldi and junior Rodcliff Hall are tied for first in the MAC with two game-winning goals. Baraldi is second in assists (four) and assists per game (0.57), fifth in points per game (1.14) and sixth in points (eight).
Sophomore Michael Wiest leads the league in saves percentage (.909) and shutouts per game (0.75; three shutouts in four games). Wiest also ranks second in GAA (0.48) and third in both saves (20) and saves per game (5.00). Redshirt senior Miguel Rosales is fifth in the conference in GAA (1.24).
... 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 18th in shutout percentage, 34th in save pct. and 39th in team GAA. Individually, sophomore Michael Wiest is sixth in the country in save pct., 13th in GAA and 34th in saves per game. Freshman Danny Baraldi is tied for ninth in assists, with four.
WORKING OVERTIME
• The Falcons' tie vs. Lipscomb marked the team's second overtime match of the season, and the second in as many weekends. BGSU posted an OT win at Duquesne. BGSU played four overtime matches in 2010, with all four coming away from home. The Falcons went 1-0-3 in those contests.
• The Falcons now have a record of 2-1-7 in overtime matches during the Eric Nichols Era. That mark includes a record of 2-0-5 in overtime games played away from home. The Falcons have not lost an OT game away from BG since a 2-1 loss at Florida Atlantic in the 2008 season.
THE OPPONENT
Detroit enters Wednesday's match with a 3-3-0 overall record. The Titans' three wins all have come on the road, including a 1-0 overtime victory over then-#19 Michigan State to begin the season. UDM's other wins have come against Saint Joseph's (Pa.) and Davidson. The Titans have lost to Appalachian State in a neutral-site match, and to Buffalo and Michigan at home. The U-M game, the team's most recent action, was a 4-1 decision on Wednesday (Sept. 14). Otieno Victor leads the Titans with three goals and six points. Tevin Wynter has two goals, while Adam Bedell has a team-leading three assists. Anthony Shepherd has started each of the team's first six matches in goal, and has 32 saves and a GAA of 1.34. Shepherd, however, received a red card in the Michigan contest, and will miss the BGSU match. Martin Robinson made his season debut in the U-M game, allowing a pair of goals and making one save in the final 24-plus minutes. Head coach Nicholas Deren welcomed back 17 letterwinners, including seven starters, from last year's club. The 2010 Titans posted an overall record of 8-9-2 and a Horizon League ledger of 4-4-0. The school's athletics web site is www.DetroitTitans.com.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Detroit, 15-6-2, in the all-time series between the teams, and BGSU won last year's meeting, which also was played in the Motor City. The Falcons posted a 1-0 victory (Sept. 15, 2010), with Miguel Rosales picking up the shutout. The Falcons are 7-4-1 in road games vs. UDM. In the two previous years, the visiting team rallied from multiple-goal deficits. Detroit came back from two goals down for a 3-2 win in overtime at Cochrane Field two years ago (Nov. 4, 2009). That match came one year to the day after BGSU trailed, 3-0, early in the second half at UDM before rallying for a 3-3 tie.
THE BGSU-DETROIT SERIES
(BGSU leads, 15-6-2)
Sept. 1, 1987 -- BGSU 2, at Detroit 1
Sept. 24, 1988 -- at BGSU 4, Detroit 1
Oct. 3, 1989 -- BGSU 5, at Detroit 1
Oct. 16, 1990 -- at BGSU 2, Detroit 0
Oct. 16, 1991 -- BGSU 1, at Detroit 0
Oct. 18, 1992 -- at BGSU 3, Detroit 1
Oct. 6, 1993 -- at Detroit 2, BGSU 0
Oct. 5, 1994 -- at BGSU 2, Detroit 1
Sept. 30, 1995 -- at BGSU 1, Detroit 0 %
Sept. 25, 1996 -- at Detroit 3, BGSU 1 (OT)
Nov. 23, 1996 -- at BGSU 4, Detroit 0 #
Sept. 25, 1997 -- BGSU 3, at Detroit 0
Sept. 1, 1998 -- at BGSU 2, Detroit 1
Sept. 14, 2000 -- BGSU 2, at Detroit 1
Oct. 28, 2001 -- Detroit 3, at BGSU 2
Sept. 11, 2002 -- at Detroit 4, BGSU 1
Nov. 2, 2003 -- at BGSU 1, Detroit 1 (2-OT)
Sept. 8, 2004 -- at Detroit 1, BGSU 0
Oct. 3, 2006 -- BGSU 3, at Detroit 0
Oct. 24, 2007 -- at BGSU 2, Detroit 1
Nov. 4, 2008 -- BGSU 3, at Detroit 3 (2-OT)
Nov. 4, 2009 -- Detroit 3, at BGSU 2 (OT)
Sept. 15, 2010 -- BGSU 1, at Detroit 0
% Kwik Goal/BGSU Soccer Classic
# NCAA Tournament First Round
FALCONS PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH IN MAC RACE
The Falcons have been 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 points, 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 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 the Detroit match, the Falcons will be idle for over a week. Then, however, BGSU will play four matches in a nine-day span, beginning with a pair of home games. The Falcons will host IUPUI on Friday, Sept. 30, at 1:00 p.m. at Cochrane Field, then will open Mid-American Conference play by hosting Florida Atlantic on Sunday, Oct. 2. The FAU match is slated for a noontime start.
Eric Nichols Post-Practice Interview (Sept. 19, 2025)
Friday, September 19
Off The Pitch: Trace Terry (Sept. 18, 2025)
Friday, September 19
BGSU MSOC: USMNT GOAT (Lucas Kleimeyer)
Wednesday, September 17
Off The Pitch: Andrew Shaffer (Sept. 11, 2025)
Thursday, September 11