Bowling Green State University Athletics
Tuesday, November 5
Bowling Green, OH
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
IPFW
Falcons Face WVU with MAC Tournament Berth on the Line
November 04, 2013 | Men's Soccer
BGSU hosts IPFW Tuesday night before heading to Morgantown for Friday's match
Then, on Friday evening (Nov. 8), the Brown and Orange will play a crucial Mid-American Conference match vs. West Virginia University. First touch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va.
BGSU NOTES & STATISTICS - PDF
IPFW men's soccer | WVU men's soccer
THE FALCONS AND THE MAC RACE
The Falcons will attempt to qualify for the MAC Tournament this weekend, but the win-or-go-home mentality of tournament time actually begins on Friday night. Currently, three teams – Akron, Western Michigan and Hartwick – have qualified for the MAC Tournament, while Buffalo and Northern Illinois have been eliminated from contention. The winner of Friday's BGSU-West Virginia match will clinch the fourth and final spot in the MAC Tournament, which will be held on Nov. 15-17 at the site of the regular-season champion.
Should BGSU and WVU play to a draw, the Mountaineers would earn the final tourney berth. In such a case, the teams would still be tied in the regular-season standings. The MAC's first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition, which obviously would not break the tie.
The second tiebreaker is point accumulation vs. ranked conference teams, starting at the top of the league. Both BGSU and WVU lost to Akron. WMU has clinched no worse than a tie for second with Hartwick, and the Broncos hold the tiebreaker with the Hawks. BGSU lost to WMU, while WVU tied the Broncos, which gives the Mountaineers the tiebreaker over the Falcons. The standings, along with remaining MAC matches and maximum possible points, are below.
Team (Overall) MAC Pts. (Max.) Remaining MAC Matches 1. Akron (12-3-1) 4-1-0 12 (15) @WMU 2. Western Michigan (7-7-1) 3-0-1 10 (16) @NIU, v Akron 3. Hartwick (5-7-4) 3-2-1 10 (10) –––– 4. Bowling Green (5-7-5) 2-2-1 7 (10) @WVU West Virginia (7-6-4) 2-2-1 7 (10) v BGSU 6. Buffalo (3-11-3) 1-4-0 3 (6) @NIU 7. Northern Illinois (4-12-0) 0-4-0 0 (6) v WMU, v UB Teams earn 3 points per win, 1 point per tie (Max.) - maximum possible pts. a team could earn by winning all remaining matchesTHE STARTING XI (11 things you should know about the Falcons)
• The Falcons are 5-7-5 on the season after a 1-0 loss at Western Michigan Saturday afternoon (Nov. 2). As mentioned, BGSU is 2-2-1, and the Falcons are currently tied with West Virginia for fourth in the MAC standings.
• In case you missed this information the first few times we mentioned it, Friday's match at WVU is, for all intents and purposes, a MAC Tournament 'play-in' match. The winner will advance to the league tourney, while the loser will be eliminated. A tie would give the Mountaineers the fourth and final berth.
• The Falcons have outshot the opponent in each of the last nine games. BGSU has advantages of 173-111 in total shots and 73-43 in shots on goal during that time. BG has had more corner kicks than the opposition in each of the last nine matches, with 53 corners to the foes' 20 during that span.
• The loss to WMU snapped a three-match unbeaten streak, which was tied for the team's longest of the season.
• The WMU match also broke two other BGSU streaks, including a five-game road unbeaten streak and a four-match road shutout stretch. BG had been 3-0-2 on the road since another 1-0 MAC setback, at Akron on Sept. 21.
• Prior to the Broncos' goal late in the first half on Saturday, senior goalkeeper Michael Wiest and the Falcons had not allowed a goal on the road since late in regulation of the Marshall match on Sept. 27. The goal on Saturday ended BGSU's road shutout streak at 458:08, the equivalent of just over five full matches.
• Thirteen of BGSU's matches this season, including 12 of the last 13 games, have been decided by one goal or fewer. The Falcons have five ties, and BG is now 3-5 in one-goal games this fall to date.
• BGSU has played eight overtime matches this season, tying the school record. The 1984 Falcons originally set that record, and the 2003 club tied the mark, also seeing eight matches go to overtime.
• The Falcons have seen five of those OT matches end in a draw, matching another school record. The 1979 team tied five matches, finishing with a 7-5-5 mark, and the '84 club equalled that record as well, going 8-9-5.
• A few overtime facts: The Falcons are now 2-1-5 in overtime matches this season. All eight of those matches have gone to double-OT. Four of the Falcons' last six overall matches have required OT, and five of the team's seven home games have gone to extra time in 2013.
• The Falcons have been called offside 48 times this season to date, while the opponents have been flagged just six times all year.
WIEST IS A BEAST (#WiestIsABeast)
• Senior goalkeeper Michael Wiest has been in goal for every second of the Falcons' 17 matches this season to date, and has recorded seven complete-match shutouts this fall. The Naperville, Ill., native also has 67 saves, a goals-against average of just 0.76 and a saves percentage of .827. Wiest currently leads the MAC in saves pct., and he ranks second in the league in total saves, shutouts and GAA.
• In MAC games only, Wiest has a saves percentage of .857 and a GAA of just 0.56, having allowed three goals in the five conference contests to date.
• In his career, Wiest now has a total of 210 saves, a saves pct. of .808 and a GAA of 0.97 in 51 career matches (50 starts).
• Wiest is the first Falcon 'keeper to record six or more shutouts in three consecutive seasons since another Naperville, Ill., native did so a decade-and-a-half ago. BGSU Hall-of-Famer Scott Vallow posted double-digit shutout totals in each of his four seasons (1995-98) en route to a BGSU-record 42 career shutouts.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
The Falcons are 5-7-5 on the season, and BGSU is 2-2-1 in MAC play. BG has a record of 2-2-3 at home this year, and the Falcons are 3-4-2 on the road and 0-1-0 in neutral-site matches to date.
The Falcons have both scored and allowed 14 goals this season. Senior Anthony Grant leads the team with three goals and seven points. Senior Ryan Comiskey, junior Danny Baraldi and freshman Joe Sullivan are tied for second on the club with two goals apiece. Sullivan is second on the Falcons with six points this fall, while Baraldi and Comiskey have five each.
Four other Falcons have one goal apiece. That group includes seniors Joey D'Agostino, Brandon Silva and Ryan Snashall and sophomore Ryan James.
BGSU has a total of 13 assists, with Sullivan and senior Sean Sikich leading the way with two apiece. Nine of their teammates have one assist each.
Three Falcons have started all 17 of BGSU's matches to date. That list includes Sikich, Silva and fellow senior Michael Wiest. Senior Zach Schewee and sophomore Jake Genrich each have made 16 starts, while D'Agostino has started 15 contests and Baraldi, Grant, James and Snashall 13 apiece.
In goal, Wiest has played every second of every match this season to date. He has 67 saves, seven shutouts and a goals-against average of 0.76. In five MAC matches, Wiest has a GAA of 0.56 and a saves pct. of .857.
Wiest and Sikich each have played all 1666 minutes this season, while Silva has been on the pitch for 1653 minutes and Schewee 1633.
Head coach Eric Nichols and his staff returned a total of 13 letterwinners, including nine starters, from last year's club. The 2012 Falcons finished with an overall record of 8-9-3 and a MAC mark of 3-3-1. BGSU tied for fourth in the league regular-season standings last fall, and qualified for the MAC Tournament.
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
IPFW enters Tuesday's match with an overall record of 1-13-1, and the Mastodons are 1-4-0 in Summit League play this year to date. IPFW will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak, with the team's most recent game resulting in a 3-0 setback vs. Western Illinois on Oct. 26. The 'Dons are 1-5-1 at home, 0-6-0 on the road and 0-2-0 in neutral-site matches this season to date. Oscar Uyamadu leads the team with five goals and 10 points, while three of his teammates have two goals apiece. In goal, Raphael Kotzock has 42 saves and a goals-against average of 2.94. Head coach Mike Harper returned 16 letterwinners, including six starters, from last year's club that went 4-15-1 overall and 3-3-1 in the Summit.
A LOOK AT THE MOUNTAINEERS
West Virginia is 7-6-4 overall, and the Mountaineers are tied with BGSU in MAC play, with a 2-2-1 league record. WVU will take a five-match unbeaten streak (2-0-3) into Friday's BG match, including a scoreless draw vs. Western Michigan (Oct. 26) and a 2-1 win at Buffalo (Nov. 1) in the last two games. The Mountaineers are 5-3-3 at home and 2-3-1 on the road this fall. Andy Bevin and Majed Osman have combined for 14 of the team's 25 goals. Bevin has eight goals and 22 points, while Osman's 18 points include six goals. Both players, along with Jamie Merriam, have six assists this year. In goal, Lee Johnston has 40 saves, five shutouts and a 1.06 GAA. Head coach Marlon LeBlanc returned 14 letterwinners, including five starters, from last year's club. The 2012 edition of the Mountaineers finished 9-6-2 overall and 4-2-1 in MAC play.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead IPFW, 6-4-2, in the all-time series between the teams, but the 'Dons picked up a come-from-behind 2-1 win in Fort Wayne last year (Oct. 16, 2012). That snapped a five-match series unbeaten streak for the Brown and Orange. In the teams' last meeting at Cochrane Field, the Falcons scored three first-half goals en route to a 3-0 win two years ago (Aug. 31, 2011). Tuesday's game will mark the 12th consecutive year the schools have played. The 'Dons were a MAC affiliate member for men's soccer in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. BG has records of 3-2-2 at home and 3-2-0 on the road vs. IPFW through the years.
BGSU leads West Virginia, 3-1-1, in that series, and last year's meeting was the teams' first since 1995. Last season, the Mountaineers got a late goal off a corner kick for a 1-0 win at Cochrane Field (Nov. 3, 2012). One of BGSU's victories actually was a 4-2 WVU win in 1983, but the Mountaineers later forfeited the match to BG. The teams have gone to overtime in three of the first five meetings, including a 6-2 Falcon win in the 1995 season (before overtime was sudden death). The Falcons have never faced WVU in Morgantown, as the teams have met twice in BG and three times in in-season tournaments at neutral sites.
A list of the Falcons' match-by-match results against both IPFW and WVU can be found in the PDF version of these notes.
UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
Should the Falcons qualify for the MAC Tournament, BGSU would play a semifinal match against an opponent to be determined on Friday, Nov. 15. The tournament will be held at the site of the regular-season champion (either Akron or Western Michigan), with the championship match set for Sunday, Nov. 17.
Off The Pitch: Gonzalo Carranza (Oct. 30, 2025)
Thursday, October 30
Off The Pitch: Jack Bennett (Oct. 22, 2025)
Thursday, October 23
Off The Pitch: Ryko Bodurov (Oct. 16, 2025)
Friday, October 17
Eric Nichols Post-Match Interview (Oct. 10, 2025)
Saturday, October 11