Zips Slog Past Falcons, 1-0

Saturday, September 21

Akron, OH

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Akron

September 21, 2013 | Men's Soccer

By: AKRON, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Reinaldo Brenes' first-half goal held up as the winner, as the nationally-ranked University of Akron held on for a 1-0 victory over the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team Saturday afternoon (Sept. 21). The match, the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams, was held at UA's FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field.

FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF

The Zips (5-2-0 overall, 1-0-0 MAC), ranked 15th in the nation, broke a scoreless tie with just 1:32 remaining before halftime, and made that goal hold up against the Falcons (1-4-2, 0-1-0). Both teams battled soggy field conditions that slowed play throughout the majority of the match.

Akron outshot the Falcons by a 20-9 overall count on the afternoon, and the Zips had seven shots on goal to BGSU's three. Akron is unbeaten in the last 48 matches against MAC foes (45-0-3), an NCAA record.

The UA goal came after Eric Stevenson played a through ball to Brenes, who took one touch and put a shot past BGSU senior goalkeeper Michael Wiest from about 12 yards out.

Wiest had five saves on the day, including back-to-back stops on Stevenson and Adam Najem just seconds apart in the second half to keep the deficit at a single goal. UA 'keeper Fernando Pina recorded three saves at the other end of the pitch.

"We had a good mentality and a good approach today, and we actually played a pretty good game," said BGSU head coach Eric Nichols. "There were moments in the game where we were on our front foot. But, we did not have enough of those moments. When we create chances, which we did today, we've got to put them away.

"With a team like Akron, if you make a mistake, they will punish you. We had a little lapse in our defending, and they beat us on a break and got a good goal.

"But, I like the way we finished the game. We pressed hard and created some more chances. We certainly came over here to win, but we left the field today with no regrets. The most important thing is that I know we are getting better. Each game, we are playing better than the one before. The best is yet to come with this group."

The Falcons continue a season-long five-match road swing next weekend, hitting the road once again to take on Marshall Friday (Sept. 27) and Northern Kentucky two days later.