Falcons Battle Norse to Scoreless Draw

Sunday, September 29

Highland Heights, KY

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Northern Kentucky

September 29, 2013 | Men's Soccer

Wiest & BGSU defense keep third clean sheet of season

By: HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

One hundred ten minutes of play was not enough time to produce a goal or a winner on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 29), as the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team and host Northern Kentucky University battled to a scoreless draw. The non-conference match was held at the NKU Soccer Stadium.

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The result leaves the Falcons with a 1-4-4 overall record this season, while the Norse are now 3-2-4 on the year.

Senior goalkeeper Michael Wiest made three saves on the afternoon, keeping his third clean sheet of the season. BGSU had a 17-13 advantage in total shots and a 5-3 margin in shots on goal.

The Falcons controlled the majority of the match, with the lion's share of possession time, particularly during regulation. BGSU had a whopping 11-1 advantage in corner kicks, with four corners in each half and three in the first overtime period. NKU's lone corner kick came during that first OT session.

"We're disappointed, again, not to get a result here today, just like on Friday, but I couldn't be happier with the character our group showed today," said BGSU head coach Eric Nichols . "After playing 110 minutes on Friday while they were off, to be able to go toe-to-toe with a physical, hard-working team like Northern Kentucky -- and actually dominate a lot of the game -- showed a lot of character.

"We're just missing the one key piece, which is scoring goals, and I know the goals are going to come. I couldn't be more proud of this group right now. Our spirits are high, and I know our best days are ahead of us."

In the opening half, junior Danny Baraldi took a free kick for the Brown and Orange. Baraldi struck his shot well, but NKU goalkeeper A.J. Fleak was able to grab the ball on the short-hop. Fleak also made saves on redshirt freshman Max Auden and senior Zach Schewee in the opening period.

The Falcons pressured late in the half, but a shot by Rodcliff Hall was blocked by a defender with under 10 seconds to go.

In the second half, Fleak punched away a BG diagonal ball in the 56th minute. Baraldi settled the ball and hit a blast which, fortunately for the Norse, glanced off of a defender and out of play.

Seven minutes later, the Falcons had what appeared to be a good chance as a short left-side cross found its way into the penalty area. But, a defender cleared the ball away before senior Anthony Grant could get a shot off.

Grant had what might have been the best chance of the match for either team in the 65th minute, as he took a forward ball and got past the charging Fleak with his first touch. With two defenders closing in, but with the goal unguarded, Grant hit a shot that went just wide, glancing off of the left post and out of play.

The Norse had a flurry with just over 10 minutes remaining in regulation, but a shot by Nicholas Chiarot was blocked by BG senior Sean Sikich. The ball found its way to Nick McGregor, who hit a long shot from the left side that forced Wiest to make a diving save. The senior goalkeeper gave up a short rebound, but scrambled to get to the ball well before anyone else could reach it.

As time wound down in the second half, the Falcons threatened once again. A shot by senior Ryan Snashall was blocked with roughly 13 seconds left, and BG kept the pressure up, but could not get another shot off before time expired. The teams headed to overtime.

In the first extra session, a McGregor shot forced Wiest to make a save, and the ball went out of bounds for an NKU corner kick. That kick curved through the box dangerously, but no Norse attacker could redirect it toward goal, and it sailed out of the box and out of play.

The Falcons had three corner kicks in the first 10-minute OT session. The third corner was headed out of the box by an NKU defender, but Schewee hit a long shot that forced Fleak to make a nice diving stop with just over a minute to go in the period.

The second overtime session saw the Norse fire a pair of shots midway through the period. The first, off the boot of Ian O'Reilly, was blocked, and Yaw Addai then hit a long-range effort that was stopped by Wiest.

With 90 seconds to go, the Falcons worked the ball into the box with one of the team's finest passing sequences of the afternoon. Hall took a pass in the penalty area, and hit a shot from approximately 12 yards out on the left side. Hall's hard shot, however, was stopped by Fleak, and neither team could get another shot before time expired.

Auden and Schewee led the Falcons with four total shots apiece, while Baraldi had three. For Auden, the total was by far the highest of his brief career to date. He entered Sunday's match with a career total of three shot attempts.

Sunday's match marked the fourth double-overtime contest in nine matches for the Falcons this season to date. BG and the opponents have battled through 80 minutes of scoreless OT play, as all four matches have ended in draws.

NKU has played no fewer than six overtime matches this season, having gone 1-1-4.

The Falcons conclude a season-long five-match win streak on Friday evening (Oct. 4), heading to Buffalo for a Mid-American Conference match vs. the Bulls. Then, the Brown and Orange will return to Northwest Ohio to begin a three-match homestand, starting with a game vs. Detroit on Tuesday, Oct. 8.