Second-Half Scoring Lifts Marquette Past Falcons, 3-0

Friday, September 6

Milwaukee, WI

5:00 PM CT

Bowling Green State University

Marquette

September 06, 2013 | Men's Soccer

By: MILWAUKEE, Wis. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

BGSU v U-M - Swegan 1st half pics, Dorow 2nd half

Nationally-ranked Marquette University broke open a scoreless match with three second-half goals, and the Golden Eagles downed the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team, 3-0, Friday evening (Sept. 6). The match was held at Engelmann Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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The result leaves both the Falcons and the Golden Eagles with 1-1-1 records on the year. Marquette, a consensus top-25 program heading into the season, was ranked as high as ninth in the preseason. MU entered this week ranked 16th in the nation in the Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer Times polls, and the Golden Eagles are receiving votes in this week's NSCAA rankings.

Friday's match was the first contest in the Panther Invitational, hosted by UWM.

The teams battled through a scoreless first half, as the Falcons and Golden Eagles each had seven shot attempts and two shots on goal in the opening 45 minutes. But, MU would get on the board in the early going of the second period, as Adam Lysak took a pass from C. Nortey and one-timed a shot inside the left post from the top of the penalty box.

Louis Bennett II doubled the MU lead midway through the period, hitting a shot in stride from approximately 20 yards out that also found its way just inside the left post. That goal came with 68:44 gone.

With just over nine minutes left in the period, Nortey capped the scoring. A left-side serve by Paul Dillon sailed into the box, and Nortey got his head on it. The shot was hit with force, and BGSU senior goalkeeper Michael Wiest was able to get a hand on the ball, but could not keep it from crossing the goal line.

For the match, the Falcons had a 15-14 advantage in shot attempts. The Golden Eagles put seven of their shots on goal to BG's five.

Wiest made four saves on the evening, while Charlie Lyon had five stops in goal in his complete-match effort for MU.

"This was obviously a tough loss, but we actually did some good things tonight," said BGSU head coach Eric Nichols. "When you're playing a team of Marquette's quality, if you're off a little bit, you'll get punished, which is what happened tonight. But we'll grow from this, and we'll be back on Sunday."

The Falcons had the lion's share of the possession time in the first few minutes of the match, but could not put any shots on frame in that time. Senior #Anthony Grant was fouled with nearly 10 minutes gone, but BG's resulting free kick sailed past the far post and out of bounds.

A Falcon flurry soon after saw a shot by Brandon Silva blocked, and a follow try by fellow senior tri-captain Joey D'Agostino sail over the bar.

Several minutes later, Grant laid the ball off for classmate Zach Schewee on the left side, but his shot was wide. A through ball intended for junior Danny Baraldi was knocked out of bounds for a corner kick, but that kick sailed over everyone in the penalty area and out of bounds on the far side.

After spotting the Falcons the first three shots of the game, Marquette answered at the other end. A long, curving shot by Coco Navarro curved just wide of the near post, and Wiest made a nice diving stop of a Bennett strike from distance. The ball went out of bounds for a corner kick, but Wiest punched that corner out of the box.

BGSU made several other forays into the box, but could not generate scoring chances off of those sequences. Senior Ryan Snashall and sophomore Ryan James were able to string several passes together, before a James shot was blocked. Snashall chased the ball down, and attempted to bring it into the box along the end line, but an MU defender poked it off of Snashall's leg and out of play.

As the match reached the half-hour mark, Grant worked from the left side of the goal near the touch line. He slid a pass to Baraldi, but the BG junior could not get a great deal of force behind his shot as a defender was draped all over him, and Lyon grabbed the roller.

Less than a minute later, Grant did hit a hard shot, but Lyon was able to make the save.

Each team had several more shots before the end of the half, but Lyon saved another Grant effort, and Wiest broke up what looked to be a dangerous chance for the Golden Eagles, grabbing the ball at the left post as a Marquette striker closed in. The teams headed to the intermission still locked in a scoreless draw.

Lysak's goal came on the first shot by either team in the second period. The goal gave the Golden Eagles the momentum, but midway through the half, the Brown and Orange looked to equalize with several chances in the span of less than a minute.

Grant, with his momentum taking him away from goal, still hit a shot that forced Lyon to make a save, and an effort by freshman Joe Sullivan was struck well, but went wide left.

Less than a minute after Sullivan's shot, however, the Golden Eagles doubled their lead on the Bennett goal.

With 15 minutes to go, an MU foul resulted in a BGSU free kick. Baraldi's diagonal ball was just out of the reach of two teammates as it curled toward the far post, and Lyon grabbed it on one bounce.

The Falcons got the ball back, and brought it into the offensive end, but a Sullivan shot wasblocked, and Baraldi's follow try went high.

In the 79th minute, another Baraldi shot was blocked out of play for a corner kick. The ensuing corner was knocked into the box by Baraldi, and the Falcons kept the Golden Eagles on their heels as the ball ping-ponged around the box. Finally, however, MU escaped unscathed as a Schewee shot went wide of the target.

The Golden Eagles closed the scoring on Nortey's header with 9;05 remaining. The Falcons' lone shot attempt after that final goal was a left-side effort by Grant that was blocked out of bounds, and Lyon grabbed the resulting corner kick out of the air in traffic.

The Falcons remain in Milwaukee to prepare for a Sunday (Sept. 8) matchup with host UWM. Kickoff for that contest is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. locally (1:00 p.m. ET) at Engelmann Stadium.