Early PK Lifts Zips to 1-0 Win at Cochrane Field

Saturday, October 11

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

9-3-0, 0-1-0MAC

Akron (NWOYSL Night)

6-4-1, 1-0-0MAC

Akron

Bowling Green

Danny Shea blocks an Akron shot attempt during second-half action

Photo by: Ruben Kappler, BGSU Marketing & Communications

October 11, 2014 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

BGSU falls in MAC opener

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Adam Najem's penalty-kick goal in the 16th minute held up as the winner, as the University of Akron escaped Cochrane Field with a 1-0 win over the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team Saturday night (Oct. 11). The match was the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.

LINKS
FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
POST-MATCH INTERVIEW: Coach Nichols
PHOTO GALLERY: Courtesy BGSU Marketing & Communications

With the win, the Zips improve to 6-4-1 overall. The Falcons drop to 9-3-0 on the year.

"It was a good game," said BGSU head coach Eric Nichols. "A lot of credit to Akron. They've been the class of the MAC for a long time, and there's a reason for that. They're not easy to solve.

"That having been said, I'm still a little surprised that we didn't get a goal. We were pushing, we got some chances and our plan was good on how we were going to get those chances. Again, credit goes to Akron. When you get into the MAC schedule, it's about getting points. They walk out of here with three points, and we don't."

Najem's goal came after BGSU goalkeeper Ryan Heuton was whistled for a foul against the Zips' Saad Abdul-Salaam in the penalty box. A PK was awarded, and Najem converted it at the 15:54 mark for what proved to be the winning goal.

The Falcons, facing that early deficit, battled back in front of a vocal crowd at Cochrane. Akron held a 19-11 advantage in overall shot attempts on the night, but the visitors had just a slim 7-6 lead in shots on goal, and BG put four shots on frame to the Zips' three in the second half.

The Brown and Orange very nearly converted on several of those chances, including back-to-back headers from junior Ryan James and sophomore Joe Sullivan early in that second period, and a hard, low shot by redshirt sophomore Max Auden late in the match. UA goalkeeper Jake Fenlason made the save on each occasion, however, and had a total of six stops on the night.

At the other end of the pitch, Heuton had six saves as well. The redshirt soph still has not given up a goal from scrimmage play in his BGSU career, and his goals-against average now stands at 0.22.

The Falcons pressured the Akron back line early, and won a corner kick roughly two minutes into the match. But, BGSU could not capitalize, and it would be the home team's only corner of the first half.

The first shot of the match came just over 10 minutes in, when Najem fired a turnaround shot that was saved by Heuton. Najem and Sullivan led their respective teams and tied for game honors with four total shots and three shots on goal apiece.

Heuton stopped another blast by Najem, off of a pass from Sam Gainford, with 14-and-a-half minutes gone. The BG 'keeper made a diving stop to parry the ball on the short-hop, and the Falcon defense cleared the ensuing rebound.

With 29:06 to go in the first half, however, the PK was awarded, and Najem scored his fourth goal of the season. That goal, the first of any kind allowed by Heuton this season, would hold up as the winner, but the Zips were not out of the woods by a long shot.

Eighteen minutes into the match, Sullivan put senior Danny Baraldi down the left side of the pitch with a forward ball. With a UA defender trailing him every step of the way, Baraldi headed toward the penalty area and uncorked a hard shot that missed on the near side.

A minute later, sophomore Jacob Roth played a diagonal ball into the box, where sophomore Pat Flynn was stationed. Flynn attempted to play the ball behind him in bicycle-kick-like fashion, but the ball was blocked by a defender and cleared by the Zips.

Flynn laid the ball off for Sullivan in the 26th minute, but Sullivan's roller was parried and controlled by Fenlason.

With 11 minutes left in the half, UA's Robby Dambrot made a nice run down the left side of the field, cut back and brought the ball toward the center of the park. He played a cross to Nathan Quirk, but Quirk's one-timer sailed well over the goal.

Just over two minutes later, an Akron foul gave BG a free kick just over midfield. Roth's diagonal ball sailed through the box, and went just beyond the lunging efforts of Flynn in the middle of the six-yard box and Auden at the far post. The ball went out of play for a UA goal kick.

After a BG foul with just over six minutes left, Brad Ruhaak got his head on the ensuing free kick. His dangerous shot, however, was tapped over the bar by Heuton. Flynn's low shot at the other end of the field was saved with approximately three minutes to go, and the Zips took a one-goal lead into the halftime intermission.

The visitors came out firing in the second half, as Victor Souto and Gainford hit shots during a UA flurry in the 47th minute of play. Souto's shot was blocked, but the ball went to Gainford near the left post. His follow try was saved by Heuton to keep it a one-goal game.

The Zips applied pressure for several minutes, before the Falcons responded. Five minutes into the period, a low shot by Sullivan was saved. Then, 90 seconds later, Baraldi's left-side cross found the head of James near the far post. The junior's shot was blocked by Fenlasen near the crossbar, but Sullivan headed a shot back toward goal. Fenlasen, on his heels, grabbed the ball, and while members of the Cochrane Clan behind the north goal pleaded their case that the ball had crossed the line, play continued.

Back came the Zips, as Souto hit a wicked drive that was saved with a nice effort from Heuton. The BG 'keeper also made a save on Quirk over the next few minutes.

Exactly 20 minutes remained when a Roth diagonal ball skipped off the head of an Akron defender in the box. But, luckily for the visitors, the ball went directly to Fenlasen, who grabbed it.

At the other end, a shot by UA's Stuart Holthusen was blocked by the lunging effort of BGSU senior tri-captain Jon Kumher. The ball, however, popped up into the air and sailed just wide of the right goalpost. BG, though, successfully dealt with the ensuing corner kick.

With nine minutes to go, a Roth corner kick found the head of Flynn at the near post. The sophomore nodded the ball toward the frame, but his shot sailed just wide of the target.

With time ticking down and the Falcons pressing forward, Flynn's pass found Auden near the top of the box. Auden hit a low, hard shot that forced Fenlason to make a diving stop, knocking the ball out of play for a corner. Roth's corner reached Sullivan near the top of the box as the clock ticked under a minute to go, but Sullivan, tracked by several defenders, could not free himself to get a shot off. UA cleared the ball over the midfield line, and BG could not mount another serious offensive attack before time expired.

"I'm really proud of this team," said Nichols. "I saw some really good things tonight. They fought for each other, and they fought for BG. They're hurting right now, but they will heal from this, and we will get back after it and get better on Monday."

The Falcons return to the Cochrane Field pitch next Saturday night, Oct. 18, when the University at Buffalo comes to town. Kickoff for that MAC contest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.