Falcons Host IUPUI in Friday's Regular-Season Opener

Junior Ryan James & the Falcons host IUPUI in the 2014
regular-season opener Friday night, with kickoff at 6:00 p.m.

The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team begins the 50th season in program history on Friday night (Aug. 29). The Falcons of head coach Eric Nichols host IUPUI, with kickoff set for 6:00 p.m. at Cochrane Field.

BGSU NOTES & STATS - PDF
Falcons Picked to Finish Fifth in MAC

Following Friday night's match, the Brown and Orange will conclude a brief two-game homestand with a Tuesday (Sept. 2) contest vs. the University of Findlay. Starting time for the UF match is 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane.

FREE ADMISSION TO HOME FALCON FUTBOL / FOLLOW THE FALCONS
Admission for all Falcon men's and women's soccer home matches again this season is free. For those who can't make it to Cochrane Field, live stats are scheduled to be available for each home game via BGSUFalcons.com. Twitter updates for all home men's soccer matches (and selected away games) will be available via @Mike Cihon. Information regarding live stats, twitter updates, etc., for BGSU road matches will be available on the web at BGSUFalcons.com on the day of the match.

BARALDI, FALCONS DOWN MARSHALL IN LONE SCRIMMAGE
Senior Danny Baraldi scored in the 64th minute, lifting the Falcons to a 1-0 victory over host Marshall Wednesday evening (Aug.20). The teams played three 30-minute periods in the scrimmage, and Baraldi's goal came early in the third period. The tri-captain capitalized on a turnover, slotting the ball past MU goalkeeper Dominik Reining from approximately six yards out. Baraldi's unassisted goal was all Nick Landsberger and the Falcon defense would need. Landsberger, a redshirt sophomore, played all 90 minutes, making three saves in the shutout win. The Falcons outshot the Thundering Herd by a 12-9 margin, and BGSU put six shots on goal to MU's three. Baraldi and sophomore Pat Flynn combined for nine of BG's 12 total shots and five of the team's six shots on goal in the win.

FALCONS PICKED TO PLACE FIFTH IN MAC RACE
The Falcons have been picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference race in 2014. The preseason poll is the result of voting by the league's six head coaches.

"I think this is a fair ranking by the coaches around the conference," said BGSU coach Eric Nichols. "The MAC is tough from top to bottom, and we lost a lot of pieces from last year. We are excited about what this group can do, but it has to be proven on the field."

Akron, the defending regular-season and tournament champion, was picked to capture the 2014 MAC regular-season title. West Virginia was picked to finish second in the standings, followed by Western Michigan Northern Illinois, BGSU and Buffalo.

MAC MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
(First-place votes in parentheses)
1. Akron (4)
2. West Virginia (1)
3. Western Michigan (1)
4. Northern Illinois
5. Bowling Green
6. Buffalo
Votes to win 2014 MAC Tournament – Akron 3; West Virginia 2; Western Mich. 1

THE STARTING XI (11 things you should know about the Falcons)
• The 2014 season marks the 50th year of BGSU men's soccer. Legendary coach Mickey Cochrane initiated varsity programs in both soccer and lacrosse at BG in 1965, after serving as club coach of both sports at the University the previous year.

• Eric Nichols, now in his sixth season at BG, is just the fifth coach in the illustrious history of BGSU men's soccer, which spans nearly five decades. Cochrane, Gary Palmisano, Mel Mahler and Fred Thompson are the only other individuals to have served as head coach of the men's soccer Falcons.

• The Falcons' next regular-season victory will be the 400th in the history of the program. Entering the IUPUI match, BGSU has an overall record of 399-343-78, good for a winning percentage of .534.

• Nichols and the Falcons lost a total of 10 seniors off of last year's team. The 2014 team has eight returning letterwinners, including four starters, and the Falcons have 11 newcomers on the 23-man roster.

• Nichols also has several newcomers on the coaching staff. Eric Reed joins the Falcons after spending the last two seasons at Davidson. Former BGSU standout Zach Lemke begins his second season on the coaching staff, while another former Falcon playing great, Brandon Silva, embarks upon his first season on the staff.

• One of the seniors on last year's team was goalkeeper Michael Wiest, who played every second of every match in both 2012 and '13. This year's roster includes three 'keepers – redshirt sophomores Ryan Heuton and Nick Landsberger and true freshman Billy Larsen – and one of those three will make his BGSU debut when the opening whistle blows on Friday night.

• BGSU's returning field players combined to score seven of the Falcons' 25 goals last year. Senior Danny Baraldi led the returnees with three goals and 10 points last fall, and has posted double-digit point totals in each of his first three seasons.

• Baraldi's four assists led all BGSU players last season. The returnees registered 11 of the team's 25 assists in 2013.

• Baraldi and two of his teammates have been named to the College Sports Madness Preseason All-Mid-American Conference Team. Baraldi was named to the all-league first team by the website, while juniors Jake Genrich and Ryan James each earned second-team accolades.

• The Falcons played nine overtime matches last season, a new school record. The 1984 Falcons saw eight matches go to overtime, as did the 2003 club. In fact, all nine of last year's OT matches required a second OT.

• The 2013 Falcons saw another record fall, as six of those matches ended in a draw.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
The Falcons went 6-7-6 in 2013, and BGSU finished with a record of 2-2-2 in MAC play, tying for fourth in the conference in the final regular-season standings. BG went 3-2-3 at home, 3-4-3 on the road and 0-1-0 in neutral-site matches a year ago.

The Falcons lost 10 seniors off of last year's team, including the top-two scorers in Ryan Comiskey and Anthony Grant. Comiskey had team-league totals of six goals and 13 points, while Grant scored a total of 11 points, including four goals.

Senior Danny Baraldi is the Falcons' top returning scorer, with three goals and four assists for 10 points a year ago. Baraldi has posted double-digit point totals in each of his first three seasons, and has scored 47 points in 54 career matches with the Brown and Orange.

Sophomore Joe Sullivan tied for fourth on the team in scoring a year ago, with six points in his initial season. Both of his goals proved to be game winners, tying him with Grant for the team lead in that category.

Junior Ryan James scored four points and senior Jon Kumher three last fall. Baraldi and James are two of just four returning starters for head coach Eric Nichols. That group also includes junior Jake Genrich and redshirt sophomore Max Auden.

Last year's team scored 25 goals – the program's highest total since 2003 – while allowing just 17, the fewest conceded since 2001.

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
IUPUI posted a 2-12-5 overall record last season, and the Jaguars finished fourth in the Summit League with a 2-2-2 conference record. Head coach Isang Jacob welcomes back 15 letterwinners, including eight starters, from that club. The Jags were picked to finish fifth in the Summit League this fall, in the preseason coaches' poll. Lance Davis, a junior, is the team's top returning scorer, having amassed five points a year ago. Eduardo Cortes, a junior GK, started 16 of IUPUI's 19 matches last season, and had 84 saves, three shutouts and a 2.03 GAA. The Jags played a pair of home exhibitions, falling to Northern Illinois, 2-1 (Aug. 19), and SIU Edwardsville, 2-0 (Aug. 22).

A LOOK AT THE OILERS
Findlay finished the 2013 season with an overall record of 5-11-1. The Oilers were picked to finish seventh in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) this season. A pair of juniors, Mark Sleasman and Ryan Poyle, return after combining to score 12 goals last fall. Sleasman earned All-GLIAC First-Team honors after scoring 15 points, including five goals. Poyle, who led the team with seven goals last fall, was named to the all-conference second team. Joe McClanahan, a sophomore, started all but one match in goal last season, with 79 saves and a 1.78 GAA. Head coach Andy Smyth is entering his 26th year at the helm of the Oilers.

BIRELINE RETURNS TO BG
Former BGSU men's soccer student-athlete Garrett Bireline is in his first season as an assistant coach at IUPUI. Bireline, a native of Marion, Ind., was named BGSU's Junior Scholar-Athlete of the Year in April of 2010, and earned his degree in 2011.

THE SERIES
BGSU and IUPUI are tied, 1-1-1, in the all-time series between the teams, but BG has a two-match unbeaten streak vs. the Jaguars. The most recent meeting came three years ago, when Colin Armstrong scored in the final seconds of the first half to help the Falcons to a 1-0 win at Cochrane Field (Sept. 30, 2011). The teams battled to a scoreless draw the prior season in Indianapolis (Nov. 3, 2010). The first-ever meeting between the teams saw the Jags pick up a 3-2 win in thte 2004 season in first-day action at BGSU's Kelme Classic.

The Falcons lead Findlay, 2-0-0, in that series, but the teams have not played for more than three decades. BG posted back-to-back shutouts over the Oilers in the early 1980s, with a 10-0 victory on the road in 1981 and a 21-0 triumph at home in '82. The Falcons' goal output in the latter match set a school record that still stands.

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
Following the IUPUI and Findlay matches, the Falcons head to Pittsburgh, Pa., for the Duquesne Invitational. BGSU will face Niagara on Friday, Sept. 5, before meeting host Duquesne on Sunday, Sept. 7. The Brown and Orange then will return home to face Northern Kentucky on Friday night, Sept. 12.

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