Two Late UB Goals Sink Falcons, 2-1

Friday, October 30

Buffalo, N.Y.

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

8-8-1, 1-3-0MAC

Buffalo

7-5-4, 2-1-1MAC

Bowling Green

Buffalo

Ryan James - Sept 18 2015 v IPFW - Ruben Kappler pic

Senior Ryan James scored a second-half goal, but UB rallied for a 2-1 win

Photo by: Ruben Kappler, BGSU Marketing & Communications

October 30, 2015 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: BUFFALO, N.Y. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Senior Ryan James scored with under 15 minutes to go, but the host University at Buffalo rallied for a pair of late goals, knocking off the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team by a 2-1 count Friday night (Oct. 30). The Mid-American Conference match was held at UB Stadium.

With the win, the Bulls improve to 7-5-4 overall and 2-1-1 in MAC play. The Falcons drop to 8-8-1 and 1-3-0, respectively.

**UPDATED MAC STANDINGS**
Team (overall)	MAC	Pts.
Akron (12-2-2)	3-0-1	10
Buffalo (7-5-4)	2-1-1	7
Western Mich. (8-3-4)	1-1-1	4
Northern Ill. (7-5-1)	1-1-1	4
Bowling Green (8-8-1)	1-3-0	3
West Virginia (6-10-0)	1-3-0	3

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The loss also leaves BGSU with a difficult road to navigate as the team attempts to qualify for the MAC Tournament. To advance to the four-team tourney, the Falcons will need to defeat nationally-ranked Akron on the road next weekend and hope for a favorable result or two in the other matches around the league.

**REMAINING MAC MATCHES**
Saturday, Oct. 31
Western Mich. at Northern Ill., 8:00 pm

Friday, Nov. 6
Northern Illinois at West Virginia, 7:00 pm

Saturday, Nov. 7
Buffalo at Western Michigan, 1:00 pm
Bowling Green at Akron, 7:00 pm

James gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead with 14:36 remaining in the second half, scoring on a free kick, but the Bulls got a goal from Marcus Hanson with 3:53 to play and another by Russell Cicerone with exactly two minutes on the clock.

The Falcons held advantages of 15-14 in total shot attempts and 7-4 in shots on goal on Friday night. UB goalkeeper Joseph Kuta was credited with six saves for the hosts.

Neither team had many scoring chances in the first half. The Bulls took the first shot of the match, as Braden Scales duffed a shot wide right in the seventh minute, but the Falcons fired the next three shot attempts of the match.

Nine minutes into the match, redshirt freshman Bismark Agyeman won a throw-in deep in the UB end, but off of that throw, a right-side cross by junior Jacob Roth sailed a little long and went over the end line on the far side of the goal. Moments later, though, Agyeman had the ball back, and he played a low pass to junior Joe Sullivan near the 18-yard line in the center of the field. Sullivan settled the ball, turned and fired, but his shot went high.

Just over a minute later, the Falcons earned a free kick after a UB foul. Roth's kick was blocked by a defender, but Agyeman blocked the UB clearing try and fired a quick shot in traffic. That effort, however, was blocked as well.

Freshman Tate Robertson shot wide in the 17th minute, and BGSU goalkeeper Ryan Heuton made a nifty save at the other end of the pitch two minutes later. The Bulls played a pass ahead to Cicerone, who moved into the box on the right side. He hit a low ball that seemed ticketed for the far corner of the net, but Heuton got a hand on it with a diving effort, and hung on to the ball to prevent a rebound. Heuton was credited with two saves on the evening.

Heuton cleaned up a potentially dangerous situation after a UB free kick with 20 minutes gone. The kick was blocked by the BG wall and popped up into the air, but Heuton was able to dive on the ball in traffic near the six-yard line. BG quickly mounted a counterattack, but Roth's through ball just missed connecting with Sullivan, and it rolled to the UB 'keeper on the artificial turf.

Midway through the half, the Falcosn won a corner kick, and Sullivan slid that kick to Roth, but his long shot was saved by Kuta. Moments later, the Falcons had the ball back, and Robertson received a pass in the box. But, the Falcon freshman could not settle the ball in time to get a shot off before several UB defenders arrived.

In the 27th minute, Robertson stole a UB pass and played a long ball ahead to fellow freshman Ryan Ross as he headed toward the box, with several defenders on his tail. Ross's first touch, however, was a little heavy, and Kuta was able to get to the ball a split-second before Ross could get a shot off.

With four minutes in the half, Sullivan took a Robertson pass and knocked it in the direction of sophomore Keaton Reynolds. Reynolds uncorked a shot from just outside the box, but it was saved, and the teams went to the intermission locked in a scoreless draw.

Early in the second period, Robertson made a nifty spin move to maintain possession as he worked from left to right across the top of the box, but his shot from approximately 15 yards out was blocked. Soon after, a steal by Ross led to a BGSU throw-in deep in the UB end. Off of that throw, BG played a cross that sailed through the box. The Falcons tracked the ball down, but another cross went back through the box without a teammate reaching it.

Seven minutes into the half, Kuta was forced to come off of his line to make the save on a James effort near the top of the box. The ball wound up at the feet of Roth, who put a right-side cross back into the box, and Sullivan met that cross, but his header was high.

Heuton and the BG back line made several plays over the next few minutes. First, Heuton made a diving effort to get his hand on a cross, deflecting it behind a UB player who was running toward goal on the far side of the box. Then, after a questionable foul call on the Falcons, the Bulls had a free kick on the right hashmark of the American football field, approximately 24 yards out. But, Cicerone's free kick was blocked by the BG wall.

As the match passed the one-hour mark, Kuta saved a cross/shot from the right side of the box, then stopped a shot by Ross after the freshman, approximately 15 yards from goal, deflected a teammate's diagonal ball on frame. Three minutes later, Ross played a ball into the box, and James headed it to Sullivan, but his shot from 10 yards away went wide.

Midway through the period, senior Jake Martin's cross sailed toward the left side of the box. Kuta came out in an attempt to catch or punch the ball, but was unsuccessful. The cross found its way to Robertson, but his shot sailed high.

At the other end, sophomore Alexis Souahy headed a UB corner kick out of danger, and James blocked a David Enstrom shot from the top of the box 30 seconds later. The ball went out of play for a corner kick, and off of that kick, Scott Doney's shot was headed away by a BG defender near the goal line. Cicerone retrieved the ball and attempted a series of flashy moves, but the ball was poked away by a Falcon defender.

With just over 15 minutes left, Sullivan took a pass and ripped a shot from the right side of the box. The shot was blocked, but as the teams battled for the rebound, the Bulls were called for a foul just outside the right side of the box.

James took the ensuing free kick, and hit a shot toward the lower left-hand corner of the goal. The shot got past Kuta and was deflected into that corner of the net by a UB defender. With 14:36 on the clock, the Falcons had a 1-0 lead.

The goal gives James 11 points this season to date, the highest total of his career. He now has totals of eight goals and 31 points in that Falcon career to date.

Less than a minute after the goal, the Falcons were whistled for a foul of their own just outside the 18-yard box. Cicerone took the ensuing free kick, but that shot was blocked by the wall, and Heuton grabbed the deflected ball in the box.

Each team had a shot over the next few minutes, as Sullivan blocked a UB clearance try and hit a shot, but the ball was hit directly at Kuta. Then, Doney got his head on a UB free kick, but the ball was well wide of the goal. With just over five minutes to go, Heuton made a save on a right-side shot by Scales, seeing the ball all the way and easily plucking it out of the air.

But, one minute later, the Bulls won a corner. Daniel Cramarossa took that kick, and put it into the box. Heuton came off his line to knock the ball away, but it went directly to Hanson, who gathered it and hit a shot into the vacated net with 3:53 remaining.

The Bulls won another corner just over a minute after the goal, and it resulted in another Hanson shot, This time, however, the ball was blocked and the carom was grabbed by Heuton.

Only 30 seconds later, James nearly was in all along as he poked a ball past the last UB defender, but Kuta was able to come out and grab the ball before the BG senior could reach it.

Quickly, the Bulls headed the other way, and Cicerone beat a defender, forced Heuton to commit and slid the ball into the net with just 1:57 to go. Steven Stryker was credited with an assist on the play.

UB was able to burn most of the remaining time, taking the ball into the BG end and winning several throw-ins. After Dylan Cope's shot was well off the mark with just over 30 seconds left, the Falcons quickly went the other way. Heuton's goal kick went to Roth, who played a long ball ahead that was knocked out of bounds by a UB defender with 10 seconds left. Agyeman threw the ball back in to Roth, but his service toward the right side of the box was again headed out of play by a Buffalo defender, and time expired.

For the second-straight game, the Falcons played without leading scorer Pat Flynn, who was injured late in BG's win over West Virginia last weekend (Oct. 24). Another injured Falcon, senior tri-captain Jake Genrich, returned to action on Friday night. Genrich, who had played in each of the Falcons' first 64 matches over the first three-plus years of his career, then missed 10 of the next 12 contests, including each of the last eight, He returned to the field at UB, playing a total of 22 minutes off the bench.

The Falcons have two more matches remaining in the regular season. BGSU will travel to Boone, N.C., for a Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 3) non-conference match at Appalachian State. Then, the Brown and Orange will venture to Northeast Ohio to face Akron on Saturday night, Nov. 7.