Falcons Begin 2015 Season With Two Home Matches This Weekend

The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team begins the 51st season in program history on Friday night (Aug. 28). The Falcons of head coach Eric Nichols will host SIUE, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.

Then, on Sunday (Aug. 30), the Orange and Brown will continue a season-long four-match homestand with a 1:00 p.m. match vs. Western Illinois University.

U P N E X T I N F A L C O N M E N ' S S O C C E R
BGSU vs. SIUE Cochrane Stadium \| Bowling Green, Ohio	Fri., Aug. 28 7:00 p.m.	Live Stats \| Twitter
BGSU vs. Western Illinois Cochrane Stadium \| Bowling Green, Ohio	Sun., Aug. 30 1:00 p.m.	Live Stats \| Twitter Audio

BGSU MEN'S SOCCER LINKS
BGSU WEEKLY RELEASE/NOTES: The Latest Notes (PDF)
GET TO KNOW...: Coach Nichols | Coach Reed | Coach Lemke | Coach Baraldi
HERO Sports feature: Flynn has Knack for Finishing
FOLLOW THE FALCONS: BGSU Men's Soccer on Twitter
2015 BGSU Men's Soccer Schedule
2015 BGSU Men's Soccer Prospectus/Quick Facts
2015 BGSU Men's Soccer Roster
Flynn Named to Hermann Trophy Watch List
Auden, Genrich & James Named Tri-Captains for 2015
Nichols Signs Contract Extension
Falcons Picked to Finish Fourth
Join the Falcon Club Today!

FREE ADMISSION TO HOME FALCON FUTBOL / FOLLOW THE FALCONS
Admission for all Falcon men's and women's soccer home regular-season matches again this season is free. For those who can't make it to Cochrane Stadium, live stats are scheduled to be available for each home game via BGSUFalcons.com. Twitter updates for all men's soccer matches, home and away, will be available via @BGSUmenssoccer. And, the Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization will broadcast five of the Falcons' eight home games in 2015. All information regarding live stats, audio/video and twitter updates can be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com on the day of the match.

FLYNN NAMED TO HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
In early August, BGSU standout Pat Flynn was marked as a potential contender for the 2015 Missouri Athletic Club's (MAC) Hermann Trophy. Flynn, a junior, was one of just 30 players named to the award's Watch List.

The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in NCAA soccer, presented annually to one male and one female athlete. The winners will be announced Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, at the trophy presentation banquet at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.

"This is a big endorsement of Pat as a player," said BGSU head coach Eric Nichols. "To be named with the best players is the country is a real honor for Pat, for our program and for our University."

The lists are compiled by the NSCAA Men's and Women's NCAA Division I All-America Committees, based on analysis of returning All-America and All-Region players, as well as any prominent newcomers.

Flynn, a native of Naperville, Ill. (Central H.S.), had one of the top seasons in program history last fall. He started all 21 contests in his first season at BGSU, and led the team with 14 goals and 32 points. Those totals were the highest by a Falcon since 1996.

Flynn's goal total was tied for the third-highest in a season in program history, and his point total deadlocked him for fifth on that BGSU list.

Flynn led the Mid-American Conference in total goals and game-winning goals (six), and he ranked second in the league in total points, goals per game (0.67) and points per game (1.52). He finished the season ranked among the national leaders in all five of those categories, as he was eighth or better on each list.

Near the end of the collegiate regular season, NCAA Division I coaches will vote on their top choices and the lists will be narrowed down to the top 15 players. Then, three finalists will be chosen, before the winner is announced in January.

NICHOLS SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION
In early August, BGSU Director of Athletics D. Christopher Kingston announced that men's soccer coach Eric Nichols has signed a multi-year contract extension. Nichols' contract now runs through Dec. 31, 2019.

"The men's soccer program is achieving at a very high level, on and off the field, and we are so pleased about this extension for Eric," said Kingston. "His leadership is exactly what we look for in Falcon Head Coaches and we look forward to continued success in the classroom and on the pitch."

Nichols is entering his seventh season at the helm of the Falcons. Since coming to BG on Feb. 17, 2009, he has built not just a winning team, but a successful program both on and off the pitch. In his first six seasons with the Falcons, Nichols has changed the culture of the program, showing steady improvement each season.

BGSU has an overall record of 44-51-19 since Nichols assumed the helm. After going 3-12-3 in his initial season, Nichols' Falcons have a winning record over the last five years.

Nichols took over a team that had dropped to the bottom of the Mid-American Conference, and slowly but surely returned the BGSU men's soccer program to relevance in the MAC and the region.

The Falcons had an RPI of 184 in the 2008 season, the year before Nichols arrived. Four years later, BGSU finished with an RPI of 99. And, at the conclusion of the 2014 campaign, Nichols and the Falcons were ranked 64th in the nation in the end-of-season RPI.

"I want to thank Chris Kingston and President Mary Ellen Mazey for their continued support of the men's soccer program," said Nichols. "I couldn't be more excited about the direction of our university and the athletic department. Couple that with the support we get from our community and our alumni backing and we have the opportunity to do some special things with the soccer program. We will continue set our sights very high and build a program that we can all be proud of.

"This community has been wonderful to my family since the day we first arrived and we look forward to calling Bowling Green home for many years to come."

A FEW THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The 2015 season marks the 51st 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 seventh season at BG, is just the fifth coach in the illustrious history of Falcon men's soccer. Cochrane (1965-77), Gary Palmisano (1978-92, 1994), Mel Mahler (1993, 1995-2003) and Fred Thompson (2004-08) are the only other individuals to have served as head coach of the BGSU men's soccer program.

• Nichols and his staff – assistant coaches Eric Reed, Zach Lemke and Danny Baraldi – welcome back a total of 15 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last year's team.

• That group of 15 letterwinners combined to score over 89 percent of the team's goals and register more than 91% of the team's assists last fall. And, the Falcons' returning goalkeepers combined to play every second of every match between the posts in 2014.

• Nichols and the Falcons, after losing 10 seniors off of the 2013 team, were picked to finish fifth in the six-team MAC in the 2014 campaign. But, that '14 team put together one of the most successful seasons in the last few decades. The Falcons went 14-6-1 overall, finishing with a winning record for the first time in 14 years. The overall win total was the program's highest in 17 seasons. BGSU more than doubled the previous season's win total, and the Falcons advanced to the championship match of the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2003.

• In the final 2014 national statistics, the Falcons were ranked 30th or better in the country in eight of the 11 team categories kept by the NCAA. BGSU won five-straight matches late in the season, including a come-from-behind, overtime win over West Virginia in the MAC Tournament semifinals. In the league tourney championship, the Brown and Orange took a second-half lead over Akron on the Zips' home field, but the hosts battled back for a narrow, 2-1 win. Nevertheless, the message had been sent that BG was back.

• In the classroom, the Falcons received the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award for the fifth consecutive season. The award is given to programs that have achieved a minimum team GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

AUDEN, GENRICH AND JAMES TO CAPTAIN FALCONS
Seniors Jake Genrich and Ryan James and redshirt junior Max Auden will serve as tri-captains of the Falcons this fall. The captains were chosen by a vote of team members.

"Our program is in a good place in terms of leadership in that we have a number of guys who have taken leadership roles from a variety of angles," said head coach Eric Nichols. "The three guys who have been chosen as captains are exceptional young men who lead by example, but more importantly they follow it up and hold their teammates responsible for the things that our team values. These three are overtly committed to high standards and doing whatever they can to help their teammates to operate with those same standards."

Auden, a native of Naperville, Ill. (North), was named to the MAC All-Tournament Team last fall, and also was named an all-conference first-team selection by the College Sports Madness web site. Auden started all 21 matches, and scored 15 points on six goals and three assists, in 2014.

Genrich, from Plymouth, Mich. (Salem), is a BGSU tri-captain for the second consecutive year. An All-MAC Second-Team selection last year, he started all 21 matches at a center-back position, playing every second of every match. He helped the Falcons post eight shutouts, and BGSU allowed just 20 total goals in those 21 games.

James, who hails from Mississauga, Ontario (Loyola Catholic Secondary), was an All-MAC Second-Team selection last year, and also was named to the NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Great Lakes Region Third Team. James was chosen to the All-Ohio Second Team, and also earned Academic All-MAC and Academic All-Ohio honors.

"I am very pleased for these three guys and excited that our team is in such good hands," said Nichols.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
BGSU went 14-6-1 overall a year ago, and finished with a MAC record of 2-2-1.The Falcons were 6-2-1 in home matches, 6-4 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site contests. BGSU outscored opponents by a 38-20 margin.

The Falcons lost three seniors – all starters – off of last year's team, but head coach Eric Nichols returns the top-four scorers from the 2014 club. That quartet includes true juniors Pat Flynn (14 goals, 32 points a year ago), Jacob Roth (18 points including a team-high eight assists) and Joe Sullivan (16 points) and redshirt junior Max Auden (15 points).

In goal, redshirt juniors Ryan Heuton and Nick Landsberger return after combining to play every second of every match last fall. Heuton led the MAC with a goals-against average of just 0.48, while Landsberger's GAA of 1.18 ranked him third in the league.

The 2015 Falcons played one scrimmage, dropping a 2-1 road decision to Cincinnati last weekend.

SCOUTING SIUE
SIUE, like BGSU, opens the regular season on Friday evening, but the Cougars have played three exhibitions. First-year coach Mario Sanchez and Company lost a narrow 1-0 match to Xavier, but defeated both Tulsa and Milwaukee by identical 2-0 scores. The Cougars were picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in 2015, and senior Justin Bilyeu and junior Austin Ledbetter were each named to the All-MVC preseason team. Last year, SIUE went 8-9-4 overall and 4-1-1 in MVC play. The Cougars finished second in the MVC regular-season race, won the league tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships.

A LOOK AT WIU
Western Illinois opens the regular season at Oakland on Friday night before coming to BGSU for Sunday afternoon's contest. The Leathernecks played a pair of exhibitions, falling at DePaul by a 3-2 count, then earning a 1-1 draw against Northern Illinois. A year ago, WIU finished with an ovearll record of 9-7-3 and a Summit League mark of 3-2-1. The Leathernecks tied for the league regular-season crown and advanced to the championship match of the league tournament. Head coach Dr. Eric Johnson welcomes back seven starters from that club. WIU was picked to finish third in the Summit League in 2015.

THE SERIES
BGSU trails SIUE, 3-0-0, in the all-time series between the teams, although the Falcons and Cougars have not met in nearly three decades. SIUE captured both ends of a home-and-home series in 1978 and '79, scoring four goals in each match. And, the Cougars won a 2-0 decision as part of the Illinois State Soccer Classic in 1988, the teams' most recent meeting.

The Falcons lead Western Illinois, 2-1-1, in that series, and BG captured the most recent matchup, 2-1 in overtime, in the Falcon Classic at Cochrane Stadium nine years ago. The previous season (2005), BG and WIU battled to a 2-2, double-OT deadlock. The first two series matchups were 3-0 decisions, with BGSU winning a neutral-site matchup in 1982, and Western capturing a win at Cochrane in 2004.

FALCONS PICKED TO PLACE FOURTH IN MAC
The Falcons have been picked to finish fourth in the MAC race in 2015, according to the preseason coaches poll. Akron was tabbed to win the MAC's regular-season crown, with West Virginia and Western Michigan predicted to tie for second. Last season, the Falcons were picked to finish fifth in the MAC, but wound up in a third-place tie in the final standings. The complete 2015 poll, with the teams' actual finishes, follows.
2015 MAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
# - Team (first-place votes)
1 – Akron (3)
T-2 – Western Michigan (2)
T-2 – West Virginia (1)
4 – Bowling Green
5 – Buffalo
6 – Northern Illinois
Votes to win 2015 MAC Tournament – UA 3; WMU 2; WVU 1.

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
Following this weekend's two matches, the Falcons remain in Northwest Ohio to conclude a season-long four-match homestand. BGSU will face Drexel on Thursday, Sept. 3, before meeting Cleveland State on Sunday, Sept. 6, in a pair of 7:00 p.m. starts.

U P N E X T I N F A L C O N M E N ' S S O C C E R
BGSU vs. SIUE Cochrane Stadium \| Bowling Green, Ohio	Fri., Aug. 28 7:00 p.m.	Live Stats \| Twitter
BGSU vs. Western Illinois Cochrane Stadium \| Bowling Green, Ohio	Sun., Aug. 30 1:00 p.m.	Live Stats \| Twitter Audio

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