Late Goal Lifts MSU Past Falcons, 1-0

Tuesday, September 29

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

6-3-0

Michigan State

5-3-1

Michigan State

Bowling Green

Brad Macomber battles MSU's DeJuan Jones for possession during first-half action (photo by Brad Phalin)

Photo by: Brad Phalin, BGSU Marketing and Communications

September 29, 2015 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Spartans score with under two minutes to go

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Michigan State University freshman DeJuan Jones scored with under two minutes remaining in the second half, lifting the Spartans to a 1-0 win over the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team Tuesday night (Sept. 29). The non-conference match was held at Cochrane Stadium.

With the win, the Spartans improved to 5-3-1 on the season. BGSU dropped to 6-3-0, and the Falcons fell for the first time at Cochrane this fall. The loss snapped a seven-match home winning streak and an eight-match home unbeaten streak for the Brown and Orange.

LINKS
FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
POSTGAME VIDEO: Nichols | Heuton
PHOTO GALLERY: Brad Phalin, BGSU Marketing & Communications
PHOTO GALLERY: Amanda Cutcher, BGSU Athletic Communications

The winning play came after an MSU player blocked a clearing attempt from a Falcon defender in BG's defensive third of the field. Stacy picked up the ball on the left side, worked his way toward the 18-yard box and slid a pass to a wide-open Jones in the center of the box. Jones settled the ball, then fired it into the left side of the net with only 1:48 to go.

BGSU's loss was the Falcons' first at Cochrane Field in nearly 12 months, since a 1-0 setback to No. 25 Akron last Oct. 11. After that match, BG tied Buffalo (1-1, Oct. 18), then won seven-straight matches at home, including five this season.

The Falcons have now been shut out in back-to-back matches for the first time in over two years.

A light rain fell off and on during the mid-to-late afternoon hours in Bowling Green, and it continued to rain as the teams took the field for warmups. The rain subsided early in the first half of Tuesday's match, but the field remained slippery the rest of the evening.

The Spartans looked to get an early goal, earning a corner kick with just under two-and-a-half minutes gone. Stacy took that corner, and played a curving ball into the box. BGSU goalkeeper Ryan Heuton, in a crowd, deflected the ball, but it bounced around in the box for several moments before the Falcons cleared it out of danger.

With five minutes elapsed, MSU's Connor Corrigan played a cross into the penalty area from the left side, and Ryan Sierakowski ran on to the diagonal ball. But, Sierakowski's header was wide of the target.

The Falcons took several shots, sandwiched around a Stacy effort at the other end. Redshirt freshman Bismark Agyeman stole the ball and fired a blast from distance, but MSU goalkeeper Zach Bennett was able to gather it in.

Heuton easily collected Stacy's shot at the other end, before Falcon junior Jacob Roth hit a long shot that went over the crossbar with just under 10 minutes gone.

The Falcons were able to string together several passes in the 15th minute, and redshirt junior Max Auden found freshman Tate Robertson on the right side of the pitch. Robertson's crossing ball curved on target, but Bennett grabbed it out of the air.

Sophomore Brad Macomber put a shot on frame less than a minute later, but it was stopped by Bennett. Then, less than a minute after Macomber's effort, the Falcons were attacking again.

MSU took the ball into BG's end, but a steal led to a quick counterattack. Juniors Joe Sullivan and Pat Flynn worked a nifty combination play near midfield, and Sullivan took Flynn's return pass and headed down the left side of the field. He found Flynn near the top of the 18-yard box, but Flynn's shot sailed wide right.

Back came the Spartans, as with just over 20 minutes gone, Michael Marcantognini hit a shot from inside the box after a low cross by Sierakowski. But, the shot sailed over the bar.

After a nice stretch of possession for the Falcons, senior Ryan James found classmate Jake Martin with a short pass. Martin's ensuing diagonal ball headed toward the far post, but it was just out of reach of Macomber's diving effort, and the ball bounced wide of the left goalpost and over the line for a goal kick.

Two minutes later, Marcantognini headed down the right side, went into the box and hit a dangerous-looking shot. Souahy deflected the shot, but the ball continued toward the goal. Roth, however, headed it up into the air, and Heuton snared it with a leaping save.

With just over 10 minutes left in the half, Robertson and Sullivan nearly connected on a diagonal ball, but the freshman's pass was just out of the junior's reach. Three minutes later, it looked as if the Falcons had scored, but the play was whistled down.

After a Spartan foul in front of the MSU bench near midfield, Roth took a free kick. His curving ball sailed toward the box, where Macomber got his head on it. Macomber, facing away from goal, nodded the ball backward, and it fell to Sullivan on the left side of the six-yard box. Sullivan quickly knocked it into the left side of the net, but as he and his teammates began to celebrate, the assistant referee's flag was raised, indicating offside on the Falcons.

WIth just under two minutes to go before halftime, a quick throw-in by James found Sullivan on the right side of the field. Sullivan won a corner, and took the kick himself. He slid a pass to Roth, who struck a ball toward the penalty area. But, his cross/shot deflected off of a teammate and went out of play for an MSU goal kick. The teams went to the intermission still locked in a scoreless draw.

Each team took a shot within the first two minutes of the second half. Martin got his head on a Roth corner kick, but the shot went wide. Then, after a long MSU goal kick somehow squirted past a BG defender, the Spartans played a cross to Marcantognini, who somehow blooped a shot over the goal from roughly 10 yards out.

Five minutes into the period, Sullivan took a free kick from the center of the field, approximately 35 yards from goal. His curving ball headed toward the left side of the penalty area, but it curved behind the onrushing Auden and went out of play.

Just over a minute later, Auden's nifty through-ball found James heading down the right side. James attempted to slide a cross into the box, but a Spartan defender got a boot on the ball, deflecting it just enough that it went behind Flynn. The junior tracked the ball down and hit a turnaround shot, but the ball went just wide left.

As the match neared the hour mark, the Spartans saw a Marcantognini shot saved by Heuton and an entry ball by Andrew Herr go out of Stacy's reach in the box. With under 20 minutes to go, a shot by Auden was blocked, but fellow redshirt junior Danny Shea won the Falcons a corner kick. Off of that corner, both Robertson and Martin fired shots from near the top of the box, but both shots were blocked by defenders.

Twelve minutes remained when Sullivan lobbed a ball toward the charging Auden in the penalty area. As Auden headed the ball toward goal, however, the flag was up and an offside call gave the ball to the visitors.

With under four minutes left, a Sullivan free kick skipped through the box, past a host of players from both teams. The next shot attempt came from Jones, and produced the only goal of the night.

Heuton made four saves, two in each half, in his complete-match effort in goal. At the other end of the pitch, Bennett -- the NCAA's active career leader in shutouts -- made three saves on the night.

The Falcons had a narrow 12-11 edge in total shot attempts in the game, and BG had five corners to the Spartans' three.

A pair of Falcons made their respective 2015 debuts. Sophomore Chase Betenson, who was sidelined early in the preseason due to injury, checked into the match midway through the second half. Freshman Moe Mustafa was the Falcons' lone substitution before halftime, making his collegiate debut with just under 12 minutes left in the half and playing the remainder of the period. Mustafa also played a large chunk of the second half and saw 32 total minutes of playing time on the night.

The Falcons are home again this weekend, beginning Mid-American Conference play with a Saturday (Oct. 3) contest vs. Northern Illinois University. That match begins at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane. Following the NIU contest, BGSU will end the regular season by playing eight of the final nine games away from home.