Falcons Fall, 2-1, at Western Illinois

Saturday, September 10

Macomb, IL

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

4-1-0

Western Illinois

1-3-1

Bowling Green

Western Illinois

Joe Sullivan vs. Marshall - Sept 2 2016 - Larry Clapper photo

Photo by: Larry Clapper

September 10, 2016 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Leathernecks rally for win after Sullivan's first-half goal

By: MACOMB, Ill. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Host Western Illinois University rallied back from a 1-0 deficit, downing the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team by a 2-1 final on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 10). The non-conference match was held at WIU's practice field after being moved from the Leathernecks' normal home field due to adverse conditions.

FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF

Senior Joe Sullivan scored the lone goal for the Falcons, who lost for the first time in five matches this season.

"Full credit goes to Western Illinois," said BGSU head coach Eric Nichols. "They fully deserved what they got today. They fought hard, they played hard and they deserved to win."

The Falcons held narrow advantages in both shot attempts, 14-13, and shots on goal, 7-6. Tim Hansen made six saves in goal for the home team, while freshman Anthony Mwembia had four stops for the Brown and Orange.

Sullivan got the Falcons on the board, scoring off of a rebound after a cross from sophomore Peter Pugliese. The Falcons had a 1-0 lead with just under 16 minutes gone.

But, the home side equalized on a Daniel Collins goal at the 38:31 mark, and Jacob Bevan scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal in the 57th minute.

"This game confirmed what we already knew about our team," said Nichols. "When we are dialed into our formula, we can beat anyone. But, when we veer from that formula, or we don't execute our formula, we can lose to anyone, and that's what happened today."

The Falcons will look to bounce back on Tuesday night (Sept. 13), when BG hosts Wright State University. That match, the latest installment in the teams' battle for the I-75 Cup, will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and admission is free.