Bearcats Hang On for 1-0 Win

Saturday, September 17

Cincinnati, OH

4:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

5-2-0

Cincinnati

3-3-0

Bowling Green

Cincinnati

Dominic Grida v Wright State - Amanda Cutcher photo

September 17, 2016 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

BGSU returns home for a pair of matches next week

By: CINCINNATI, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The University of Cincinnati got a goal midway through the second half, and the Bearcats were able to hold on for a 1-0 win over the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team Saturday afternoon (Sept. 17). The non-conference match was held at Gettler Stadium on the UC campus.

BGSU MEN'S SOCCER LINKS
FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
2016 Season Releases/Notes
2016 BGSU Men's Soccer Media Guide | Schedule | Roster
Join the Falcon Club Today!

With the victory, UC improves to 3-3-0 on the year. The Falcons drop to 5-2-0.

"Winning college soccer games is extremely tough, and when you go on the road, it's even tougher," said BGSU head coach Eric Nichols. "I don't think we played poorly, but we didn't do the things we needed to do to get a win."

The Falcons held a 15-10 advantage in total shot attempts, and BG put five shots on goal to the Bearcats' three. The Brown and Orange also had a 7-3 margin in corner kicks, but the home team got the lone goal of the match ad Ryan Melink scored with just over an hour gone.

"Full credit to Cincinnati," said Nichols. "They did well, they took their chance, managed the game well, kept it tight in the back and they got the win."

The Bearcats had arguably the best scoring chance of the opening half, as Frederik Lindqvist put a header on target after a UC corner kick. But, Falcon junior Brad Macomber cleared that shot off of the goal line to keep the match scoreless.

Two minutes later, sophomore Peter Pugliese came up with a steal in the UC end of the field. Pugliese attempted a shot off of the counterattack, but the ball was wide left and went out of play for a goal kick.

Fifteen minutes into the contest, senior Pat Flynn's pass found a charging Tate Robertson on the left side of the penalty area. The sophomore fired a shot from a tough angle, but it was wide of the near post.

Midway through the half, redshirt soph Bismark Agyeman made a run into the box on the right side and played a low cross toward the goalmouth. But, the ball rolled through the box and the Bearcats were able to clear it out of danger.

Two minutes later at the other end, senior Jacob Roth picked the pocket of Elliott Williams as he looked to bring the ball inside the 18. Then, 90 seconds after that, Flynn got the ball after a BG steal and fired a shot from distance. That looping, dipping effort nearly caught UC goalkeeper Pedro Diaz off of his line, but Diaz was able to get back and parry the ball off of the short-hop.

With 12 minutes left before halftime, sophomore Vincent Giannini volleyed a ball into the box, and freshman Tom Wrobel redirected it with a nifty header. But, Diaz was in position to stop the quick shot.

Only seven seconds remained in the half when the Falcons were whistled for a foul just to the left of the 18-yard box, and for some reason, the clock was stopped. UC's ensuing free kick, however, was cleared out of the box by a BG defender as the final seconds of the half ticked away.

In the second half, it didn't take long for the Falcons to fire their first shot. A pair of Falcons headed the ball toward the 18-yard box, and the second header was deflected into the air by a UC backliner. The ball went to senior Joe Sullivan, who fired a hard volley toward the near post. But, Diaz was able to make the stop.

Ten minutes into the period, fellow seniors Sullivan and Flynn worked a combination play that resulted in Sullivan possessing the ball on the right side of the field. Sullivan slid a pass to Robertson, but the sophomore's shot sailed high.

In the 61st minute, the Bearcats got on the board. Adam Wilson played a cross from the left side of the field toward the far post. The ball sailed toward the right side of the six-yard box, and Melink met it with a sliding volley, redirecting the ball into the left side of the goal.

Several minutes later, sophomore Dominic Grida -- who made his first collegiate start on Saturday -- won a corner kick on the right side of the field. BG possessed the ball off of that corner kick, and a pass found Grida in the center of the field, approximately 25 yards from goal. Grida hit a curving shot that seemed ticketed for the upper half of the net, but Diaz made a leaping effort to tip the ball over the crossbar at the last possible second.

Just over 20 minutes remained in the half when a long throw-in by freshman Robert Miller III got through a group of players and found Roth in the box. The senior settled the ball and fired a shot, but it was deflected by a UC defender and went out of play.

Thirteen minutes were left in the half when juniors Keaton Reynolds and Prayag Jina looked to connect in the penalty area, but the 'Cats were able to deal with the threat momentarily. Less then a minute later, however, a UC defender misfired on a clearing attempt, putting the ball over his own end line for the first of back-to-back corner kicks. Off of the second corner, which was taken by Robertson, Sullivan fired a shot over the goal after hitting the ball on a short-hop.

The Falcons applied a great deal of pressure as the minutes ticked away. With 6:40 left, Miller attempted to redirect a short cross on target, but the freshman's header went wide. A minute later, Miller's long throw-in resulted in a turnaround shot by classmate Chris Brennan, but that effort was blocked.

With under four minutes to go, off of another throw-in, a Puglilese shot was blocked. With just over a minute on the clock, great hustle by Pugliese enabled the soph to save the ball on the end line, then slide a pass to Flynn in the box. Flynn's resulting shot was headed toward the lower-left-hand corner of the goal, and actually deflected off of a defender as well. But, Diaz somehow made the save, gratefully holding the ball just inside the post after a frantic diving effort.

After a brief foray into the BG end by the Bearcats, the Falcons once again went on the attack, but BG could not put another shot on frame, and time expired. The loss marked the first time BGSU has been shut out this season.

Diaz was credited with five saves on the afternoon. Falcon freshman goalkeeper Anthony Mwembia made two saves, but suffered just his second loss in seven matches.

Grida, as mentioned, made his first start as a Falcon, and played a career-high 56 minutes on Saturday. After playing a total of 53 minutes during all of last season, the sophomore had played 88 minutes this year heading into the UC match.

Wrobel, who made his collegiate debut in Tuesday's win over Wright State, played 80 minutes on Saturday and now has played 170 minutes over the last two contests.

In addition to Mwembia, Agyeman, Sullivan and junior Alexis Souahy played all 90 minutes at UC.

The Falcons now return home for the next two matches. BGSU will host Dayton on Tuesday night (Sept. 20) before meeting Ohio State on Saturday evening (Sept. 24). Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and admission is free for all BGSU home soccer action all season long.