No. 25 Michigan State Hangs on for 1-0 Win Wednesday

Wednesday, September 28

East Lansing, MI

4:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

6-3-1

#25 Michigan State

6-2-0

Bowling Green

Michigan State

Ball cleats shoes etc - v IUPUI Aug 26 2016 - Paul Duncan photo

September 28, 2016 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Falcons late surge falls just short

By: EAST LANSING, Mich. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Host Michigan State University got a goal midway through the second half, and the nationally-ranked Spartans held on for dear life over the final furious minutes, squeaking past the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team by a 1-0 final Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 28). The non-conference match was held at MSU's DeMartin Stadium.

With the win, the Spartans -- ranked No. 25 in this week's NSCAA poll -- improve to 6-2-0 on the season. The Falcons drop to 6-3-1 on the year.

LINKS
FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF

MSU's Ryan Sierakowski scored in the 63rd minute for what would prove to be the only goal of the match.

A key moment came with just over a minute left in the second half. With the Falcons pressing forward for an equalizer, sophomore Peter Pugliese possessed the ball on the left side of the field, just a few yards from the end line and just outside the 18-yard box. He played a crossing ball toward the center of the field, but the ball hit an MSU player stationed in the penalty area, approximately 10 yards away. Almost in perfect synchronization, the arms of the 10 BGSU field players shot straight up in the air. The Falcons' pleas for a handball call and a penalty kick went unheard, however, and BG was instead awarded a corner kick, as the ball had gone over the end line after hitting the Spartan defender.

Off of that corner by senior Joe Sullivan, the ball ping-ponged around the penalty area, but MSU was able to clear it. The Falcons regained possession and pressed forward, including goalkeeper Anthony Mwembia, who was in the Spartans' defensive third of the pitch for the final minute-plus. Mwembia very nearly got a shot off during those final frantic seconds. With time winding down, freshman Robert Miller III played a ball toward goal from the right side of the pitch, approximately 35 yards out. MSU goalkeeper Jimmy Hague was able to grab the ball in traffic as the final seconds ticked away.

"Obviously, Michigan State's a strong team," said BGSU head coach Eric Nichols. "We weren't really on our A game in the first half, and they moved the ball very well and kept a lot of possession. They didn't create a lot of chances, though, and when they did I think we snuffed them out pretty well. But, we didn't do much on the attacking side in the first half.

"Even after they got their goal, it took us a while to get going. But then, toward the end we really pressed (for a goal). I thought we were going to get one; I really did. If we had had five more minutes, I know we would have gotten one. The guys are beat up about it, and the lesson there is that you can't wait to switch gears. We've got to play from the opening whistle with the same intensity we showed during the last part of the game."

The last four BGSU-MSU meetings have all resulted in 1-0 victories for the Spartans. The last eight matchups between the two schools have resulted in seven one-goal wins by MSU and one draw.

It was not raining at the start of the match, but it rained periodically throughout. Rain or not, the Falcons struggled to get much going offensively in the opening half. The Spartans had what appeared to be a good scoring chance in the ninth minute, but Sierakowski whiffed on a short cross from Andrew Herr.

With nearly 11 minutes gone, BGSU headed forward, and freshman Chris Brennan made a run with the ball along the 18-yard line, from right to left. The ball wound up at the feet of senior Max Auden, but Auden's shot from the left side of the box was blocked by a defender.

Three minutes later, junior Brad Macomber hit a cross from the right side, and Brennan played it out of the air. Brennan's nifty side-volley, however, was hit directly at Hague.

Following that Brennan shot, the Falcons had only two shot attempts over the final 31 minutes of the half. One was a diagonal ball by Macomber, and the other was a leaping header by Brennan off of a long ball from senior Jacob Roth. Macomber's ball, however, was corralled by Hague, and Brennan's effort from the top of the 18 went wide left.

At the other end, the Spartans had several chances. A hard shot by Sierakowski was saved by Mwembia in the 19th minute, and after back-to-back corners, a header by DeJuan Jones was knocked away by a BG defender near the far post in the 27th minute of play. With 14 minutes left before halftime, Connor Corrigan hit a curving free kick from about 24 yards out, but his shot went several feet over the crossbar.

With under three minutes left in the half, another MSU corner resulted in the ball bouncing dangerously around the 18-yard box, but the Spartans could not muster a shot.

In the final seconds of the period, a long throw-in by Miller sailed toward a host of players from both teams at the other end of the pitch, but similarly, the Falcons could not get a shot off before time ran out.

Mwembia was tested several times in the early moments of the second half. The freshman made a spectacular diving save to deny Giuseppe Barone with just over a minute gone, leaping to his right to tip the Spartan striker's quick header wide of the left post. Two minutes later, he grabbed another Barone header, making a leaping save after Barone put a right-side cross on frame.

Nearly 10 minutes into the half, redshirt sophomore Bismark Agyeman stole the ball in the MSU end of the field, and as he headed toward the top of the box, tried to slide a pass to Sullivan near the six-yard line. But, Sullivan got tangled up with a defender, and the ball rolled to Hague.

Sophomore Moe Mustafa made a stellar defensive play two minutes later. A backheel pass by a Spartan player found Sierakowski seemingly all alone on the left side of the box. As the Spartan forward prepared to shoot, however, Mustafa appeared out of nowhere, drilling the ball away. It sailed out of bounds for a corner kick, and Mwembia went high in the air to grab that corner.

Moments later, Auden tracked down a ball in the left corner in BG's offensive end of the field, and the Falcons won a free kick. That kick, taken by Roth, caromed off of several players in the box and bounded out toward Brennan at the 18. As the freshman settled the ball, though, a foul in the box was whistled on the Falcons.

The Spartans broke through in the 63rd minute. Brad Centala played a low pass from right to left, and Barone's backheel pass found Sierakowski in the box. Off of that Barone flick-on, Sierakowski fired a one-timer that found the back of the net at the 62:15 mark.

The Falcons looked to answer. Nearly halfway through the period, a Miller throw-in was headed by junior Alexis Souahy, but the ball was caught by Hague near the crossbar. Three minutes later, Miller got his head on a Roth free kick, and his shot found the target from 18 yards away, but Hague was able to make the save.

Under 20 minutes remained when Flynn took a pass from Sullivan near midfield, found some space and made a run. He raced past one defender, then cut to his left to elude another. Flynn fired a shot from 20 yards out, but it went wide of the left post.

With approximately 16 minutes to go, the Falcons began a lengthy stretch of possession. BG held the ball for nearly 90 seconds, stringing together roughly 15 passes. But, the Falcons could not penetrate the Spartan defense for a shot, and MSU finally was able to know the ball away.

Thirteen minutes remained when a cross from Giuseppe Barone found Herr in the box. Herr chested the ball down and fired, but his shot from six yards out sailed well over the bar.

Moments later, at the other end, Pugliese dribbled to the end line and hit a short cross from the left side of the box, but it went through the goalmouth and out the other side of the box. BG got the ball back, and sophomore Tate Robertson attempted a bicycle kick from the left side, but Hague was able to pluck the ball out of the air.

Corrigan looked to give the Spartans some insurance with just over seven minutes to go, picking up a loose ball and hitting a hard shot from about 25 yards out. But, Mwembia was equal to the task, making a diving save to deflect the ball wide.

With just under five minutes left, Miller's cross was blocked, but BG got the ball back, and Souahy put a header on frame. Hague made the stop, but BG again got the ball back soon after. Roth played a pass forward to Miller, but the ball was knocked away just before the freshman could fire a shot from the top of the 18.

BG had several more chances, as mentioned, during the final chaotic minute-plus, but the Spartans were able to survive and pick up the narrow win. The Spartans had a 13-9 advantage in total shot attempts, but both teams were credited with six shots on goal.

The Falcons are now idle until Tuesday (Oct. 4), when BGSU will continue a three-match road swing by taking on Northern Kentucky. Then, the Orange and Brown will open Mid-American Conference play with a match at West Virginia on Friday, Oct. 7.