Charlie Magic Strikes Again! Falcons Down NIU, 2-1

Saturday, October 13

DeKalb, IL

7:00 PM CT (8:00 PM ET)

Bowling Green State University

4-5-3, 1-0-1MAC

Northern Illinois

7-5-0, 0-2-0MAC

OT 2

Bowling Green

Northern Illinois

Charlie Maciejewski v Michigan State - Sept 7 2018

Photo by: BGSU Marketing and Communications

October 13, 2018 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Final Statistics (PDF)

BG junior scores the OT winner for the second-straight match

By: DeKALB, Ill. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

"Charlie Magic" worked his magic once again on Saturday night.

Junior Charlie Maciejewski scored in overtime for the second consecutive match, lifting the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over Northern Illinois University Saturday evening (Oct. 13). The Mid-American Conference match was held at the NIU Soccer Complex.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 4-5-3 overall and 1-0-1 in MAC matches. BGSU has four points in conference play, good for a second-place tie in the six-team league.

The Falcons are unbeaten over the last four matches, having gone 3-0-1 in that time.

Senior Ebenezer Ackon also scored for the Orange and Brown. Ackon headed home a corner kick off the boot of fellow senior Tate Robertson in the 56th minute of the match, giving the Falcons the lead.

The Huskies, however, equalized on a pretty goal less than three minutes later. Jan Maertins knocked home a right-side cross from Diego Sanz at the 57:55 mark.

The winning goal came after the Huskies were called for a handball in the BG end of the field. Achille Robin took the ensuing free kick, and hit a long ball forward. Robertson, who had the primary assist on both BG goals, got a touch on the ball near the 18-yard line, flicking it on a diagonal path toward the center of the box.

Maciejewski raced into the area, leaned down and headed the ball past NIU goalkeeper Konrad Dziedzic, giving the Falcons the victory at the 96:47 mark.

The Falcons had a narrow 16-14 advantage in total shot attempts on the night, and BGSU put six shots on frame to the Huskies' four. Maciejewski's winner was the only shot attempt for either team in the overtime period.

Junior Anthony Mwembia made three saves in goal to pick up the win. At the other end of the pitch, NIU's Konrad Dziedzic had four saves.

NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• As mentioned, junior Charlie Maciejewski scored the overtime winner for the second consecutive match. He scored a 'Golden Goal' with just 3.5 seconds remaining on the clock in Tuesday night's (Oct. 9) OT victory at IUPUI.
• All three of Maciejewski's career goals have come on the road. Two of them have come in overtime, and the other tied the match with under two minutes left in regulation.

QUOTING COACH NICHOLS
"I am extremely encouraged by the way we continue to grow in our competitive toughness. Playing MAC games on the road is always tough. We scored a great goal and were playing well, but going down a man presented a massive challenge. I am really impressed with the mentality of the boys; they were dialed in and determined."

FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 4' | The Falcons were whistled for a foul near midfield, but junior goalkeeper Anthony Mwembia came off of his line to gather in the ensuing free kick near the top of the 18-yard box.
• 8' | The Huskies' Kevin Rodriguez hit a hard shot from approximately 22 yards out in the center of the pitch, but Mwembia stopped the low shot without a great deal of difficulty.
• 10' | BG's first shot of the night came when a ball caromed to sophomore Vinny Worner at the top of the 18 near the right corner of the box, but his shot went high.
• 19' | Senior Tate Robertson worked a combination play with a teammate and received a return pass as he headed into the box. Robertson made a nifty spin move and got a shot off, but the ball was blocked out for a corner kick.
• 20' | Off of that corner, the ball eventually came to soph Chris Sullivan, but his shot from outside the box was off target.
• 28' | After a Huskie foul near midfield, Robertson's long free kick into the box found junior Tom Wrobel, but Wrobel's header – as NIU goalkeeper Konrad Dziedzic battled him for the ball – went over the goal.
• 31' | After another NIU foul, junior Charlie Maciejewski got his head on a free kick inside the 18. But, Maciejewski's effort went over the crossbar and landed on the netting on top of the goal.
• 36' | BG won a throw-in in the Huskies' end of the field, and the ball was headed along by several Falcons as it made its way across the top of the box. Worner laid the ball into the path of freshman Jensen Lukacsko, but his hard shot from distance sailed high.
• 39' | Maciejewski lofted a through-ball into the box, and Robertson raced Dziedzic to the ball on the right side of the area. Robertson got a boot on it, but the NIU 'keeper was able to block the ball and the hosts eventually cleared it away.
• 40' | NIU's Jan Maertins hit a shot from the right side of the area. The bad-angle shot was on frame, but Mwembia made the stop.
• 41' | The hosts got a shot from Irvin Dominguez, and Mwembia had to leap to tip the ball over the bar for a corner. Off of that corner, the Huskies had a dangerous chance, but a header by Nick Markanich was blocked off of the line by a Falcon defender.
• 43' | NIU continued to threaten, as a long shot by Anthony Markanich hit the far post and bounded away. It was served back into the mixer, but Markanich's header went wide.
• 44' | BGSU chipped the ball into the box, but the pass was hit just a little too hard for Robertson to get a head on, and the NIU 'keeper gathered it in.
• 45' | Senior Moe Mustafa got his head on a serve in the final minute of the half, but the shot went wide left.

SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 47' | The Falcons worked the ball into the NIU end of the field, but after a series of passes, Worner's shot from just outside the box was high.
• 56' | GOAL | The Falcons won a corner kick, and that Robertson corner found the head of senior Ebenezer Ackon. Ackon leaped and powered the ball into the net at the near post.
• 57' | The Falcons worked back into NIU territory, but a shot by Sullivan at the top of the box was blocked.
• 58' | GOAL | The Huskies equalized with a one-timer by Jan Maertins from approximately eight yards out, off of a low right-side cross from Diego Sanz.
• 66' | Senior Peter Pugliese was fouled as he attempted to make a run along the sideline in front of the team benches. From midfield, Robertson played a long cross into the box, and Mustafa nodded it on frame, but Dziedzic was in position to make the save.
• 70' | The Falcons stole the ball near midfield, leading to a yellow card on NIU's Adrian Corona as he held the BG player's jersey to prevent a semi-breakaway. Robertson's free kick from near midfield was a line drive that sailed over everyone in the box and skimmed off of the turf, forcing Dziedzic to grab the ball on the goal line.
• 77' | The Falcons won a pair of corners roughly a minute apart. The second, off the boot of Sullivan, was deflected out to Lukacsko, but his shot from the 18-yard line was blocked out for yet another corner. BG wound up serving the ball into the box after the last corner in the sequence, but the NIU 'keeper was able to gather it in.
• 81' | BGSU was forced the play a man down after Pugliese was shown his second yellow card of the match. The ensuing free kick curved into the far side of the box, and Mwembia made a diving effort, but could not reach it. The Huskies served the ball back into the box, but the assistant referee's flag was raised as the hosts were offside on the play.
• 84' | Anthony Markanich got his head on a serve into the box, but his shot went well over the goal.
• 87' | Off of a Worner throw-in, Sullivan cut through several Huskies and looped a shot toward goal from the left side, but Dziedzic was there to make the save on the short hop.
• 89' | The Falcons won a free kick just over midfield, and Sullivan got a shot off of Robertson's serve. Sullivan's bullet was saved, however, and Mustafa's follow try went over the goal.
• 90 | With under a minute to go in regulation, a Dominguez shot from just inside the box was blocked, and the Falcons cleared the ball away.

OVERTIME HIGHLIGHTS
• 97' | GOAL | Neither team had a shot attempt in overtime until the 96:47 mark. The Falcons had a free kick after an NIU handball in the BG defensive end of the field. Achille Robin took the ensuing free kick, and hit a long ball toward the Huskies' penalty area, and Robertson and an NIU defender battled for it. The ball caromed on a diagonal path

FALCON NOTES
• Junior Charlie Maciejewski's goal was his second of the season and the third of his career. It was also his second game-winning goal (as well as his second 'Golden Goal') in as many contests. Maciejewski scored at the 99:57 mark of Tuesday's 3-2 victory at IUPUI.
• Maciejewski's other career goal came late last season, as he scored the tying goal with under two minutes left in the Falcons' match at Akron (Oct. 21, 2017).
• Senior Ebenezer Ackon's goal on Saturday night was his third of the season, tying him with classmate Tate Robertson for the team lead. Ackon's other two goals came just 75 seconds apart in the 2018 season opener vs. Northern Kentucky at Cochrane Stadium.
• Robertson had the primary assist on both of BGSU's goals at NIU. Robertson now has team-leading totals of eight assists and 14 points on the year.
• Robertson has been directly involved in the scoring of 11 of BGSU's 15 goals this fall.
• The multiple-assist match was Robertson's third of the season. He also had two assists against both NKU and Western Illinois.
• In his BGSU career, Robertson now has totals of 19 assists and 33 points. He leads all active Falcons in both categories.
• Achille Robin, in his first season with the Falcons, picked up his first point with an assist on Maciejewski's winner.
• The Falcons have gone to overtime in six of this season's 12 matches, including each of the last three contests. BGSU is 2-1-3 in OT games this season to date.

WHAT'S NEXT?
• BGSU returns home to face Western Michigan in another Mid-American Conference matchup next Saturday night (Oct. 20). That contest will start at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and as always, admission is free to all BGSU regular-season home soccer action.
• Then, after closing the non-league schedule at Cincinnati the following Tuesday (Oct. 23), the Falcons will face West Virginia in Morgantown (Oct. 26) before ending the regular season with a home match vs. SIUE on Saturday, Nov. 3.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
For more information on the men's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUmenssoccer), Instagram (bgsumenssoccer) and Facebook (BGMensSoccer) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.