Falcons Close Regular Season with Dominant Performance vs. SIUE

Saturday, November 3

Bowling Green, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

(6-6-4, 2-1-2MAC)

SIUE

(9-4-4, 1-3-1MAC)

SIUE

Bowling Green

Senior Night Mustafa Ackon Pugliese Robertson

November 03, 2018 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Final Statistics (PDF)Rewatch the BGSU-SIUE Match MAC Tournament Bracket

On Senior Night, all four seniors contribute to solid team victory

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

On Senior Night at Cochrane Stadium, the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team played one of its most complete matches of the season, posting a 2-0 victory over SIUE on Saturday evening (Nov. 3). The Mid-American Conference match marked the final regular-season contest for both teams.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 6-6-4 overall, and BG ends MAC regular-season action with a 2-1-2 league ledger. BGSU will be the number-two seed for the MAC Tournament, and the Falcons have earned a first-round bye. BG's next match will be against either Western Michigan or Northern Illinois in Friday's (Nov. 9) semifinal round in Morgantown, W.Va.

All of BGSU's scoring on Saturday evening came from seniors, as Ebenezer Ackon gave the Falcons the lead with just 13 seconds remaining in the first half, and Peter Pugliese scored his first collegiate goal early in the second. Senior Tate Robertson had the assist on both BG goals, as Ackon headed his corner kick into the net, and his pass split several defenders and found an open Pugliese in the penalty area.

Ackon and the team's fourth senior, Moe Mustafa, anchored a BG defense that allowed SIUE just one shot on goal in the entire 90-minute match. BG had a 15-5 advantage in total shot attempts, including a 7-1 lead in shots on goal. The Falcons had 10 corner kicks to the Cougars' two.

NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• The Falcons began the season winning just one of the first eight matches. But, after that 1-5-2 start, BGSU has gone 5-1-2 over the last eight contests.

SPECIAL BONUS NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• With the primary assist on both BGSU goals Saturday night, senior Tate Robertson now has 11 assists on the season. That is the highest total by a Falcon since Jason Began also had 11 helpers in the 1997 campaign.
• Robertson is tied with Began and Kyle Royer (1988) for eighth on the single-season assists list.

FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• BGSU, as mentioned, outshot SIUE by a 15-5 count in Saturday's match. The Falcons had a 6-0 advantage in that department in the first half, and BG had taken 10 total shots – scoring on two of them – before the Cougars recorded their first shot attempt, in the 57th minute of the match.
• 8' | The first shot of the contest was a great chance off the boot of senior Tate Robertson. Classmate Peter Pugliese played a ball from the right side of the penalty area to Robertson in the center of the box. Robertson fired a shot from approximately 12 yards out, but SIUE goalkeeper Noah Heim made a spectacular save, blocking the ball out for a corner kick.
• 20' | Off of a Robertson throw-in, freshman Matt Walters played the ball to junior Charlie Maciejewski, who wound up winning a corner kick. That Robertson kick found sophomore Vinny Worner in the box, but Worner's header was blocked by a defender.
• 26' | After another BG throw-in, the ball was deflected to Pugliese. The senior uncorked a hard shot from distance, but Pugliese's effort went just wide of the right goalpost.
• 27' | Worner won another BGSU corner kick, and that Robertson kick was headed by Achille Robin in the center of the box, but Robin's flick went wide of the far post.
• 31' | Freshman Jeneen Lukacsko and Robertson worked a nifty combination play just over midfield, and Lukacsko, finding himself in space, carried the ball down the center of the pitch. He fired a shot from distance that missed the left post by just a foot or two.
• 37' | Lukacsko served a dangerous-looking ball into heavy traffic in front of the SIUE goal, but it was headed away by a Cougar defender.
• 43' | Junior Chris Brennan came up with a steal near midfield and quickly played a long ball ahead toward Robertson. Robertson raced for the ball as Heim came off of his goal line. The 'keeper reached the ball first, but overran it, and was forced to turn around and dive on it as Robertson arrived.
•45' | GOAL | The Falcons got on the board with just 13 seconds left in the half. Senior Ebenezer Ackon rose to meet Robertson's corner kick with a powerful header, directing the ball past Heim and into the net to give BG the lead for good.

SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 49' | GOAL | Robertson controlled the ball about 40 yards from goal, just right of center. The senior threaded a pass through several defenders to Pugliese, who was racing into the 18-yard box. Pugliese hit a shot that beat Heim, caromed off of the far (left) post, sailed across the goalmouth and hit the netting just inside the near post.
• 52' | Off of a free kick, senior Moe Mustafa got his head on the ball just inside the penalty area, but his flick-on was grabbed by Heim.
• 54' | Robertson found Maciejewski with a pass, and the junior's hard shot was saved by a diving Heim effort. The SIUE 'keeper pushed the ball wide of the left goalpost.
• 56' | Pugliese picked up an errant SIUE pass and took the ball into the box, but his shot was stopped.
• 57' | The Cougars' first shot of the night came from Jorge Gonzalez, but the effort, which came at the 56"28 mark, was well wide of the left post.
• 67' | Brennan used some fancy footwork to elude several defenders in the left corner, and the junior sent a pass to Robertson on the left side of the box. Robertson hit a hard shot that curled just wide of the far post.
• 74' | BGSU 'keeper Anthony Mwembia was not called upon to make many saves on Saturday night, but after a BG foul, Johan Depicker's free kick sailed into the bx, and the BG junior outleaped several players to grab the serve.
•78' | Off of a corner kick, Worner got a shot off from the top of the box, but Heim saw it all the way and plucked the ball out of the air.
• 85' | The Cougars' best scoring chance of the night came after a foul was called on the Falcons just outside the penalty area. The ensuing free kick, by Gonzalez, was blocked by a leaping Ackon in the wall, caroming over the end line for a corner. Off of that corner, Mustafa got a head on the ball, and Mwembia punched it out of the box, but the Cougars regained possession, and Jaime Roiz hit a shot from just outside the 18 that somehow spun around and through multiple BGSU players. Mwembia, however, rose to the occasion, with a diving save. BG cleared the ensuing corner, and the visitors did not have another shot attempt in the match.

FALCON NOTES
• Saturday's match was Senior Night for the BGSU men's soccer program, with the Falcons' four seniors – Ebenezer Ackon, Moe Mustafa, Peter Pugliese and Tate Robertson – recognized in ceremonies prior to kickoff.
• Senior Peter Pugliese scored his first collegiate goal on Saturday. He now has a career-high seven points this season, on the goal and five assists.
• Pugliese has 13 career points, including 11 assists as a Falcon.
• Senior Ebenezer Ackon's goal was his team-leading fifth of the season. He has 11 points to rank second on the Falcons in scoring.
• Senior Tate Robertson leads BG in scoring, with 19 points. Robertson also paces the Falcons in assists, with 11.
• Nine of Robertson's 11 assists this year have been the primary assist.
• Robertson has been directly involved in the scoring of 15 of the Falcons' 22 goals this season to date.
• Robertson now has career totals of eight goals, 22 assists and 38 points.
• Junior Anthony Mwembia's shutout vs. SIUE was his fourth of the season and the 19th of his BGSU career.
• Mwembia lowered his goals-against average to 1.35 on the season. He finished MAC regular-season play with a GAA of just 0.91 in conference contests.
• Freshman, Kale Nichols played a career-high 34 minutes vs. the Cougars.

WHAT'S NEXT?
• BGSU, as mentioned, has earned the second seed for the MAC Tournament, and the Falcons will face an opponent to be determined on Friday (Nov. 9).
• Tuesday's (Nov. 6) quarterfinal round will see fourth-seeded Akron host number-five SIUE, while number-three seed Western Michigan hosts sixth-seeded Northern Illinois.
• The two survivors from Tuesday's matches will join BGSU and number-one seed West Virginia in Morgantown. The Falcons will meet either NIU or WMU on Friday at 2:30 p.m., while the day's second match will see WVU hosting the UA/SIUE winner at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
• The MAC Tournament's championship match is set for Sunday, Nov. 11.

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.