Late Goal Lifts Penn State Past Falcons, 1-0

Tuesday, August 28

University Park, PA

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

0-2-0

Penn State

1-1-0

Bowling Green

Penn State

Zach Buescher v Northern Kentucky - Aug 25 2018

Photo by: Larry Clapper

August 28, 2018 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Final Statistics (PDF)

BGSU hosts Wright State Friday in 'Battle of I-75'

By: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Ethan Beckford scored with 10-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second half Tuesday night (Aug. 28), giving host Penn State University a 1-0 victory over the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team. The non-conference match was held at Jeffrey Field.

The Falcons held advantages in shot attempts (10-6), shots on goal (3-2) and corner kicks (9-7), but BGSU could not get a shot past PSU goalkeeper Josh Levine, who made three saves en route to the shutout.

QUOTING COACH NICHOLS
"This a hard one to swallow. We played much better than Saturday night and it was there for us, but ultimately we aren't where we need to be yet. We're on the right path, but we have work to do."

FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 4' | Penn State won a corner kick after a BGSU giveaway, but senior Ebenezer Ackon knocked the ball away from a Nittany Lion striker, and the Falcons successfully defended the ensuing corner kick.
• 21' | Neither team had a shot for the first 20-plus minutes of the match, but that would change in a big way, as each goalkeeper was tested within a two-minute span. Junior Chris Brennan's short left-side cross found the feet of senior Tate Robertson, who made a nifty turn, then whirled and fired a curving shot that was headed for the upper right-hand corner of the net. But, PSU goalkeeper Josh Levine was able to make a diving stop, tipping the ball out of play for a corner kick.
• 23' | Two minutes later, it was junior Anthony Mwembia's turn to make a spectacular save. A low centering ball was played to PSU's Austin Maloney, who was charging toward goal and hit a one-timer. But Mwembia made the point-blank save to keep the match scoreless.
• 25' | Sophomore Vinny Worner made a run down the left side, but his shot/cross was blocked by a defender.
• 26' | Senior Peter Pugliese played a long diagonal ball into the box, and Ackon met it with a sharp header, but the shot sailed high.
• 31' | Brennan stole the ball on the left side of the pitch, and centered the ball to freshman Jensen Lukacsko. Lukacsko, from the middle of the field, about 25 yards out, uncorked a hard shot, but the blast spun just wide of the right post.
• 39' | Brennan was the victim of a hard foul on a BG counterattack, and the Falcons were awarded a free kick approximately 24 yards from the end line, just right of center. Robertson put that free kick on the head of Ackon, but as he directed the ball toward goal, the whistle blew and a foul was called on the Falcons.

SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 51' | Mwembia came off of his line to punch away a PSU free kick in acrobatic fashion, and the junior 'keeper then grabbed the ball out of the air when a Nittany Lion player hit a blooper back into the box.
• 55' | Worner nearly gave the Falcons the lead, with a spectacular diving header in the box. But, Levine came up with a stellar play of his own, diving to make the save.
• 57' | A long, hard shot by PSU's Aaron Malloy deflected off of a BGSU defender and went out of play, but on the ensuing corner kick – in a recurring theme on this night – Ackon got his head on that corner, knocking the ball out of the danger zone.
• 61' | After heading a BGSU corner kick out of their own penalty area, the hosts mounted a counterattack, but Ethan Beckford's shot went over the goal.
• 70' | A Pugliese cross was blocked out of the box by a defender, but the ball went to Lukacsko, and the freshman hit a hard shot that was deflected over the end line. The Nittany Lions cleared the ensuing corner kick out of their own end, however.
• 73' | Another corner kick from Robertson was met by senior Moe Mustafa, who headed it back the other way. Ackon met the pass with a nifty half-volley, but the shot was blocked out of play for another corner kick. Off of that corner, Mustafa's header was wide of the target.
• 74' | The Falcons continued to threaten, as freshman Ike Swiger got his head on an entry ball. But, the shot was grabbed by Levine.
• 78' | Robertson's left-side cross squirted through the box to Pugliese, but the ball took a high bounce, and his shot went wide of the near post.
• 80' | GOAL | Ryan Gallagher's cross from the right side found Beckford in the box. From approximately 12 yards out, Beckford beat the charging Mwembia to the cross and headed it home to give the Nittany Lions the lead.
• 89' | As the clock ticked down toward a minute remaining, the ball ping-ponged around the Penn State penalty area, but no BG player could put a shot on goal.
• 90' | PSU cleared the ball momentarily, but BG regained possession, and sophomore Zach Buescher slid a pass ahead to Robertson on the right side. Robertson's cross found the head of Ackon, but his shot went wide with approximately 35 seconds remaining, and the home side was able to escape with a one-goal victory.

STATISTICS
• For the second-straight match, the Falcons were +4 in shot attempts. BGSU had a 10-6 advantage in total shots on Tuesday, and the Brown and Orange also had narrow leads in shots on goal (3-2) and corner kicks (9-7).
• Sophomore Vinny Worner led all players with three shot attempts, while two players from each team – senior Ebenezer Ackon and freshman Jensen Lukacsko for the Falcons, and Ethan Beckford and Jeremy Rafanello for the Nittany Lions – had two shots apiece.
• Josh Levine made three saves en route to the clean sheet for the home side. Junior Anthony Mwembia had one save for the Falcons.
• BGSU had seven corner kicks in the second half alone.
• Lukacsko made the first start of his young collegiate career.
• Mwembia, Ackon, Tate Robertson, Achille Robin and Zach Buescher each played all 90 minutes on Tuesday night.

SERIES NOTES
• Penn State now holds a 2-1-0 lead in the all-time series with the Falcons.
• Tuesday's meeting was the teams' first in nearly 19 years, since Sept. 24, 1999.
• All three BGSU-PSU matchups have ended in 1-0 scores, with the Falcons capturing a road victory on Sept. 4, 1987, while the Nittany Lions won that 1999 meeting in double-overtime at a tournament hosted by FIU in Miami, Fla.

WHAT'S NEXT?
• The Falcons continue a busy season-opening stretch of four matches in a nine-day span. BGSU returns home to face Wright State in the 'Battle of I-75' on Friday night (Aug. 31). Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium. Admission is free to all BGSU regular-season home soccer action.
• Then, the Brown and Orange will return to the road for a Sunday (Sept. 2) matchup vs. Western Illinois. That contest is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. locally (2:00 p.m. Eastern).

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.