Saturday, September 29
Bowling Green, OH
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Valparaiso
Tate Robertson & the Falcons begin a two-match homestand vs. Valpo on Saturday night
Photo by: BGSU Marketing and Communications
Falcons Return Home to Face Valpo Saturday Night
September 27, 2018 | Men's Soccer
BGSU plays at Cochrane for the first time in over three weeks
FALCONS vs. VALPARAISO – Saturday, Sept. 29
• 7:00 p.m. | Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
• Video: WBGU-TV | Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer
MATCH DAY / FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Links to any live audio/video/stats will be available on the men's soccer schedule page right here at BGSUFalcons.com on match day
BGSU MEN'S SOCCER LINKS
This Week's BGSU Notes
2018 BGSU Men's Soccer Weekly Releases/Notes
The Opponents: Valparaiso
2018 Men's Soccer... Schedule | Roster | Media Guide/Record Book
Join the Falcon Club Today!
UP NEXT IN FALCON SOCCER
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team prepares for the Falcons' first home game in over three weeks. Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons face Valparaiso University on Saturday evening (Sept. 29), with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium. Admission is free to all home regular-season BGSU soccer matches.
• The Valpo matchup is the Falcons' final tune-up before the Mid-American Conference schedule begins the following weekend. BGSU hosts defending MAC Tournament champion Akron next Saturday (Oct. 6), and the UA game will be the first of five MAC matchups in as many weekends.
• All but one of the Falcons' matches this season, including every remaining contest, is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. local time.
A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE FALCONS
• BGSU enters the Valparaiso match with a record of 1-5-2 on the season. Last week, the Falcons dropped a 2-0 decision at Cleveland State on Tuesday (Sept. 18), before falling at Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-2, on a penalty kick in overtime Saturday night (Sept. 22).
• BG began the season with a pair of one-goal losses to Northern Kentucky (3-2)and Penn State (1-0), and BG then battled Wright State to a scoreless draw (Aug. 31) before picking up a 3-2 win at Western Illinois two days later (Sept. 2).
• The Wright State match is the only blemish on the Raiders' record, as WSU is now 7-0-1 on the year. The Raiders, shut out by the BG defense, are averaging 3.29 goals per match in their other seven contests.
• No. 3 Michigan State broke open a close match with two goals in the last 10 minutes to down the Falcons, 3-0, at Cochrane (Sept. 7). Then, BG battled Ohio State to a 1-1, double-OT draw in Columbus (Sept. 11). The Falcons outshot the Buckeyes, 16-5, after halftime, and BG tied the match on sophomore Zach Buescher's goal with just nine seconds to go.
• The Falcons' match at Wofford, scheduled for Sept. 15, was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence and the weather forecast in the Carolinas.
• BGSU has outshot the opposition and has taken as many or more corner kicks than the opponent in six of the first eight matches of the season. BG has had more shots on goal than the foes in five matches, and the Falcons have a 43-36 advantage in that department this year to date.
• Senior Tate Robertson leads the Falcons with five points, all coming on assists. He has had the primary assist on four of those BG goals.
• Fellow senior Ebenezer Ackon has four points on the year, and is the lone Falcon with two goals this fall. Those goals came just 75 seconds apart in the NKU match.
• A trio of sophomores – Buescher, Chris Sullivan and Vinny Worner – each have three points on the young season, and senior Peter Pugliese also has three points after picking up assists on both BG goals at Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Senior Moe Mustafa, junior Chris Brennan and freshman Jensen Lukacsko each have a goal and two points. Brennan and Lukacsko each found the back of the net against Purdue Fort Wayne – a team that is eighth in the nation in the latest NCAA RPI rankings.
• Junior Anthony Mwembia has played all eight matches in goal, and has 20 total saves, one shutout and a goals-against average of 1.77.
• Six different Falcons have started all eight matches. That list includes Buescher, Mwembia, Peter Pugliese, Robertson, Sullivan and Worner. A total of 13 different players have started at least four matches to date.
• Mwembia has been on the pitch for every second of every match so far, while Buescher has played 749 of the 761-plus minutes. Robertson (717) and Sullivan (714) each have played over 700 minutes this fall as well.
WORKING OVERTIME
• Saturday night's Purdue Fort Wayne match was BGSU's third contest to go to overtime this season. The Falcons played a total of three OT matches last year, going 1-1-1.
• BGSU is now 13-10-27 in overtime matches in the Eric Nichols Era, including marks of 6-3-14 at home, 5-6-12 on the road and 2-1-1 in neutral-site OT matches.
TWO GOALS (USUALLY) DOES THE TRICK
• Prior to this season, the Falcons had a record of 50-4-6 when scoring two goals in a match in the Eric Nichols Era. However, BGSU is just 1-2-0 in such matches this season to date.
• The season opener vs. Northern Kentucky marked the first time BGSU had lost when scoring two or more goals in a match since an OT loss to Duquesne in 2014, and was the Falcons' first such loss in regulation since the Belmont match of 2011.
• BG found the back of the net three times en route to victory at WIU, but suffered a 3-2 setback in Fort Wayne on Saturday. BGSU is now 51-6-6 when scoring two or more goals in the Nichols Era.
HELLO, I'D LIKE TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT
• Seven different Falcons have scored at least one goal this year, and for four of those players, it was the first collegiate goal. Senior Ebenezer Ackon scored his first goal as a Falcon late in the NKU match, then added his second goal at BGSU just 75 seconds later.
• Sophomore Vinny Worner opened the scoring at Western Illinois with his first collegiate goal, while classmate Zach Buescher recorded his first goal as a Falcon with just nine seconds left in regulation at Ohio State.
• Freshman Jensen Lukacsko opened his account with a strike from the top of the box early in the second half of Saturday night's Purdue Fort Wayne kerfuffle.
• Senior Moe Mustafa (six career goals), junior Chris Brennan (11) and sophomore Chris Sullivan (three) also have found the back of the net for the Falcons so far in 2018.
LATE-GAME DRAMA
• Fans attending a BGSU match would be well advised to stay until the very end. A total of 23 goals have been scored in the Falcons' eight games this season to date. No fewer than 19 of those 23 goals have come after halftime.
• Of those 19 second-half (or overtime) scores, 15 have come after 70 minutes had elapsed, with nine of those coming after the 80-minute mark.
• BGSU has been held scoreless in the first 85 minutes of six of this season's eight matches. The opponents, like the Falcons, have scored just two first-half goals.
• The Falcons have led for a total of 71:41 this season – all in the Western Illinois match. BGSU has trailed for a total of 200:01 of the 761-plus minutes to date.
SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE BROWN AND ORANGE FOR YOUR BROADCAST, WEB STREAM, ARTICLE OR MYSPACE PAGE
• The 2018 season marks the 54th year of BGSU men's soccer. Legendary coach Mickey Cochrane initiated varsity programs in both soccer and lacrosse at BG in 1965, after serving as club coach of both sports at the University the previous year.
• Eric Nichols, now in his 10th season at BG, is just the fifth coach in the illustrious history of Falcon men's soccer. Cochrane (1965-77), Gary Palmisano (1978-92, 1994), Mel Mahler (1993, 1995-2003) and Fred Thompson (2004-08) are the only other individuals to have coached the BGSU men's soccer program.
• Nichols and his staff – Zach Mason, Sean Teepen and Oliver Harris – welcomed back 13 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last year's team. BG finished the 2017 season with a 7-9-1 overall record and a MAC ledger of 1-3-1. Five of the team's setbacks came by one goal on the road to nationally-ranked opponents.
• Nichols returned a total of four players who started at least 16 of the Falcons' 17 matches last year, including juniors Chris Brennan and Anthony Mwembia. Brennan led a balanced scoring attack with five goals and 14 points a season ago, en route to All-MAC Second-Team honors. Mwembia played every second of every match in goal and had a 1.04 GAA, a saves percentage of .780 and seven shutouts. He was named to the All-Ohio Team.
• Senior Tate Robertson started every match last fall, and finished second on the team in scoring. Robertson's 11 points included a BG-best seven assists in 2017.
• In addition to the aforementioned trio, seniors Moe Mustafa and Peter Pugliese, junior Tom Wrobel and sophomores Zach Buescher and Chris Sullivan each made at least 11 starts a year ago.
THE OPPONENTS
• Valparaiso will bring a 2-5-1 record to Cochrane Stadium on Saturday evening. The Crusaders are coming off a narrow 3-2 loss to SIUE on Tuesday night. Valpo has wins over IUPUI and Milwaukee, along with a scoreless draw against Western Illinois. The Crusaders are 1-1-1 at home, 1-3 on the road, 0-1 in neutral-site matches, and 2-3 in one-goal matches (four of which have ended with a 1-0 score). Five different players have scored one goal apiece this fall, including Jonas Engler and Rafael Mentzingen, each of whom have three points. Nacho Miras has played in seven matches in goal, and has 18 saves and a goals-against average of just 1.07. Coach Mike Avery's program went 8-9-1 overall and 3-5-0 in Missouri Valley Conference action last season.
THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Valparaiso, 2-0-0, in the all-time series between the teams. In the lone prior meeting at Cochrane Stadium, the Crusaders scored a pair of second-half goals, on a header off of a corner kick and a late PK, for a 2-0 win in early October of 2009, Eric Nichols' first season at the BGSU helm. Then, the following September, VU picked up another 2-0 victory, this time on a Sunday night in Northwest Indiana.
DOWN THE ROAD...
• Following the Valparaiso matchup, the Falcons will begin Mid-American Conference action by hosting Akron next Saturday (Oct. 6). That match will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and admission is free to all BGSU soccer regular-season home matches.
• The UA tilt marks the first of five MAC matchups in as many weekends. BGSU will host the Zips, Western Michigan (Oct. 20) and SIUE (Nov. 3), while hitting the road to face Northern Illinois (Oct. 13) and West Virginia (Oct. 26).
• BGSU also has Tuesday night non-conference road matches vs. IUPUI (Oct. 9) and Cincinnati (Oct. 23) during the month of October.
• 7:00 p.m. | Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
• Video: WBGU-TV | Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer
MATCH DAY / FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Links to any live audio/video/stats will be available on the men's soccer schedule page right here at BGSUFalcons.com on match day
BGSU MEN'S SOCCER LINKS
This Week's BGSU Notes
2018 BGSU Men's Soccer Weekly Releases/Notes
The Opponents: Valparaiso
2018 Men's Soccer... Schedule | Roster | Media Guide/Record Book
Join the Falcon Club Today!
UP NEXT IN FALCON SOCCER
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team prepares for the Falcons' first home game in over three weeks. Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons face Valparaiso University on Saturday evening (Sept. 29), with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium. Admission is free to all home regular-season BGSU soccer matches.
• The Valpo matchup is the Falcons' final tune-up before the Mid-American Conference schedule begins the following weekend. BGSU hosts defending MAC Tournament champion Akron next Saturday (Oct. 6), and the UA game will be the first of five MAC matchups in as many weekends.
• All but one of the Falcons' matches this season, including every remaining contest, is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. local time.
A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE FALCONS
• BGSU enters the Valparaiso match with a record of 1-5-2 on the season. Last week, the Falcons dropped a 2-0 decision at Cleveland State on Tuesday (Sept. 18), before falling at Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-2, on a penalty kick in overtime Saturday night (Sept. 22).
• BG began the season with a pair of one-goal losses to Northern Kentucky (3-2)and Penn State (1-0), and BG then battled Wright State to a scoreless draw (Aug. 31) before picking up a 3-2 win at Western Illinois two days later (Sept. 2).
• The Wright State match is the only blemish on the Raiders' record, as WSU is now 7-0-1 on the year. The Raiders, shut out by the BG defense, are averaging 3.29 goals per match in their other seven contests.
• No. 3 Michigan State broke open a close match with two goals in the last 10 minutes to down the Falcons, 3-0, at Cochrane (Sept. 7). Then, BG battled Ohio State to a 1-1, double-OT draw in Columbus (Sept. 11). The Falcons outshot the Buckeyes, 16-5, after halftime, and BG tied the match on sophomore Zach Buescher's goal with just nine seconds to go.
• The Falcons' match at Wofford, scheduled for Sept. 15, was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence and the weather forecast in the Carolinas.
• BGSU has outshot the opposition and has taken as many or more corner kicks than the opponent in six of the first eight matches of the season. BG has had more shots on goal than the foes in five matches, and the Falcons have a 43-36 advantage in that department this year to date.
• Senior Tate Robertson leads the Falcons with five points, all coming on assists. He has had the primary assist on four of those BG goals.
• Fellow senior Ebenezer Ackon has four points on the year, and is the lone Falcon with two goals this fall. Those goals came just 75 seconds apart in the NKU match.
• A trio of sophomores – Buescher, Chris Sullivan and Vinny Worner – each have three points on the young season, and senior Peter Pugliese also has three points after picking up assists on both BG goals at Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Senior Moe Mustafa, junior Chris Brennan and freshman Jensen Lukacsko each have a goal and two points. Brennan and Lukacsko each found the back of the net against Purdue Fort Wayne – a team that is eighth in the nation in the latest NCAA RPI rankings.
• Junior Anthony Mwembia has played all eight matches in goal, and has 20 total saves, one shutout and a goals-against average of 1.77.
• Six different Falcons have started all eight matches. That list includes Buescher, Mwembia, Peter Pugliese, Robertson, Sullivan and Worner. A total of 13 different players have started at least four matches to date.
• Mwembia has been on the pitch for every second of every match so far, while Buescher has played 749 of the 761-plus minutes. Robertson (717) and Sullivan (714) each have played over 700 minutes this fall as well.
WORKING OVERTIME
• Saturday night's Purdue Fort Wayne match was BGSU's third contest to go to overtime this season. The Falcons played a total of three OT matches last year, going 1-1-1.
• BGSU is now 13-10-27 in overtime matches in the Eric Nichols Era, including marks of 6-3-14 at home, 5-6-12 on the road and 2-1-1 in neutral-site OT matches.
TWO GOALS (USUALLY) DOES THE TRICK
• Prior to this season, the Falcons had a record of 50-4-6 when scoring two goals in a match in the Eric Nichols Era. However, BGSU is just 1-2-0 in such matches this season to date.
• The season opener vs. Northern Kentucky marked the first time BGSU had lost when scoring two or more goals in a match since an OT loss to Duquesne in 2014, and was the Falcons' first such loss in regulation since the Belmont match of 2011.
• BG found the back of the net three times en route to victory at WIU, but suffered a 3-2 setback in Fort Wayne on Saturday. BGSU is now 51-6-6 when scoring two or more goals in the Nichols Era.
HELLO, I'D LIKE TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT
• Seven different Falcons have scored at least one goal this year, and for four of those players, it was the first collegiate goal. Senior Ebenezer Ackon scored his first goal as a Falcon late in the NKU match, then added his second goal at BGSU just 75 seconds later.
• Sophomore Vinny Worner opened the scoring at Western Illinois with his first collegiate goal, while classmate Zach Buescher recorded his first goal as a Falcon with just nine seconds left in regulation at Ohio State.
• Freshman Jensen Lukacsko opened his account with a strike from the top of the box early in the second half of Saturday night's Purdue Fort Wayne kerfuffle.
• Senior Moe Mustafa (six career goals), junior Chris Brennan (11) and sophomore Chris Sullivan (three) also have found the back of the net for the Falcons so far in 2018.
LATE-GAME DRAMA
• Fans attending a BGSU match would be well advised to stay until the very end. A total of 23 goals have been scored in the Falcons' eight games this season to date. No fewer than 19 of those 23 goals have come after halftime.
• Of those 19 second-half (or overtime) scores, 15 have come after 70 minutes had elapsed, with nine of those coming after the 80-minute mark.
• BGSU has been held scoreless in the first 85 minutes of six of this season's eight matches. The opponents, like the Falcons, have scored just two first-half goals.
• The Falcons have led for a total of 71:41 this season – all in the Western Illinois match. BGSU has trailed for a total of 200:01 of the 761-plus minutes to date.
SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE BROWN AND ORANGE FOR YOUR BROADCAST, WEB STREAM, ARTICLE OR MYSPACE PAGE
• The 2018 season marks the 54th year of BGSU men's soccer. Legendary coach Mickey Cochrane initiated varsity programs in both soccer and lacrosse at BG in 1965, after serving as club coach of both sports at the University the previous year.
• Eric Nichols, now in his 10th season at BG, is just the fifth coach in the illustrious history of Falcon men's soccer. Cochrane (1965-77), Gary Palmisano (1978-92, 1994), Mel Mahler (1993, 1995-2003) and Fred Thompson (2004-08) are the only other individuals to have coached the BGSU men's soccer program.
• Nichols and his staff – Zach Mason, Sean Teepen and Oliver Harris – welcomed back 13 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last year's team. BG finished the 2017 season with a 7-9-1 overall record and a MAC ledger of 1-3-1. Five of the team's setbacks came by one goal on the road to nationally-ranked opponents.
• Nichols returned a total of four players who started at least 16 of the Falcons' 17 matches last year, including juniors Chris Brennan and Anthony Mwembia. Brennan led a balanced scoring attack with five goals and 14 points a season ago, en route to All-MAC Second-Team honors. Mwembia played every second of every match in goal and had a 1.04 GAA, a saves percentage of .780 and seven shutouts. He was named to the All-Ohio Team.
• Senior Tate Robertson started every match last fall, and finished second on the team in scoring. Robertson's 11 points included a BG-best seven assists in 2017.
• In addition to the aforementioned trio, seniors Moe Mustafa and Peter Pugliese, junior Tom Wrobel and sophomores Zach Buescher and Chris Sullivan each made at least 11 starts a year ago.
THE OPPONENTS
• Valparaiso will bring a 2-5-1 record to Cochrane Stadium on Saturday evening. The Crusaders are coming off a narrow 3-2 loss to SIUE on Tuesday night. Valpo has wins over IUPUI and Milwaukee, along with a scoreless draw against Western Illinois. The Crusaders are 1-1-1 at home, 1-3 on the road, 0-1 in neutral-site matches, and 2-3 in one-goal matches (four of which have ended with a 1-0 score). Five different players have scored one goal apiece this fall, including Jonas Engler and Rafael Mentzingen, each of whom have three points. Nacho Miras has played in seven matches in goal, and has 18 saves and a goals-against average of just 1.07. Coach Mike Avery's program went 8-9-1 overall and 3-5-0 in Missouri Valley Conference action last season.
THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Valparaiso, 2-0-0, in the all-time series between the teams. In the lone prior meeting at Cochrane Stadium, the Crusaders scored a pair of second-half goals, on a header off of a corner kick and a late PK, for a 2-0 win in early October of 2009, Eric Nichols' first season at the BGSU helm. Then, the following September, VU picked up another 2-0 victory, this time on a Sunday night in Northwest Indiana.
DOWN THE ROAD...
• Following the Valparaiso matchup, the Falcons will begin Mid-American Conference action by hosting Akron next Saturday (Oct. 6). That match will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and admission is free to all BGSU soccer regular-season home matches.
• The UA tilt marks the first of five MAC matchups in as many weekends. BGSU will host the Zips, Western Michigan (Oct. 20) and SIUE (Nov. 3), while hitting the road to face Northern Illinois (Oct. 13) and West Virginia (Oct. 26).
• BGSU also has Tuesday night non-conference road matches vs. IUPUI (Oct. 9) and Cincinnati (Oct. 23) during the month of October.
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