Falcons Down IUPUI For Third-Straight Win

Tuesday, October 8

Indianapolis, IN

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

7-3-1, 0-0-0

IUPUI

3-5-2, 2-0-1

Bowling Green

IUPUI

Anthony Mwembia v Cleveland State - Sept 17 2019

October 08, 2019 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Final Stats Highlights (courtesy IUPUI / ESPN+)

Nichols goal late in the first half proves to be the winner

By: INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Sophomore Kale Nichols scored late in the first half to lift the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over IUPUI Tuesday night (Oct. 8). The non-conference match was held at Carroll Stadium.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 7-3-1 on the season, and BGSU has won three-straight matches for the second time in 2019.

The IUPUI match marked the second consecutive Tuesday that the Falcons have gone on the road and returned with a 1-0 victory. BGSU downed Detroit Mercy last week before topping the Jags.

The winning play began with a throw-in by senior Chris Brennan near the IUPUI bench. Brennan's throw went toward the end line on the right side of the 18-yard box. Junior Chris Sullivan's nifty backheel sent the ball across the six-yard line, and classmate Achille Robin lunged for a header that kept it going along that same path.

The ball bounced across the goalmouth to the onrushing Nichols, who blasted it into the net for what proved to be the game-winning goal.

The Falcons dominated all of the pertinent statistical categories, including total shot attempts (15-5), shots on goal (8-2) and corner kicks (9-3). Senior Anthony Mwembia made a pair of saves en route to his sixth shutout of the season. Quinn McCallion made seven stops for the hosts.

QUOTING COACH ERIC NICHOLS
"This was a very solid team performance and a great win tonight. Our tempo and ball movement were really good, we were sharp defensively, and I was very happy with the mentality to hold the lead."

NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• The Falcons have topped the team's win total for all of last season. BGSU has a record of 7-3-1 in 2019, after going 6-7-4 last fall.
• BGSU has also surpassed the 2018 team's total of wins away from home. Last year, the Falcons went 4-5-1 (4-4-1 away, 0-1-0 neutral-site matches) in all games played away from Cochrane Stadium. This season to date, BG is 5-1-1 in such games, having gone 4-1-1 in true road matches and 1-0-0 at a neutral site.

HIGHLIGHTS (courtesy IUPUI / ESPN+)

FALCON NOTES
• Sophomore Kale Nichols scored his second goal of the season and the second of his career. He also found the back of the net in the Cincinnati match at Cochrane Stadium several weeks ago (Sept. 21).
• Nichols recorded the first game-winning goal of his Falcon career on Tuesday night in Indy.
• It marked the second-straight Tuesday that a BG sophomore recorded his first GWG in a 1-0 road win over a Horizon League team. Ike Swiger's goal lifted BG to a 1-0 victory over Detroit Mercy seven nights ago.
• Each of BGSU's last four goals, and five of the last seven, have been scored by sophomores. Nichols and Swiger have two each and Matt Walters one during that time.
• BGSU is now 3-0-0 against Horizon League schools this year, posting a 1-0 win on all three occasions. In addition to the victories over UDM and IUPUI, BG picked up a win against Cleveland State at Cochrane Stadium on Sept. 17.
• Nichols now has six points on two goals and two assists in his career, with all six points coming this season. He ranks fourth on the team in points, and is tied for third in goals.
• Juniors Achille Robin and Chris Sullivan recorded the assists on the Nichols goal. Robin now has seven points, including three assists, this fall, ranking third on the Falcons in both categories.
• Robin now has a career total of 10 points, including four assists, in his second season as a Falcon.
• Sullivan now leads the team in scoring with 13 points. He is tied for the BG lead in goals, with four, and Tuesday's assist was his team-high fifth of the year.
• Sullivan also had an assist on Swiger's goal last Tuesday at UDM.
• Sullivan now has 25 career points on eight goals and nine assists. Through 11 matches this season, he has topped his assist and point totals (and matched his goal total) for his first two years combined.
• Senior Anthony Mwembia recorded his sixth shutout of the season and the 25th of his BGSU career.
• Eight Falcons – Mwembia, Nichols, Robin, Sullivan, senior Tom Wrobel, junior Zach Buescher, sophomore Jensen Lukacsko and freshman Michael Montemurri – played the entire 90 minutes on Tuesday night.
• Senior Amandy Ayima made his 2019 debut, playing 12 minutes off the bench.

📹HIGHLIGHT📹

A cheeky backheel from Sullivan & a header by Robin set up KALE NICHOLS for the GWG at IUPUI! pic.twitter.com/KgZgy040Vs
— BGSU Men's Soccer (@BGSUmenssoccer) October 9, 2019

FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 3' | Some nifty passing by the Falcons just outside the box led to a shot by senior Charlie Maciejewski, but IUPUI goalkeeper Quinn McCallion made a diving save, and a defender got to the rebound before sophomore Kale Nichols could arrive.
• 4' | After a BG corner, a shot by senior Chris Brennan was blocked by an IUPUI defender near the goal line.
• 12' | The Falcons won back-to-back corners, but after the second one, the IUPUI 'keeper grabbed a serve into the box.
• 14' | BGSU's sixth corner of the night was successfully cleared out of the box by the hosts.
• 17' | Junior Chris Sullivan got around his defender on the right side of the box and hit a shot from a tough angle in a tight space. He put that shot on frame, but McCallion punched that shot away and the Jags cleared the rebound.
• 20' | A right-side cross by sophomore Matt Walters deflected off of a player and trickled toward the top of the box. Nichols ran onto it and hit a hard shot, but it was blocked by a defender.
• 22' | A Sullivan corner was punched away by the 'keeper. It bounced outside of the box, and soph Jensen Lukacsko hit a volley, but the shot was off the mark.
• 23' | Midway through the first half, BGSU had seven shots and seven corners, while IUPUI had yet to record a shot and had just one corner.
• 26' | Lukacsko & Nichols worked a gorgeous give-and-go play, with Nichols holding the ball until Lukacsko could make a run into the box on the left side. But, Lukacsko's cross was knocked away before it got to Maciejewski.
• 35' | Senior Anthony Mwembia went to the ground looking to punch a throw-in out of the box, and the ball went to an IUPUI striker. But, Maciejewski blocked the ensuing shot.
• 37' | GOAL | Off of a Brennan throw-in on the right side, Sullivan's nifty backheel flick at the end line sent the ball toward the center of the area. Robin's header put it directly into the path of the onrushing Nichols, who blasted the ball into the net from close range. Robin and Sullivan had assists on the play.
• 38' | Seemingly out of nowhere, Brennan hit a nifty turnaround shot at the top of box, forcing McCallion into a diving save.
• 39' | Robin flicked a serve by junior Zach Buescher toward the goal, but the 'keeper came up with the ball.
• 40' | The hosts had a good chance, as a throw-in was headed across the goalmouth, but no one was at the back post and the ball went out of bounds for a BG goal kick.

SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
• 48' | Sullivan's shot from the top of the box was deflected wide of the goal. McCallion was unable to keep it from going over the end line.
• 48' | Off of the ensuing corner kick, Robin played a pass back to Sullivan at the top of the box. Sullivan's shot, in traffic, made it through to goal, but the 'keeper made the stop.
• 52' | Brennan slid a pass to Walters in the box. McCallion beat Walters to the ball initially, but in the challenge, it popped up into the air. Walters was able to head the ball on goal, but the 'keeper was able to make the save.
• 59' | Possibly the best chance of the match for IUPUI came when Yan Souza got the ball on the left side of the box. Walters deflected his shot, however, and the ball caromed directly to Mwembia, who made the save.
• 72' | Maciejewski took a pass in traffic near the 18-yard line, made a move to create some space and hit a shot that forced McCallion into a diving stop.
• 75' | Junior Vinny Worner made a nifty run into the box on the right side, taking the ball to the end line and hitting a low cross, but it was knocked out of the box by a defender.
• 77' | Robin's long ball ahead was flicked by Maciejewski, and Lukacsko ran onto it on the right side of the field. He crossed the ball to Sullivan, but Sullivan's shot was off the mark.
• 84' | The hosts had arguably their best chance of the night. Off of a header by Matthew Skaar, Souza hit a tricky dipping shot from the top of the 18. Mwembia, however, made a diving save to divert the ball over the crossbar, and the BG 'keeper then caught the ensuing corner kick out of the air.
• 88' | Mwembia went high into the air to grab another IUPUI corner kick in traffic.
• 90' | With roughly 30 seconds to go, a left-side IUPUI cross found a teammate's head, but the ball went well wide of the far post.

WHAT'S NEXT?
• The Falcons continue a four-match road swing this weekend, beginning Mid-American Conference play by taking on Akron. The Zips advanced to the national championship game last season. The BGSU-Akron match is set for a 7:00 p.m. first touch at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Then, the Falcons will head to the MAC's "West Coast" the following weekend, taking on SIUE on Saturday evening, Oct. 19.
• BGSU's next home game is Tuesday, Oct. 22, when Purdue Fort Wayne comes to Cochrane Stadium.

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