Offensive Onslaught Overwhelms Oakland

Tuesday, October 26

Rochester, MI

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

10-3-2, 2-1-1

Oakland

8-6-2, 6-1-1

Bowling Green

Oakland

Photo by: Clarence Round, Oakland Univ. Athletics

October 26, 2021 | Men's Soccer

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Three First-Half Goals Put BGSU Back on the Winning Track

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team scored three first-half goals to close the non-conference schedule in style, as the Falcons topped Oakland University, 3-0, on Tuesday evening (Oct. 26) at the Oakland Soccer Field.

On a cold and windy night – the temperature was 39 degrees at kickoff – BG was red-hot at the start of the match. Alberto Anaya gave the Falcons (10-3-2 [2-1-1 Mid-American Conference]) the lead with just over six minutes gone. Nathan Masters, who assisted on Anaya's goal, then was fouled in the box, and a Michael Montemurri penalty kick doubled the lead with less than 18 minutes elapsed.

Abdi Faqi's first collegiate tally made it a three-goal margin, and the Golden Grizzlies (8-6-2 [6-1-1 Horizon League]) could not climb out of that hole.

Brendan Graves, making his first start of the season and just the second of his BGSU career, had a pair of saves to earn his first complete-match shutout as a Falcon.

Oakland's Finn Jurak was credited with just one save, but made several spectacular plays on the night to keep the goal differential at three.

NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• BGSU is now 75-8-6 when scoring two or more goals in a match in the Eric Nichols Era. The Falcons have scored at least two goals in 10 of this season's 15 matches, including in five of the six non-conference road contests.
• The Falcons finished the non-league schedule with an 8-2-1 record, including a 5-1-0 road mark. In those six non-league road matchups, BG outscored the opponents by a 14-4 count.

QUOTING COACH NICHOLS
"Oakland is a good team and they were in great form. But the mentality of our guys was fantastic. I won't say it was our best soccer, but the guys were locked in to our principles and put in a really professional performance."

‼️FINAL‼️ pic.twitter.com/EQu5SJJR1Z
— BGSU Men's Soccer (@BGSUmenssoccer) October 27, 2021

HOW IT HAPPENED
• 7' | GOAL | After a BGSU steal in the OU end of the field, Kyle Cusimano's shot was blocked in the box, but Nathan Masters chested the ball down and passed it back to Alberto Anaya near the top of the 18. Anaya quickly fired a shot into the net to give BGSU the lead for good.
• 9' | After another steal, a Masters cross was blocked. The ball went to Sergi Martinez at the top of the box, but his shot sailed high.
• 18' | GOAL | A penalty kick was awarded to the Falcons, as Oakland 'keeper Finn Jurak took down Masters in the box. Michael Montemurri made no mistake, putting his PK into the corner of the goal to double the Falcons' lead.
• 27' | Mere seconds after entering the match for the first time, Roberto Fernandez Garrido received a cross from the right side, and hit a shot from approximately eight yards out that rang off the far post. Jensen Lukacsko put the ball back into the danger area, and a Cusimano shot went just wide of the near post.
• 29' | Fernandez Garrido and Martinez combined on a pretty combination play. Martinez received the return pass and hit a low shot that was ticketed for the far corner of the net, but Jurak made a great diving save.
• 31' | Brendan Graves grabbed a header by Dawson Schrum in traffic, ending an Oakland threat and making his first save of the season.
• 38' | GOAL | Abdi Faqi gave the Falcons a three-goal lead, tapping home a pass by Martinez. The goal concluded a nifty sequence of seven or eight passes that began in BGSU's own penalty area. That buildup involved Zach Buescher, Kale Nichols, Fernandez Garrido and Anaya as well as Martinez and Faqi.
• 50' | Oakland's best chance of the night to that point came after a buildup of their own on the left side. A cross went through the box along the six-yard line, but no one was on the other end of it, and the ball rolled out the other side of the penalty area.
• 72' | Jurak made a leaping effort to tip a Cusimano shot over the bar after Carter Womack laid a pass into Cusimano's path on the left side of the box.
• 76' | Nichols stole a pass in the center circle and headed upfield with four defenders around him. The Falcons worked the ball into the box, but Jurak did a nice job to grab a short left-side cross out of the air.
• 89' | Buescher's one-timer off of Faqi's right-side pass glanced off of a defender and went over the crossbar.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• BGSU is now 10-3-2 on the season. The Falcons have posted a double-digit win total for the third time in the last eight seasons and the 18th time in school history.
• BG is now 5-2-1 in road games this fall, and the Falcons finish the non-conference portion of the road schedule with a 5-1-0 mark.
• The Falcons had a 13-3 lead in shot attempts on the night, but the damage was done in the opening half, as BGSU had an 11-1 advantage in that category in the first 45 minutes.
• BGSU also had a 4-2 lead in shots on goal (4-1 in the first half) and a 5-1 edge in corner kicks on the night.
• Brendan Graves, as mentioned, made his first start of the season and his second as a Falcon. His other start came in the 2020(-21) season opener, a 3-2 win over Dayton back on Feb. 19, 2021.
• Alberto Anaya's goal was his fifth of the season, tying him with Jacob Erlandson and Roberto Fernandez Garrido for the team lead.
• Anaya now has 14 points on the season to match Erlandson's team-leading total.
• Anaya now has a team-high three game-winning goals.
• Michael Montemurri's goal was his second of the season and the fourth of his career.
• Abdi Faqi scored his first collegiate goal in the win. He now has three career points as a Falcon.
• The Falcons now have a record of 35-17-6 over the last 58 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Twelve of the 17 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.

UP NEXT
• It's all MACtion, all the time for the Falcons from here on out. BGSU will close out the home portion of the schedule on Saturday (Oct. 30), when Western Michigan comes to town. First touch is set for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will end the regular-season slate with a match at West Virginia on Thursday, Nov. 4. That contest is set for a 7:00 p.m. start as well.

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.