Nichols Named OCSA Coach of the Year; Seven Falcons Earn All-Ohio Honors

The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team was well represented, to say the least, when the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association unveiled its 2021 award winners. Eric Nichols was named the OCSA Men's Coach of the Year, with seven of his players honored as well.

Alberto Anaya, Zach Buescher and Jacob Erlandson all have been named to the OCSA's All-Ohio First Team, with Joey Akpunonu and Jensen Lukacsko earning second-team accolades. Lukacsko, Michael Montemurri and Kale Nichols each were selected to the Academic All-Ohio First Team.

Eric Nichols earns the OCSA's Coach-of-the-Year award for the second time, having also received the honor in 2016. He guided the 2021 Falcons to an 11-6-3 overall record and took the program to the NCAA Championships for the second-straight season. He has a record of 106-100-34 in 13 season with the Falcons, including an 18-11-4 mark in the 2021 calendar year.

Gallery: (12-20-2021) M.Soccer: 2021 OCSA All-Ohio Team

Anaya, a native of Queretaro, Mexico (ITESM Leon), was named the MAC Freshman of the Year, and also was named to the All-MAC Second Team and the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Third Team. He started all 20 matches and was second on the team in scoring, with 14 points. Three of his five goals were the GWG, as he led the team in that category, and he also had four assists on the year. Anaya scored the winning goal in back-to-back road victories early in the season, vs. Gonzaga and Cleveland State, and he also scored the winning marker at Oakland late in the year.

Buescher, a native of Holland, Ohio (Toledo St. John's Jesuit), also was named to the All-MAC First Team, earning all-conference honors for the third consecutive season, and earned all-region second-team accolades. A mainstay in the midfield again this season, he played in 19 of BGSU's 20 matches, starting all 19, and had six points on the year. Buescher had a three-point night in the MAC Tournament's semifinal round, with a goal and an assist at Northern Illinois, and was selected to the MAC's All-Tournament Team. He also helped the Falcons record nine shutouts on the year. In his career, Buescher played in 87 matches, starting them all, since arriving at BGSU, and had 14 career points on a pair of goals and 10 assists.

Erlandson, a native of Dayton, Ohio (Dayton Christian), was named to the All-MAC First Team for the second time in as many seasons with the Falcons. He also was named to the all-region first team, and joined Buescher on the MAC's All-Tournament Team. A 2021 team captain, he played in 19 of BGSU's 20 matches, starting all 19, and led the Falcons in scoring. Erlandson's 16 points included six goals, tying him for the BG lead in that category. Those six goals included a pair of game-winning goals, and he also had four assists on the campaign. At the other end of the pitch, the center back helped the Falcons keep nine clean sheets on the season. He scored 24 points in 32 career matches with the Falcons, and four of those nine goals at BG have been game-winning markers. Erlandson played every second of each of BGSU's last 10 matches.

Akpunonu, a native of Toledo, Ohio (St. John's Jesuit), was named to the All-MAC Second Team in 2021. He started all 20 contests, and was second on the team in minutes played. He was on the pitch for 1,866 of the 1,878 total minutes this fall. A defender who helped the Falcons to those nine shutouts, Akpunonu also got forward to score a pair of goals, including one winner, this fall. He had two assists – both of which came on the winning goal in back-to-back games – for a total of six points this season. Akpunonu came off the field in only two matches in '21, both with under 10 minutes to go, and both with BGSU leading by at least three goals.

Lukacsko, a native of Gahanna, Ohio (Lincoln), started all 20 matches, and played 1,823 minutes to rank third on the team. A constant in the center of the park along with Buescher, Lukacsko's three assists this fall included helpers in wins over Cleveland State, Georgia State and Georgia Southern. A two-time team captain, he has played in a total of 71 matches, making 68 starts, in his BGSU career to date. Lukacsko has nine career points on a goal and seven assists, and has helped the Falcons record 29 shutouts in that time.

Montemurri, a native of Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Holy Names Catholic), was named to the Academic All-District® First Team, selected by CoSIDA, and went on to earn Academic All-America® Third-Team honors. He is the first men's soccer Falcon to earn Academic All-America® accolades in five years. Montemurri started all 20 matches this season, and led the Falcons in minutes played, having been on the pitch for 1,873 of the Falcons' 1,877-plus minutes this fall. He scored five points on a pair of goals and an assist, while helping the Orange and Brown keep those nine clean sheets.

Kale Nichols, a native of Bowling Green, Ohio (Toledo St. John's Jesuit), joined Montemurri on the Academic All-District® Team. He started all 20 matches, and had eight points on the season, including three goals and two assists. Nichols played a total of 1,742 minutes on the season. He found the back of the net in back-to-back wins, over Georgia State and Georgia Southern, to begin the MAC schedule, and added assists vs. Wright State and Western Michigan. His final goal of the season was the lone marker in BGSU's 1-0 win at Louisville in the NCAA Championships, the Falcons' first national-tourney win since 1997.

The Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association includes all divisions of college soccer in Ohio with a membership of over 100 men's and women's soccer programs. Founded in 1953, it is one of the oldest state Collegiate Coaching Associations in the United States. The association played a significant role in the growth, development and organization of collegiate soccer in Ohio. Its mission was to aid with coaching education, referee development and training along with the establishment of an extensive awards program.. The OCSA has annually recognized over 300 of the best and brightest student athletes and coaches in the state.

The Falcons, as mentioned, finished the season with a record of 11-6-3, and BGSU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships. BG picked up a 1-0 victory at Louisville in the first round of the national tourney, marking the fifth NCAA Tournament victory in program history, and the first since 1997.

BG ended the season ranked number 30 in the final College Soccer News poll for the second consecutive season, and the Falcons ended the year 27th (second team among 'also receiving votes') in the final United Soccer Coaches rankings.

The Falcons now have a record of 36-20-7 over the last 63 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. A total of 13 of the 20 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.

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.

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