Tuesday, March 2
Lexington, Ky.
12:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
2-2-0, 0-0-0
0
at
1
Kentucky
8-1-1, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Bowling Green
0
0
0
Kentucky
1
0
1
Photo by: Grace Bradley/UK Athletics
#7 Wildcats Edge Falcons, 1-0
March 02, 2021 | Men's Soccer
BGSU suffers second narrow road loss to a top-10 team in four days
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky scored in the 13th minute of Tuesday afternoon's (March 2) match, and the nationally-ranked Wildcats made that goal stand up in a 1-0 win over the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team. The match, the Falcons' final non-conference contest, was held at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
For the Falcons (2-2-0), it marked the second one-goal setback against a top-10 team on the road in four days. The Wildcats entered the match ranked No. 7 in the nation in the first United Soccer Coaches poll of the spring, and UK is 12th in the latest Top Drawer Soccer top-25 poll.
The Falcons received seven votes in Tuesday's USC poll, the organization's first poll of the spring.
UK, which played a fall schedule, improves to 8-1-1 (7-0-1 at home) in 2020-21.
The teams each had eight total shot attempts and one shot on goal. The Wildcats' win was not secured until the final seconds of the match, when BG's eighth shot of the afternoon was off the mark.
QUOTING COACH NICHOLS
"This is a tough loss, but I am proud of this performance. Although it took us a while to get going, we found our rhythm in the second half and it really felt like we were going to get a goal, but we just ran out of time. We put together this difficult non-conference schedule to challenge us so that we can learn where we are. All in all this was a valuable stretch. We learned a great deal about who and where we are as we now get ready for a very difficult MAC schedule."
GOALS / KEY MOMENTS
• 13' | GOAL | UK broke on top at the 12:48 mark. The Wildcats' Robert Screen took the ball into the 18-yard box on the right side, and slid a cross to Mason Visconti, who one-timed it into the vacated net.
• 14' | The Falcons won a corner kick, then after that ball was played, BG won another. But, the 'Cats were able to clear the ball out of danger.
• 32' | UK won a corner kick at the other end, after a long throw-in was headed over the end line by a BG defender. Off of that corner, a header by Leon Jones was blocked by a Falcon backliner.
• 34' | Achille Robin made a nice run over midfield, and looked to slide a pass to Vinny Worner. As Worner attempted to get around a UK defender, though, his first touch was a little heavy, and goalkeeper Ryan Troutman was able to get to the ball before Worner could get a shot off.
• 40' | A long throw by Zach Buescher was met by the head of a BG teammate, but the UK 'keeper was the first one to reach the ensuing flick-on.
• 45' | As the final seconds of the half ticked away, BGSU looked to make a last-second foray. Joey Akpunonu's throw-in sent the ball down the right side, and Nathan Masters knocked it toward the six-yard box, but time ran out in the period.
• 46' | Buescher broke up what looked to be a good chance for the Wildcats, knocking the ball away for a UK corner. That corner kick found the head of Trey Asensio on the far side, but his header was well off the mark.
• 48' | Masters stole the ball deep in the UK end on the left side, quickly playing a ball toward the center of the six-yard box. But, Chris Sullivan and a UK defender got tangled up, and the low cross rolled through the box and out the other side.
• 55' | Kale Nichols tracked down a ball on the right side and crossed it into the box. Jacob Erlandson got a head on the ball, but his shot was blocked out for a corner kick. BGSU would win back-to-back corners, and off of the second one, Masters found Robin in traffic in the box. But, the ball was knocked away before Robin was able to get a shot off.
• 65' | The Falcons stole the ball in the UK end, and after a series of quick passes in traffic, Buescher fired a shot from distance, but the effort was wide of the target.
• 72' | The hosts fired a pair of shots in quick succession, but the first was blocked, and after Robin headed a crossing attempt out of the box, another Wildcat shot from the top of the 18 was wide right.
• 76' | Jensen Lukacsko's pass found Spencer Straka in the center of the park, and the sophomore hit a hard shot, but the ball sailed over the target.
• 81' | Worner ran onto a ball on the right side of the box and blasted a shot that was deflected out of play for a corner. Off of that corner, a series of passes resulted in Nichols and Masters just missing connections on a combination play at the top of the box.
• 83' | UK's Screen was issued a yellow card after grabbing Masters' jersey to keep him from getting free down the left side. Sullivan's curving free kick whizzed just over the crossbar and landed on the net.
• 87' | A long throw-in by Akpunonu was headed by Robin, but the shot was gathered by Troutman. Less than a minute later, Worner took the ball to the end line on the right side and crossed it toward Robin. But, the ball was a little bit behind the senior, and he was unable to put his one-time effort on frame.
• 90' | The Falcons did not go down without a fight. With 45 seconds remaining, Sullivan hit a shot that was blocked at the top of the 18. Then, as time wound down, Worner won a ball before a UK player could clear it out of his own end. Worner poked the ball to Sullivan who, surrounded by three players just inside the box, laid it off to Buescher. With the announcer in the middle of the 10-second countdown, Buescher quickly hit a shot, but his one-timer was wide left and the Wildcats escaped.
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• Both teams had eight total shots, and both the Falcons and Wildcats put one shot on goal. BGSU had a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks, and both teams were whistled for seven fouls and one yellow card.
• For sophomore goalkeeper Logan Kowalczyk, Tuesday marked the fourth appearance of his BGSU career, and it also marked the first time he allowed a goal from the run of play. The other two goals he surrendered both came from the penalty spot
• Despite the loss at UK, the Falcons have a record of 20-11-3 over the last 34 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Eight of those 11 setbacks have come by a single goal.
UP NEXT
• For the Falcons, the Kentucky match was the second of three-straight games against nationally-ranked teams. BGSU will open the Mid-American Conference schedule on Sunday afternoon (March 7), hitting the road once again to face the University of Akron. That match will begin at 1:00 p.m. and is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+.
• BGSU's home opener is scheduled for the following Sunday, March 14, vs. SIUE.
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.
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For the Falcons (2-2-0), it marked the second one-goal setback against a top-10 team on the road in four days. The Wildcats entered the match ranked No. 7 in the nation in the first United Soccer Coaches poll of the spring, and UK is 12th in the latest Top Drawer Soccer top-25 poll.
The Falcons received seven votes in Tuesday's USC poll, the organization's first poll of the spring.
UK, which played a fall schedule, improves to 8-1-1 (7-0-1 at home) in 2020-21.
The teams each had eight total shot attempts and one shot on goal. The Wildcats' win was not secured until the final seconds of the match, when BG's eighth shot of the afternoon was off the mark.
QUOTING COACH NICHOLS
"This is a tough loss, but I am proud of this performance. Although it took us a while to get going, we found our rhythm in the second half and it really felt like we were going to get a goal, but we just ran out of time. We put together this difficult non-conference schedule to challenge us so that we can learn where we are. All in all this was a valuable stretch. We learned a great deal about who and where we are as we now get ready for a very difficult MAC schedule."
GOALS / KEY MOMENTS
• 13' | GOAL | UK broke on top at the 12:48 mark. The Wildcats' Robert Screen took the ball into the 18-yard box on the right side, and slid a cross to Mason Visconti, who one-timed it into the vacated net.
• 14' | The Falcons won a corner kick, then after that ball was played, BG won another. But, the 'Cats were able to clear the ball out of danger.
• 32' | UK won a corner kick at the other end, after a long throw-in was headed over the end line by a BG defender. Off of that corner, a header by Leon Jones was blocked by a Falcon backliner.
• 34' | Achille Robin made a nice run over midfield, and looked to slide a pass to Vinny Worner. As Worner attempted to get around a UK defender, though, his first touch was a little heavy, and goalkeeper Ryan Troutman was able to get to the ball before Worner could get a shot off.
• 40' | A long throw by Zach Buescher was met by the head of a BG teammate, but the UK 'keeper was the first one to reach the ensuing flick-on.
• 45' | As the final seconds of the half ticked away, BGSU looked to make a last-second foray. Joey Akpunonu's throw-in sent the ball down the right side, and Nathan Masters knocked it toward the six-yard box, but time ran out in the period.
• 46' | Buescher broke up what looked to be a good chance for the Wildcats, knocking the ball away for a UK corner. That corner kick found the head of Trey Asensio on the far side, but his header was well off the mark.
• 48' | Masters stole the ball deep in the UK end on the left side, quickly playing a ball toward the center of the six-yard box. But, Chris Sullivan and a UK defender got tangled up, and the low cross rolled through the box and out the other side.
• 55' | Kale Nichols tracked down a ball on the right side and crossed it into the box. Jacob Erlandson got a head on the ball, but his shot was blocked out for a corner kick. BGSU would win back-to-back corners, and off of the second one, Masters found Robin in traffic in the box. But, the ball was knocked away before Robin was able to get a shot off.
• 65' | The Falcons stole the ball in the UK end, and after a series of quick passes in traffic, Buescher fired a shot from distance, but the effort was wide of the target.
• 72' | The hosts fired a pair of shots in quick succession, but the first was blocked, and after Robin headed a crossing attempt out of the box, another Wildcat shot from the top of the 18 was wide right.
• 76' | Jensen Lukacsko's pass found Spencer Straka in the center of the park, and the sophomore hit a hard shot, but the ball sailed over the target.
• 81' | Worner ran onto a ball on the right side of the box and blasted a shot that was deflected out of play for a corner. Off of that corner, a series of passes resulted in Nichols and Masters just missing connections on a combination play at the top of the box.
• 83' | UK's Screen was issued a yellow card after grabbing Masters' jersey to keep him from getting free down the left side. Sullivan's curving free kick whizzed just over the crossbar and landed on the net.
• 87' | A long throw-in by Akpunonu was headed by Robin, but the shot was gathered by Troutman. Less than a minute later, Worner took the ball to the end line on the right side and crossed it toward Robin. But, the ball was a little bit behind the senior, and he was unable to put his one-time effort on frame.
• 90' | The Falcons did not go down without a fight. With 45 seconds remaining, Sullivan hit a shot that was blocked at the top of the 18. Then, as time wound down, Worner won a ball before a UK player could clear it out of his own end. Worner poked the ball to Sullivan who, surrounded by three players just inside the box, laid it off to Buescher. With the announcer in the middle of the 10-second countdown, Buescher quickly hit a shot, but his one-timer was wide left and the Wildcats escaped.
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• Both teams had eight total shots, and both the Falcons and Wildcats put one shot on goal. BGSU had a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks, and both teams were whistled for seven fouls and one yellow card.
• For sophomore goalkeeper Logan Kowalczyk, Tuesday marked the fourth appearance of his BGSU career, and it also marked the first time he allowed a goal from the run of play. The other two goals he surrendered both came from the penalty spot
• Despite the loss at UK, the Falcons have a record of 20-11-3 over the last 34 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Eight of those 11 setbacks have come by a single goal.
UP NEXT
• For the Falcons, the Kentucky match was the second of three-straight games against nationally-ranked teams. BGSU will open the Mid-American Conference schedule on Sunday afternoon (March 7), hitting the road once again to face the University of Akron. That match will begin at 1:00 p.m. and is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+.
• BGSU's home opener is scheduled for the following Sunday, March 14, vs. SIUE.
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.
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Team Stats
BG
UK
Goals
0
1
Shots
8
8
Shots on Goal
1
1
Saves
0
1
Corners
6
4
Fouls
7
7
Scoring Plays
Mason Visconti (2)
Assisted By: Robert Screen , Leon Jones
GOAL by UK Visconti, Mason Assist by Screen, Robert and Jones, Leon.
12:48
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
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