Falcons, Mountaineers Battle to Scoreless Draw

Wednesday, April 14

Bowling Green, Ohio

3:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

6-4-1, 4-2-1

West Virginia

6-3-1, 4-3-1

West Virginia

Bowling Green

Photo by: Larry Clapper

April 14, 2021 | Men's Soccer

Box Score BGSU-WVU Stats Photo Gallery

Kowalczyk makes six saves to earn fifth shutout in last six matches

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Athletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team battled West Virginia University through 110 minutes of scoreless action on Wednesday afternoon (April 14). The Mid-American Conference match was held at Cochrane Stadium.

Sophomore goalkeeper Logan Kowalczyk made six saves, the highest total of his young career, for the Falcons (6-4-1, 4-2-1 MAC), en route to his fifth shutout in the last six games.

The Falcons remain in first place in the MAC standings, and BGSU controls its own destiny heading into the final match of the regular season. BGSU hosts Northern Illinois on Sunday (April 18), and a win over the Huskies would give the Falcons the MAC championship and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. With a loss or a tie against NIU, the Falcons still would have a shot at the title, but would need favorable results in both of the day's other matches around the league.

The Mountaineers (6-3-1, 4-3-1 MAC) had narrow advantages of 16-12 in total shots and 7-4 in shots on goal. Steven Tekesky made four saves for the visitors.

WVU entered the day ranked third in the entire nation in the RPI ratings, while the Falcons were 21st in the country. The MAC is the number-one-rated conference in the nation in the RPI.

MAC STANDINGS
(as of Thursday morning, April 15)
School (Overall) MAC Pts. PPG
1. Bowling Green (6-4-1) 4-2-1 13   1.86
2. Western Mich. (6-3-1) 4-3-1 13 1.63
West Virginia (6-3-1) 4-3-1 13   1.63
4. Akron (4-3-2) 3-3-1 10 1.43
5. Northern Ill. (5-7-1) 4-5-0 12   1.33
6. SIUE (5-5-0) 2-5-0 6   0.86
• Teams listed in order of points per match

WVU entered the day ranked third in the entire nation in the RPI ratings, while the Falcons were 21st in the country.

NOTEWORTHY
• BGSU now has recorded five shutouts in MAC play this season to date, the program's highest total since 1998. That '98 club also kept five clean sheets, in eight MAC regular-season matches.

QUOTING COACH NICHOLS
"It was a tough match today, for sure, and (a tie) was probably the most fair result. They had their moments where they put us under pressure, and our back line stood up. And, we had periods where I thought we were the better team."

"Either team could have won this game, and I don't think either team is particularly happy with this result, as we both came here to win. But, I can't be disappointed with the effort from our boys today. They gave everything they had."

GOALS / KEY MOMENTS
• 16' | After a BG corner kick by Nathan Masters, a WVU defender headed the ball out of the penalty area. Joey Akpunonu, however, met that ball just outside the 18-yard box, and hit a hard, low shot that went through a maze of players. But, Mountaineer goalkeeper Steven Tekesky made the save.
• 18' | West Virginia made a foray into the BGSU end, and a through ball found Kevin Morris heading into the box on the left side. Morris hit a shot, but BGSU 'keeper Logan Kowalczyk came off of his line to make the point-blank stop.
• 21' | WVU created another dangerous chance after a series of quick passes, but Kowalczyk denied Tony Pineda's shot from about 10 yards out.
• 22' | Off of a right-side cross, Pineda hit a one-timer from approximately eight yards away. This shot was blocked on the line by Akpunonu.
• 23' | Less than a minute later, back came the visitors once again. After a steal at midfield, the ball was chipped into the box, but Luke McCormick's shot was saved at the far post by Kowalczyk.
• 30' | Masters and Vinny Worner worked a nifty combination play on the left side, and Worner played the ball ahead to Kyle Cusimano. Cusimano hit a low cross in the box, but Tekesky made a diving grab to break up the BG chance.
• 44' | As the clock ticked down toward the one-minute mark, Chris Sullivan stole the ball in the WVU end and quickly found Jensen Lukacsko. Lukacsko took the ball into the penalty area, but as he looked to slide a pass to Worner, the play was whistled down due to an offside call.
• 45' | BGSU won the ball back, and Kale Nichols played a diagonal ball from the right side. The serve was headed toward the far side of the net, but Tekesky grabbed it out of the air as two BG runners, Sullivan and Abdi Faqi, were arriving.
• 48' | The Mountaineers had a dangerous-looking chance in the first few minutes of the second half. WVU played a long free kick toward the top of the box. Achille Robin got tangled up with a Mountaineer forward at the 18, but Ike.Swiger ran onto the ball and hit a quick shot that was blocked over the end line by a sliding Akpunonu.
• 48' | Off of the ensuing corner, the visitors had a pair of shots near the top of the box, but efforts by Pineda and Aaron Denk Gracia were blocked.
• 51' | Masters found the onrushing Cusimano with a pass, and Cusimano lobbed a ball over a trio of WVU defenders to Nichols, who was racing into the penalty area. Nichols hit a one-timer, but the shot was hit directly at a grateful Tekesky.
• 60' | On a counterattack, WVU's Jesus De Vicente played a low cross from the left side. Swiger received the pass on the 18-yard line and hit a low shot, but Kowalczyk was there.
• 78' | A long Akpunonu throw-in sailed into the box, but was headed out by a defender. Michael Montemurri corralled it and lifted it back into the mixer, where it ping-ponged off of several noggins. Nichols controlled it and hit a turnaround shot that was deflected wide of the far post.
• 79' | Less than a minute later, Nichols hit another shot in the box, but his one-time effort went wide left.
• 80' | After a throw-in in front of the BG bench, Worner played a ball toward the WVU end line. Masters was impeded as he attempted to split two defenders, and a free kick was awarded on the left side of the field, about six yards from the end line. Off of Sullivan's free kick, several Falcons poked at the ball as Tekesky attempted to smother it at the near post. The 'keeper was able to grab the ball before any BG player could get a shot off.
• 88' | With under three minutes remaining in regulation, Erlandson won a 50-50 ball at midfield, and Lukacsko played a pass to Akpunonu, who raced down the center of the pitch and put the ball into the path of Vinny Worner. Worner hit a shot from near the 18 that was headed toward the right post, but Tekesky made the stop.
• 88' | Thirty seconds later, the Mountaineers came downfield, and Gracia flipped the ball to McCormick in the circle at the top of the 18. McCormick's shot, however, was stopped by Kowalczyk. WVU got the ball right back, and a hard shot by McCormick whizzed wide of the near post.
• 103' | The visitors moved down the left side of the pitch, but Kowalczyk made a diving grab of a cross near the six-yard line.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Mountaineers had one more shot attempt than the Falcons in each of the four periods. WVU had an overall 16-12 advantage, and the visitors had a 7-4 lead in shots on goal.
• Logan Kowalczyk made six stops, the highest total of his young career, to earn his fifth shutout in the last six matches. Steven Tekesky had four stops for the Mountaineers.
• WVU had six corner kicks to BGSU's four, and WVU committed 19 fouls to the Falcons' eight.
• The Falcons now have a record of 24-13-4 over the last 41 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Nine of the 13 setbacks have come by a single goal.

UP NEXT
• BGSU will be home again on Sunday (April 18), as the Falcons close the regular season against Northern Illinois. First touch for that match is set for 12:30 p.m. at Cochrane.
• As mentioned earlier, a win over the Huskies would clinch the MAC championship for BGSU. The Falcons could conceivably win the title with a loss or a tie vs. NIU, but BG would need favorable results from several other matched around the conference that afternoon.

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.