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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Monmouth
NCAA Notes: Falcons Set for Thursday Meeting with Monmouth
April 26, 2021 | Men's Soccer
BGSU advances to NCAA Championships for seventh time in program history
• The Falcons are heading to the NCAA Championships for the seventh time in school history, but the first time since 1997. BGSU (7-4-1, 5-2-1 Mid-American Conference), one of eight teams assigned to play a first-round match in the 36-team tourney, will face Monmouth (5-2-1) on Thursday evening (April 29) at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C. Live stats and a free web stream will be available for Thursday night's match.
• The BGSU-Monmouth winner will advance to face #2-seeded Pittsburgh in second-round action. That match will also take place at Bryan Park, on Sunday (May 2) at 8:00 p.m.
• The Falcons earned the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships by virtue of winning the league regular-season title. BGSU clinched the crown with a 2-1 overtime win over Northern Illinois on April 18. The Falcons won the MAC regular-season crown outright for the first time since 1996, and for just the second time since the MAC began sponsoring the sport of men's soccer in 1993 (BG tied for first in the final league regular-season standings in both 2000 and 2002).
• BGSU finished as the number-one team in the number-one conference in the country, in terms of RPI rankings. Through the end of the regular season, four of the six league schools are ranked among the top-40 teams in the nation, including West Virginia (10th), BGSU, Western Michigan (28th) and Akron (37th), and all six are rated 98th or better.
• The Falcons have a record of 25-13-4 over the last 42 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Nine of the 13 setbacks have come by a single goal.
⚽TOURNEY TIME‼️⚽
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) April 21, 2021
Four-year starter Zach Buescher talks about the moments before & after BGSU clinched an NCAA bid & what it means to him, his teammates & @BGSUmenssoccer fans everywhere.#AyZiggy | ⚽🧡⚽🧡⚽ pic.twitter.com/7u1E6TjVxb
⚽TOURNEY TIME‼️⚽
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) April 22, 2021
Jensen Lukacsko talks about the emotion & excitement of @BGSUmenssoccer
winning the MAC & heading to the NCAA Championships... #AyZiggy | ⚽🧡⚽🧡⚽ pic.twitter.com/jxjgETvGyM
THE FALCONS AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• BGSU, as mentioned, is participating in the NCAA Championships for the seventh time in program history, but the first time since 1997. The Falcons have a 4-6-0 record in national tourney play.
• BG's first three NCAA matches all came against Saint Louis, with the Billikens capturing all three contests.
• The Falcons picked up the first NCAA win in program history in 1995, downing Davidson by a 3-1 final in a 'Play-In' match at Cochrane Stadium. BG then fell, 2-0, on the road against eventual national champion Wisconsin.
• BGSU won home tourney matches in both 1996 and 1997, dismantling Detroit, 4-0, in 1996 before topping Colgate by a 2-0 count in '97. The Colgate match was a 'Play-In' contest, and BGSU went on the road and defeated Marquette, 1-0 in the '97 first round.
• In both 1996 and 1997, BGSU's season came to an end with a second-round loss on the road against Indiana.
• A complete list of BGSU's NCAA Championships matches and results can be found on page 9 of the PDF version of these notes.
⚽TOURNEY TIME‼️⚽
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) April 24, 2021
Vinny Worner talks about Sunday's winning PK, waiting to see @BGSUmenssoccer's name called on the NCAA Selection Show & the chance to play in the NCAA Championships...#AyZiggy | ⚽🧡⚽🧡⚽ pic.twitter.com/rgmQNdmCVO
⚽TOURNEY TIME‼️⚽
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) April 26, 2021
Kale Nichols is in his third year on the @BGSUmenssoccer team, but he's been around the program for much longer than that. Kale talks about what a trip to the NCAA's means for the current team, but also for those who came before him...#AyZiggy | ⚽🧡⚽🧡⚽ pic.twitter.com/YCKHdXNr2n
FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• The Falcons went 3-0-1 in home matches and 2-4-0 in road contests, and BG is 2-0-0 in neutral-site action this year to date. All four of BGSU's home games went to overtime. BGSU allowed just one goal at Cochrane Stadium this season.
• Chris Sullivan leads the Falcons in goals (four), assists (five) and points (13) this season. Jacob Erlandson is second on the team with three goals and eight points, and is tied for second with two assists on the year.
• Both Sullivan and Erlandson have scored two game-winning goals this season, and both players were named a national player of the week (Sullivan by United Soccer Coaches on Feb. 23, Erlandson by Top Drawer Soccer on March 23), the first such honors in program history.
• Eric Nichols was named MAC Coach of the Year, while Erlandson, Sullivan and Achille Robin were named to the All-MAC First Team. Robin earned the honor for the second consecutive season.
• Zach Buescher, Logan Kowalczyk and Nathan Masters were named to the All-MAC Second Team. BGSU's total of six All-MAC Team members is the highest of any conference school.
• Robin and Sullivan were each listed among the 30 national candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, as BGSU was the only school with two players on the list. Sullivan went on to be named one of 10 national finalists for the award.
• Kowalczyk has a GAA of 0.70 on the season. In MAC matches, he went 5-2-1 with a GAA of just 0.59. Kowalczyk and the Falcons posted five shutouts in MAC play, the program's highest total since 1998.
• BGSU's total of five MAC wins is the program's highest since the 1997 team went 5-2-0. Only the 1996 (5-0-0), '97 and 2020-21 teams have won as many as five league matches.
⚽TOURNEY TIME‼️⚽
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) April 25, 2021
Winning the MAC title is a tremendous achievement. How does it feel when you are able to coach your son (@BGSUmenssoccer's Eric Nichols), or help get the team coached by your father to the NCAA's (Kale Nichols)?#AyZiggy | ⚽🧡⚽🧡⚽ pic.twitter.com/3Nnh8OofD4
⚽TOURNEY TIME‼️⚽
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) April 26, 2021
Coach Eric Nichols talks about the feeling of seeing @BGSUmenssoccer's name pop up on the screen during the NCAA Selection Show, & also about the feeling when the Falcons were one of the final teams to be announced...#AyZiggy | ⚽🧡⚽🧡⚽ pic.twitter.com/x9RHX2qzy3
UP NEXT
• The BGSU-Monmouth winner will face Pittsburgh, the #2 overall seed for the tournament, on Sunday evening (May 2) at Bryan Park. That contest will begin at 8:00 p.m.
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.
