Bowling Green State University Athletics
Thursday, August 26
Bowling Green, OH
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
IUPUI
Photo by: Brendan Ross, XU Athletics
What To Watch For: Falcons Face Jags, Zags This Week
August 25, 2021 | Men's Soccer
FALCONS vs. IUPUI – Thursday, August 26
7:00 p.m. | Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
• Video/Web Stream: WBGU-TV (YouTube) •
• Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer •
FALCONS at GONZAGA – Sunday, August 29
7:00 p.m. PT | Luger Field | Spokane, Wash.
• Video/Web Stream: WCC Network •
• Live Stats: gozags.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer •
WHAT TO WATCH FOR...
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team begins the 2021 regular season with a pair of matches this week. Head coach Eric Nichols and the defending Mid-American Conference champions host IUPUI on Thursday evening (Aug. 26), with first touch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.
• Then, on Sunday night (Aug. 29), the Falcons will take on Gonzaga University, with that match scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. local time (10:00 p.m. ET) at Luger Field in Spokane, Wash.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Thursday's IUPUI match will be streamed on YouTube, and produced by WBGU-TV. Sunday's Gonzaga contest will be available via the WCC Network.
• Live stats for both matches will be available, and twitter updates will be available at @BGSUmenssoccer.
• Links to live audio/video/stats for all 2021 matches will be available on BGSUFalcons.com (on the men's soccer schedule page as well as at the top of the main page) on game day.
FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• There will be a banner unveiling prior to Thursday night's match, commemorating the Falcons' MAC championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in the spring of 2021.
• BGSU returns 15 of last season's 18 letterwinners, including eight of the 11 starters from the spring. The 2020(-21) Falcons went 7-5-1 overall and 5-2-1 in MAC play, winning the conference regular-season title and advancing to the NCAA Championships for the seventh time in school history, but the first time since 1997.
• 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).
• By winning the MAC,  BGSU finished as the number-one team in the number-one conference in the country, in terms of RPI rankings. The MAC ended the 2020-21 season as the top-rated conference in the final RPI, and four of the conference's six teams – West Virginia (12th), BGSU (27th), Western Michigan (33rd) and Akron (39th) – were ranked among the top-40 teams in the nation.
• The Falcons have a record of 25-14-4 over the last 43 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Ten of the 14 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.
• BGSU received four votes in the United Soccer Coaches preseason rankings.
• The Falcons went 3-0-1 in home matches, 2-4-0 in road contests and 2-1-0 in neutral-site action last season. All four of BGSU's home games went to overtime. BG allowed just one goal at Cochrane Stadium in those four matches.
• BGSU had six players named to the All-MAC Team, tying the school record. Among the returnees, Jacob Erlandson was named to the all-league first team, while Zach Buescher, Logan Kowalczyk and Nathan Masters all earned second-team honors.
• Erlandson is the top returning scorer, having registered eight points on three goals and two assists a year ago. Masters and Kyle Cusimano each had five points including a pair of goals.
• Kowalczyk had a GAA of 0.80 last 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 was 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.
LOOKING TO MAINTAIN THAT HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE
• BGSU finished the 2020(-21) season with a record of 3-0-1 at home, and the Falcons allowed only one goal at Cochrane Stadium in those four matches.
• BG is 8-0-1 in the last nine home matches, with the Falcons' last loss loss at Cochrane coming against Cincinnati on Sept. 21, 2019.
• The Falcons are 9-2-1 at home in the last two seasons, having outscored the opponents by a 23-9 count during that time.
• Taking it back a few more years, BG is 21-6-9 at Cochrane Stadium since the start of the 2016 season, and the Falcons have a home record of 33-10-10 since the beginning of the 2014 campaign. The Falcons have outscored the opposition, 104-41, at Cochrane, dating to the final home game of the 2013 season.
CAPTAINS
• Zach Buescher, Jacob Erlandson and Jensen Lukacsko are the captains of the 2021 Falcons.
THE OPPONENTS
• IUPUI, like BGSU, will open the 2021 regular season on Thursday night. The Jaguars dropped exhibition matches to Dayton (4-2) and SIUE (2-0). IUPUI has a veteran club, as five players opted to return for a fifth season for coach Brian Barnett.
• Gonzaga opens the season vs. UNLV on Thursday before hosting the Falcons this weekend. Demitrius Kigeya was named to the preseason All-West Coast Conference Team after scoring a team-high five points last season for the Zags.
THE SERIES
• BGSU leads IUPUI, 6-1-2, in the all-time series, and the Falcons have won the last four meetings. BG captured a 1-0 decision on the road in October of 2019, in the teams' most recent matchup.
• The Falcons and Gonzaga will be meeting for the first time.
UP NEXT
• Following the Gonzaga match, the Falcons will play a pair of road contests over Labor Day weekend, traveling to Cleveland State (Friday, Sept. 3) and Michigan State (Monday, Sept. 6).
• Then, the Orange and Brown will return home to face defending national champion Marshall on Saturday night, Sept. 11.
Â
7:00 p.m. | Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
• Video/Web Stream: WBGU-TV (YouTube) •
• Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer •
FALCONS at GONZAGA – Sunday, August 29
7:00 p.m. PT | Luger Field | Spokane, Wash.
• Video/Web Stream: WCC Network •
• Live Stats: gozags.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer •
WHAT TO WATCH FOR...
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team begins the 2021 regular season with a pair of matches this week. Head coach Eric Nichols and the defending Mid-American Conference champions host IUPUI on Thursday evening (Aug. 26), with first touch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.
• Then, on Sunday night (Aug. 29), the Falcons will take on Gonzaga University, with that match scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. local time (10:00 p.m. ET) at Luger Field in Spokane, Wash.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Thursday's IUPUI match will be streamed on YouTube, and produced by WBGU-TV. Sunday's Gonzaga contest will be available via the WCC Network.
• Live stats for both matches will be available, and twitter updates will be available at @BGSUmenssoccer.
• Links to live audio/video/stats for all 2021 matches will be available on BGSUFalcons.com (on the men's soccer schedule page as well as at the top of the main page) on game day.
FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• There will be a banner unveiling prior to Thursday night's match, commemorating the Falcons' MAC championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in the spring of 2021.
• BGSU returns 15 of last season's 18 letterwinners, including eight of the 11 starters from the spring. The 2020(-21) Falcons went 7-5-1 overall and 5-2-1 in MAC play, winning the conference regular-season title and advancing to the NCAA Championships for the seventh time in school history, but the first time since 1997.
• 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).
• By winning the MAC,  BGSU finished as the number-one team in the number-one conference in the country, in terms of RPI rankings. The MAC ended the 2020-21 season as the top-rated conference in the final RPI, and four of the conference's six teams – West Virginia (12th), BGSU (27th), Western Michigan (33rd) and Akron (39th) – were ranked among the top-40 teams in the nation.
• The Falcons have a record of 25-14-4 over the last 43 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Ten of the 14 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.
• BGSU received four votes in the United Soccer Coaches preseason rankings.
• The Falcons went 3-0-1 in home matches, 2-4-0 in road contests and 2-1-0 in neutral-site action last season. All four of BGSU's home games went to overtime. BG allowed just one goal at Cochrane Stadium in those four matches.
• BGSU had six players named to the All-MAC Team, tying the school record. Among the returnees, Jacob Erlandson was named to the all-league first team, while Zach Buescher, Logan Kowalczyk and Nathan Masters all earned second-team honors.
• Erlandson is the top returning scorer, having registered eight points on three goals and two assists a year ago. Masters and Kyle Cusimano each had five points including a pair of goals.
• Kowalczyk had a GAA of 0.80 last 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 was 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.
LOOKING TO MAINTAIN THAT HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE
• BGSU finished the 2020(-21) season with a record of 3-0-1 at home, and the Falcons allowed only one goal at Cochrane Stadium in those four matches.
• BG is 8-0-1 in the last nine home matches, with the Falcons' last loss loss at Cochrane coming against Cincinnati on Sept. 21, 2019.
• The Falcons are 9-2-1 at home in the last two seasons, having outscored the opponents by a 23-9 count during that time.
• Taking it back a few more years, BG is 21-6-9 at Cochrane Stadium since the start of the 2016 season, and the Falcons have a home record of 33-10-10 since the beginning of the 2014 campaign. The Falcons have outscored the opposition, 104-41, at Cochrane, dating to the final home game of the 2013 season.
CAPTAINS
• Zach Buescher, Jacob Erlandson and Jensen Lukacsko are the captains of the 2021 Falcons.
THE OPPONENTS
• IUPUI, like BGSU, will open the 2021 regular season on Thursday night. The Jaguars dropped exhibition matches to Dayton (4-2) and SIUE (2-0). IUPUI has a veteran club, as five players opted to return for a fifth season for coach Brian Barnett.
• Gonzaga opens the season vs. UNLV on Thursday before hosting the Falcons this weekend. Demitrius Kigeya was named to the preseason All-West Coast Conference Team after scoring a team-high five points last season for the Zags.
THE SERIES
• BGSU leads IUPUI, 6-1-2, in the all-time series, and the Falcons have won the last four meetings. BG captured a 1-0 decision on the road in October of 2019, in the teams' most recent matchup.
• The Falcons and Gonzaga will be meeting for the first time.
UP NEXT
• Following the Gonzaga match, the Falcons will play a pair of road contests over Labor Day weekend, traveling to Cleveland State (Friday, Sept. 3) and Michigan State (Monday, Sept. 6).
• Then, the Orange and Brown will return home to face defending national champion Marshall on Saturday night, Sept. 11.
Â
# BGSU FALCON SOCCER #
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's SoccerEric Nichols Post-Practice Interview (Sept. 19, 2025)
Friday, September 19
Off The Pitch: Trace Terry (Sept. 18, 2025)
Friday, September 19
BGSU MSOC: USMNT GOAT (Lucas Kleimeyer)
Wednesday, September 17
Off The Pitch: Andrew Shaffer (Sept. 11, 2025)
Thursday, September 11