Falcons Shut Down Raiders, 3-0, to Keep I-75 Cup in BG

Tuesday, September 14

Bowling Green, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

4-1-1, 0-0-0

Wright State

1-4-0, 0-1-0

Wright St.

Bowling Green

Sergi Martinez (10) celebrates after scoring BG's third goal of the night, off of a pass from Zach Buescher (8)

Photo by: Stephen Linsky, BGSU Athletics

September 14, 2021 | Men's Soccer

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BGSU moves to 4-1-1 on season

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team took control early in Tuesday night's match, and the Falcons went on to post a 3-0 victory over Wright State University at Cochrane Stadium.

With the win, the Falcons (4-1-1) retain possession of the I-75 Cup, a traveling trophy that goes to the winner of the BGSU-WSU match.

Nathan Masters put the hosts on the board in the 14th minute of the match, and Roberto Fernandez Garrido doubled the lead with nearly 32 minutes gone. Sergi Martinez capped the scoring early in the second half, and Logan Kowalczyk made three saves to earn his fourth shutout in six matches this season.

NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• Tuesday's match marked the first men's soccer contest decided by more than one goal at Cochrane Stadium in nearly two years. The last multiple-goal decision in a BGSU home game was a 3-0 Falcon win over West Virginia on Oct. 26, 2019.
• Since that time, BGSU had posted five one-goal wins and played to a pair of scoreless ties at home, before dropping a 1-0 decision to defending national champion Marshall three days ago (Sept. 11).
• When Roberto Fernandez Garrido scored in the first half on Tuesday night, it was the first two-goal margin in a men's soccer match at Cochrane since that WVU contest.

QUOTING COACH NICHOLS
"It was great to go on top relatively early, but I was really impressed with the mentality of the group. They played the same whether it was 0-0, 1-0, 2-0 ... they just continued to try to get that next goal and keep the shutout. The mentality of the entire group tonight was very strong."

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons took the lead at the 13:31 mark. BGSU won a throw-in in the WSU end of the field, and Joey Akpunonu's throw sailed into the penalty area and bounced past several players, before Nathan Masters headed it into the upper left-hand corner of the net, giving BGSU the lead for good.
• BGSU's second goal came in the 32nd minute. Kyle Cusimano and Kale Nichols worked a combination play, and Cusimano slid a pass through several defenders to Nichols. Nichols, racing into the right side of the penalty area, took one touch and put a low cross into the path of the onrushing Roberto Fernandez Garrido. Fernandez Garrido's nifty one-time shot, taken from just inside the 18-yard line, curved away from diving WSU goalkeeper Harry Castella and found the left side of the net.
• BGSU dominated the early portion of the second half, with two corner kicks and four shots in the first eight minutes. With just over five minutes gone in the period, BG put the ball in the back of the net, as a Zach Buescher pass was redirected past Castella by Sergi Martinez, but the assistant referee's flag was up as the Falcons were offside.
• BG won the ball right back, and a Masters left-side cross was headed just over the bar by Cusimano. Again, the Falcons stole the ball, and this time a Jensen Lukacsko serve from the right side found Cusimano, but his sliding effort went just wide right.
• The Falcons' efforts paid off soon after, however, as Buescher and Cusimano teamed up for a give-and-go play down the right side of the field. Cusimano's return pass sent Buescher into the penalty area, and as he neared the end line, Buescher chipped the ball into the six-yard box, where Martinez knocked it home.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Falcons had advantages of 14-12 in total shot attempts and 6-3 in shots on goal.
• Logan Kowalczyk had three saves en route to his fourth shutout in six matches this season. Kowalczyk now has nine clean sheets in 18 career starts.
• Nathan Masters, Roberto Fernandez Garrido and Sergi Martinez each scored their second goal of the season.
• Masters picked up the first game-winning goal of his BGSU career.
• A total of 21 different players saw action for the Falcons, with all 21 playing at least 12 minutes.
• Marko Rimac made his BGSU debut in Tuesday's contest.
• BGSU is now 8-2-1 vs. Wright State since the inception of the I-75 Cup prior to the 2010 season.
• Overall, the Falcons have a record of 29-15-5 over the last 49 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Eleven of the 15 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.
• BGSU is now 9-1-2 in the last 12 matches at Cochrane Stadium. Prior to Tuesday night, eight-straight home games had been decided by one goal or fewer, with six of those contests requiring overtime.
• BGSU is now 10-3-2 at home over the last two-plus seasons, having outscored the opponents by a 26-10 count during that time.
• And, the Falcons are 22-7-10 at Cochrane since the start of the 2016 season and 34-11-11 since the beginning of the 2014 campaign.
• The Falcons have outscored the opposition at Cochrane, 107-42, dating to the final home game of the 2013 season.

Gallery: (9-14-2021) M.Soccer v Wright State - Sept 14 2021

UP NEXT
• The Falcons' season-long four-match homestand continues on Friday night (Sept. 17), as nationally-ranked FIU comes to town. That match, part of Alumni Weekend for the BGSU men's soccer program and Homecoming Weekend for the entire campus, will begin at 7:00 p.m.
• Then, the Brown and Orange will host Detroit Mercy next Tuesday night (Sept. 21). BGSU's next road match will be against Canisius on Friday afternoon, Sept. 24.

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.