#17/24 Falcons Derail Detroit Mercy, 2-0

Tuesday, September 21

Bowling Green, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

6-1-1, 0-0-0

Detroit Mercy

1-3-2, 0-1-0

Detroit Mercy

Bowling Green

Jacob Erlandson had a goal & an assist for the nationally-ranked Falcons

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

September 21, 2021 | Men's Soccer

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Erlandson has three-point night, Fernandez Garrido scores for third-straight game

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team, playing as a nationally-ranked club for the first time this season, got a goal in each half en route to a 2-0 win over the University of Detroit Mercy Tuesday night (Sept. 21). The non-conference contest was held at Cochrane Stadium.

Roberto Fernandez Garrido and Jacob Erlandson scored the goals for the Falcons (now 6-1-1), who are ranked 17th in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches poll released earlier on Tuesday. BG is ranked 24th by College Soccer News this week.

Erlandson had a three-point night, with the primary assist on Fernandez Garrido's first-half goal. The senior then converted a second-half penalty kick to double the lead.

Fernandez Garrido's goal was his fourth of the season. He found the back of the net for the third consecutive match and the fourth time in the last five contests.

After controlling the ball for roughly 63 percent of Friday night's match vs. then #13/17 FIU, the Falcons enjoyed approximately 61% of the possession against the Titans, who drop to 1-3-2 on the season.

Logan Kowalczyk made two saves to earn his sixth shutout in eight matches this season.

NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• With six shutouts in this season's eight matches, the Falcons have topped the total for all of last season. BGSU kept five clean sheets in 13 contests in the spring.
• Logan Kowalczyk now has 11 shutouts in 20 career starts as a Falcon.

QUOTING COACH NICHOLS
"I'm really proud of our approach to the game tonight. No matter who we played after the big win (against FIU), there would be a tendency to let down. The guys were able to regroup after that win, and they were excited about tonight's challenge. Detroit is a very difficult team to play, and our games with them have always been very tight and down to the wire. I was impressed with our approach all the way through."

HOW IT HAPPENED
• BGSU took the lead in the 28th minute, and that goal – by Roberto Fernandez Garrido – proved to be the winner. Kyle Cusimano took a long throw-in from the left side of the field. Jacob Erlandson got his head on the ball, flicking it behind him and across the six-yard box. The ball glanced off of the head of a defender before Fernandez Garrido sent it into the left side of the net with a nifty half-volley.
• With just under eight minutes left before the half, Jake Bergin played a ball ahead to Cusimano, who in turn slid a quick pass toward Fernandez Garrido in the middle of the park. Fernandez Garrido's one-time return pass was a through ball that split a pair of defenders. For a moment, it looked as if one of those Detroit Mercy backliners would beat Cusimano to the ball, but the BG sophomore got there first with a sliding effort, putting a shot on frame. But, Titan goalkeeper Jonathan Kliewer was able to parry the shot and corral the rebound.
• Just over two minutes later, the Titans threatened at the other end of the pitch. After a throw-in, an entry ball by Ryan Halloran found the head of a teammate. That Titan headed it toward the six-yard box, where Daniel Iyok got his head on the ball. But, the shot from the six-yard line was hit directly at Logan Kowalczyk, who made the stop.
• Early in the second half, the Falcons' relentless pressure led to a steal by Kale Nichols. Nichols won a challenge, made several moves to free up some space, then fired a shot from approximately 12 yards out. Kliewer was able to block that shot with a diving effort, and a lunging defender got a piece of Nichols' follow-up try, deflecting the ball over the bar. Off of the ensuing corner kick, Erlandson's header was on target, but grabbed by Kliewer.
• In the 56th minute, Zach Buescher won the ball and found Michael Montemurri going forward on the left side. Montemurri spotted Alberto Anaya near the top of the circle, and Anaya slid a pass through to the onrushing Sergi Martinez. As he attempted to poke the ball past Kliewer, Martinez was tripped by the Detroit Mercy 'keeper, and a penalty kick was awarded. Erlandson converted that PK to give the hosts a two-goal lead.
• Several minutes later, the Titans got a pair of shots by Samory Powder, but each time, the ball was blocked out of play for a corner kick. UDM had three corners within roughly a minute, but the BG defense kept the visitors off of the scoreboard.
• Midway through the second half, the Falcons came very close to making it a three-goal game. Joey Akpunonu and Fernandez Garrido worked a combination play on the right side. Fernandez Garrido played a cross that was headed by a defender, but Cusimano settled the ball and quickly put it across the six-yard box. Nichols got a boot on the ball in traffic, and as he was taken to the ground, he slid the ball to his left. Buescher met the ball on the left side of the six-yard box near the goal line, and attempted to play it back across, but his shot/cross was blocked by a defender and the Titans were able to clear.
• The Falcons put the ball in the net with just over 12 minutes to go, but the play was nullified due to an offside call. Nathan Masters hit a nifty cross from the left side, and Martinez was near the far post and drove it home. But, the goal did not count and it remained a two-score game.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Falcons had advantages of 19-12 in total shot attempts, 7-2 in shots on goal and 7-5 in corner kicks.
• A total of 12 different BGSU players took at least one shot, with only one of those 12 attempting more than two (Roberto Fernandez Garrido, three).
• Samory Powder took a game-high four shots for the Titans.
• Logan Kowalczyk had two saves en route to his sixth shutout in eight matches this season. Kowalczyk now has 11 clean sheets in 20 career starts.
• Fernandez Garrido scored a goal for the third-straight game and for the third time in five matches. Tuesday night's marker was his first game-winning goal as a Falcon.
• Jacob Erlandson now has 14 points in 20 matches as a Falcon, on five goals and four assists. The three-point contest was his first in a BG uniform.
• Kyle Cusimano recorded his team-leading fifth assist of the year. He now has seven points this season and 12 career points in 21 matches with the Falcons.
• The Falcons have a record of 31-15-5 over the last 51 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 11-1-2 in the last 14 matches at Cochrane Stadium. Prior to last Tuesday night, eight-straight home games had been decided by one goal or fewer, with six of those contests requiring overtime. But, BG now has won three consecutive multiple-goal games at home, downing Wright State (3-0), FIU (2-0) and Detroit Mercy in an eight-day span.
• BGSU is now 12-3-2 at home over the last two-plus seasons, having outscored the opponents by a 30-10 count during that time.
• And, the Falcons are 24-7-10 at Cochrane since the start of the 2016 season and 36-11-11 since the beginning of the 2014 campaign.
• The Falcons have outscored the opposition at Cochrane, 111-42, dating to the final home game of the 2013 season.
• BGSU is 6-0-0 this season, and 71-8-6 in the Eric Nichols Era, when scoring two or more goals in a match.

Gallery: (9-21-2021) M.Soccer v Detroit Mercy - Sept 21 2021

UP NEXT
• The Falcons end the month of September with a pair of road matches. BG will head to Western New York for a Friday (Sept. 24) match vs. Canisius. That contest is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.
• Then, the Brown and Orange will meet Ohio State in Columbus next Wednesday night, Sept. 29.

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.