Bowling Green State University Athletics
Friday, September 24
Buffalo, NY
4:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
at
Canisius
Joey Akpunonu & the #17/24 Falcons hit the road for the final two matches of September
Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics
What To Watch For: #17/24 Falcons Return to Road, Face Canisius Friday
September 23, 2021 | Men's Soccer
#17/24 FALCONS at CANISIUS – Friday, September 24
4:00 p.m. | Demske Sports Complex | Buffalo, N.Y.
• Video/Web Stream: ESPN+ •
• Live Stats: GoGriffs.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer •
#17/24 FALCONS at OHIO STATE – Wednesday, September 29
7:00 p.m. | Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium | Columbus, Ohio
• Video/Web Stream: Big Ten Network + •
• Live Stats: OhioStateBuckeyes.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer •
WHAT TO WATCH FOR...
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team, having won three consecutive home matches, hits the road to end the month of September. Head coach Eric Nichols and the defending Mid-American Conference champions head to Buffalo for a Friday (Sept. 24) matchup with Canisius. First touch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at the Demske Sports Complex.
• Then, the nationally-ranked Falcons will face Ohio State in Columbus on Wednesday evening (Sept. 29), in a 7:00 p.m. kickoff at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• The Canisius match is scheduled to be streamed via ESPN+, and the OSU contest will be aired via Big Ten 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 can be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com (on the men's soccer schedule page as well as at the top of the main page) on game day.
• Admission is free to all home regular-season matches.
BG BREAKS INTO THE RANKINGS
• For the first time in two years, the Falcons have broken into the top-25. On Monday, BGSU checked into the College Soccer News poll at No. 24. The following day, the Falcons were ranked No. 17 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
• BGSU had been ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches North Region for several weeks, and moved up to third in this week's poll.
NICHOLS EARNS 100TH BGSU WIN
• Friday's (Sept. 17) win over then #13/17 FIU was the Falcons' 100th win since Eric Nichols took the helm. Nichols now has a 101-95-32 record since coming to BG prior to the 2009 season. There have been only five head coaches in the history of the BGSU program, which is now in its 57th season. Nichols is the third of those five coaches to reach the 100-win mark. He joins Gary Palmisano (172 wins at BGSU) and Mel Mahler (111) on that list.
FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• The Falcons are 6-1-1 on the season, and BGSU has won three-straight matches. After battling IUPUI to a scoreless draw in the season opener at Cochrane, BG went on the road and won three consecutive matches. Those victories came against Gonzaga (2-1 in OT), Cleveland State (3-0) and Michigan State (also 3-0).
• Then #6/7 Marshall got a goal with just 93 seconds left in the second half as the defending national champions downed the Falcons, 1-0, on Sept. 11. But, the Orange and Brown bounced back with three shutout wins, downing Wright State by a 3-0 score before posting 2-0 victories vs. FIU and Detroit Mercy.
• BGSU led by two goals on only one occasion during all of last season, and the Falcons never led by three (BG took a 2-0 lead against Syracuse [Feb. 23, 2021] before winning by a 2-1 final). But, BG has now led – and won – by two or more goals in five of the last six matches.
• BGSU scored as many as two goals in a match only three times in 13 games in the spring. But, the Falcons have scored two or more goals six times in eight matches this season to date.
• The Falcons have recorded three three-goal games this year after doing so only once in those 13 spring matches.
• BGSU is now 71-8-6 when scoring two or more goals in a match in the Eric Nichols Era.
• BG is 3-1-1 at home and a perfect 3-0-0 on the road, and the Falcons have topped the road win total for all of last season. BGSU has outscored opponents by an 15-2 count this season.
• Sergi Martinez leads the Falcons with nine points on the season, while Roberto Fernandez Garrido has eight and Kyle Cusimano seven. Martinez has three goals and three assists on the season, and found the back of the net against both Wright State and FIU last week. He was named to multiple national teams of the week, and was chosen as the United Soccer Coaches Division I Player of the Week on Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 22).
• Fernandez Garrido has a team-leading four goals, and has come off the bench to score a goal in each of the Falcons' last three matches. Cusimano's seven points include a BG-best five assists.
• Jacob Erlandson has six points after recording a goal and an assist vs. UDM, while Nathan Masters has five points and Alberto Anaya four. Anaya scored the GWG in back-to-back road victories, vs. Gonzaga and CSU.
• Logan Kowalczyk has played every second between the posts this fall, and has allowed just two goals to date. He has six shutouts and a goals-against average of just 0.24. Kowalczyk has kept 11 clean sheets in 20 career starts at BGSU.
• Entering the Canisius contest, the Falcons have an overall record of 31-15-5 over the last 51 games, dating to late in the 2018 season. Eleven of the 15 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.
CAPTAINS
• Zach Buescher, Jacob Erlandson and Jensen Lukacsko are the captains of the 2021 Falcons.
THE OPPONENTS
• Canisius enters Friday's match with an overall record of 0-4-2. The Golden Griffins have tied Utah Valley and St. Bonaventure and suffered a pair of one-goal losses this season, including a 2-1 setback to Saint Francis on Sunday. Alessio Atzori leads the Griffs with two goals and four points. William Howard has made four starts in goal and has 25 saves and a 2.81 GAA.
• Ohio State is 3-3-1 on the season, heading into a Friday match vs. Maryland. The Buckeyes have won back-to-back matches, blanking Akron and Cleveland State. Laurence Wootton has team-leading totals of three goals and seven points, while Keagan McLaughlin has a GAA of just 0.77. McLaughlin has a pair of shutouts in five starts.
THE SERIES
• BGSU and Canisius are tied, 1-1-1, in the all-time series, with all three prior meetings coming at Cochrane Stadium. The Falcons and Griffs last met two years ago, with BGSU rallying from an early deficit for a 4-1 win (Sept. 28, 2019).
• The Falcons trail Ohio State, 25-18-4, in that series, and the Buckeyes are unbeaten in the last three meetings. OSU captured a 2-1 decision in Columbus two years ago (Sept. 13, 2019), after the teams battled to a 1-1 draw the previous year. BGSU's last series win was a 2-0 triumph at Cochrane Stadium in 2016.
UP NEXT
• Following the OSU contest, the Falcons will return home to begin the Mid-American Conference schedule with two matches in a three-day span. BGSU will open league play by hosting Georgia State on Thursday, Oct. 7, with first touch set for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will meet Georgia Southern 48 hours later (Saturday, Oct. 9), in another 7:00 p.m. kickoff at Cochrane.
• BG then will hit the road for four matches, facing Northern Illinois (Oct. 16), Purdue Fort Wayne (Oct. 19), Akron (Oct. 23) and Oakland (Oct. 26).
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4:00 p.m. | Demske Sports Complex | Buffalo, N.Y.
• Video/Web Stream: ESPN+ •
• Live Stats: GoGriffs.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer •
#17/24 FALCONS at OHIO STATE – Wednesday, September 29
7:00 p.m. | Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium | Columbus, Ohio
• Video/Web Stream: Big Ten Network + •
• Live Stats: OhioStateBuckeyes.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer •
WHAT TO WATCH FOR...
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team, having won three consecutive home matches, hits the road to end the month of September. Head coach Eric Nichols and the defending Mid-American Conference champions head to Buffalo for a Friday (Sept. 24) matchup with Canisius. First touch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at the Demske Sports Complex.
• Then, the nationally-ranked Falcons will face Ohio State in Columbus on Wednesday evening (Sept. 29), in a 7:00 p.m. kickoff at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• The Canisius match is scheduled to be streamed via ESPN+, and the OSU contest will be aired via Big Ten 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 can be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com (on the men's soccer schedule page as well as at the top of the main page) on game day.
• Admission is free to all home regular-season matches.
BG BREAKS INTO THE RANKINGS
• For the first time in two years, the Falcons have broken into the top-25. On Monday, BGSU checked into the College Soccer News poll at No. 24. The following day, the Falcons were ranked No. 17 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
• BGSU had been ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches North Region for several weeks, and moved up to third in this week's poll.
NICHOLS EARNS 100TH BGSU WIN
• Friday's (Sept. 17) win over then #13/17 FIU was the Falcons' 100th win since Eric Nichols took the helm. Nichols now has a 101-95-32 record since coming to BG prior to the 2009 season. There have been only five head coaches in the history of the BGSU program, which is now in its 57th season. Nichols is the third of those five coaches to reach the 100-win mark. He joins Gary Palmisano (172 wins at BGSU) and Mel Mahler (111) on that list.
FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• The Falcons are 6-1-1 on the season, and BGSU has won three-straight matches. After battling IUPUI to a scoreless draw in the season opener at Cochrane, BG went on the road and won three consecutive matches. Those victories came against Gonzaga (2-1 in OT), Cleveland State (3-0) and Michigan State (also 3-0).
• Then #6/7 Marshall got a goal with just 93 seconds left in the second half as the defending national champions downed the Falcons, 1-0, on Sept. 11. But, the Orange and Brown bounced back with three shutout wins, downing Wright State by a 3-0 score before posting 2-0 victories vs. FIU and Detroit Mercy.
• BGSU led by two goals on only one occasion during all of last season, and the Falcons never led by three (BG took a 2-0 lead against Syracuse [Feb. 23, 2021] before winning by a 2-1 final). But, BG has now led – and won – by two or more goals in five of the last six matches.
• BGSU scored as many as two goals in a match only three times in 13 games in the spring. But, the Falcons have scored two or more goals six times in eight matches this season to date.
• The Falcons have recorded three three-goal games this year after doing so only once in those 13 spring matches.
• BGSU is now 71-8-6 when scoring two or more goals in a match in the Eric Nichols Era.
• BG is 3-1-1 at home and a perfect 3-0-0 on the road, and the Falcons have topped the road win total for all of last season. BGSU has outscored opponents by an 15-2 count this season.
• Sergi Martinez leads the Falcons with nine points on the season, while Roberto Fernandez Garrido has eight and Kyle Cusimano seven. Martinez has three goals and three assists on the season, and found the back of the net against both Wright State and FIU last week. He was named to multiple national teams of the week, and was chosen as the United Soccer Coaches Division I Player of the Week on Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 22).
• Fernandez Garrido has a team-leading four goals, and has come off the bench to score a goal in each of the Falcons' last three matches. Cusimano's seven points include a BG-best five assists.
• Jacob Erlandson has six points after recording a goal and an assist vs. UDM, while Nathan Masters has five points and Alberto Anaya four. Anaya scored the GWG in back-to-back road victories, vs. Gonzaga and CSU.
• Logan Kowalczyk has played every second between the posts this fall, and has allowed just two goals to date. He has six shutouts and a goals-against average of just 0.24. Kowalczyk has kept 11 clean sheets in 20 career starts at BGSU.
• Entering the Canisius contest, the Falcons have an overall record of 31-15-5 over the last 51 games, dating to late in the 2018 season. Eleven of the 15 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.
CAPTAINS
• Zach Buescher, Jacob Erlandson and Jensen Lukacsko are the captains of the 2021 Falcons.
THE OPPONENTS
• Canisius enters Friday's match with an overall record of 0-4-2. The Golden Griffins have tied Utah Valley and St. Bonaventure and suffered a pair of one-goal losses this season, including a 2-1 setback to Saint Francis on Sunday. Alessio Atzori leads the Griffs with two goals and four points. William Howard has made four starts in goal and has 25 saves and a 2.81 GAA.
• Ohio State is 3-3-1 on the season, heading into a Friday match vs. Maryland. The Buckeyes have won back-to-back matches, blanking Akron and Cleveland State. Laurence Wootton has team-leading totals of three goals and seven points, while Keagan McLaughlin has a GAA of just 0.77. McLaughlin has a pair of shutouts in five starts.
THE SERIES
• BGSU and Canisius are tied, 1-1-1, in the all-time series, with all three prior meetings coming at Cochrane Stadium. The Falcons and Griffs last met two years ago, with BGSU rallying from an early deficit for a 4-1 win (Sept. 28, 2019).
• The Falcons trail Ohio State, 25-18-4, in that series, and the Buckeyes are unbeaten in the last three meetings. OSU captured a 2-1 decision in Columbus two years ago (Sept. 13, 2019), after the teams battled to a 1-1 draw the previous year. BGSU's last series win was a 2-0 triumph at Cochrane Stadium in 2016.
UP NEXT
• Following the OSU contest, the Falcons will return home to begin the Mid-American Conference schedule with two matches in a three-day span. BGSU will open league play by hosting Georgia State on Thursday, Oct. 7, with first touch set for 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will meet Georgia Southern 48 hours later (Saturday, Oct. 9), in another 7:00 p.m. kickoff at Cochrane.
• BG then will hit the road for four matches, facing Northern Illinois (Oct. 16), Purdue Fort Wayne (Oct. 19), Akron (Oct. 23) and Oakland (Oct. 26).
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# BGSU FALCON SOCCER #
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