Falcons Light Up the Scoreboard in Dominant Season-Ending Performance

Sunday, November 6

Bowling Green, Ohio

6:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

6-5-5, 4-2-2

Northern Illinois

5-8-4, 2-5-1

NIU

Bowling Green

Kale Nichols (12) scored the game-winning goal in his final collegiate contest

Kale Nichols (12) scored what would prove to be the GWG in his final game as a Falcon

Photo by: Larry Clapper

Falcons Light Up the Scoreboard in Dominant Season-Ending Performance

November 06, 2022 | Men's Soccer

Box Score BGSU-NIU Stats

BGSU Decimates NIU, 6-0, in Sunday Night Masterclass at Cochrane

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team was dominant from start to finish Sunday night (Nov. 6), ending the season by drubbing Northern Illinois University, 6-0. The Mid-American Conference masterclass took place at Cochrane Stadium.

The Falcons (6-5-5, 4-2-2 MAC) scored three times in each half, and got goals from five different players. BGSU ends the season in third place in the MAC standings.

The Huskies (5-8-4, 2-5-1 MAC) already trailed by three goals late in the first half, before a pair of red cards less than four minutes apart reduced NIU to nine men for the rest of the match. Northern ends the season in fourth place in the five-team conference.

Sergi Martinez had two goals and two assists vs. the Huskies, with Kale Nichols, Joey Akpunonu, Nathan Masters and Trace Terry also finding the back of the net.

BGSU's goal total was the Falcons' highest in a MAC match in over a quarter century.

At the other end of the pitch, Brendan Graves made two saves to earn his seventh shutout in 16 matches this season.

NOTE OF THE NIGHT: DEFENSE!
• The 2022 Falcons set a school record for fewest goals allowed in a season, surrendering just 10 in 16 matches.
• BG's goals-against average of 0.63 was the second-lowest in school history, and the lowest since 1991 (0.57; Greg Murphy [1489 minutes in goal] and Kevin Hughes [400 minutes]).
• Brendan Graves played every second between the posts this season. His GAA of 0.63 was the lowest since 1995 (when BGSU Hall-of-Famer Scott Vallow had a school record-low 0.52 GAA) and the third lowest in the 'modern' era (since 1980).

BONUS NOTE OF THE NIGHT: OFFENSE!
• The Falcons scored six goals in a MAC match for the first time in over 25 years, since a 7-0 home victory over Miami on Oct. 12, 1997.
• BGSU posted a pair of 6-0 wins this season, as the Falcons downed Oakland by an identical score at Cochrane Stadium on Sept. 23.
• The 2022 season marked the first time BG had multiple six-goal games since 1996. That year, the Falcons actually scored eight goals twice in the same weekend, downing Dayton (8-1; Nov. 1, 1996) and Western Michigan (8-0; Nov. 3, 1996) in back-to-back contests at Cochrane.

"SportsCenter Top 10, here comes Nathan Masters!" @SportsCenter @espn @ESPNSCTop10 #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/0nf9mWcPvc
— BGSU Men's Soccer (@BGSUmenssoccer) November 7, 2022

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Huskies actually took the first two shots of the match, including a hard shot off the boot of Miguel Maynez Jr. that BGSU goalkeeper Brendan Graves grabbed out of the air. After that, however, it was the Falcons peppering a pair of NIU 'keepers with shots for the bulk of the remaining 86 minutes.
• With just under 15 minutes gone, Kale Nichols took a pass from Nathan Masters and blasted a shot from the 18-yard line, but Martin Sanchez made a nice diving save for the Huskies. Nichols was first to the rebound and hit another hard shot, this time from the left side of the box. But, Sanchez was there to make another quick reaction save.
• Three minutes later, however, Nichols and the Falcons got on the scoreboard. Sergi Martinez took a corner kick, and Nichols ran onto the ball just inside the 18, hitting a volley just before the ball hit the ground. The one-timer found the lower-right-hand corner of the net, for what would prove to be the game-winning goal. That goal came at the 18:48 mark.
• BGSU doubled the lead in the 36th minute. After a foul on the Huskies, Masters took the ensuing free kick and hit a diagonal ball into the center of the penalty area. Sanchez came off of his line, but Joey Akpunonu was first to the ball, heading it over the NIU 'keeper and into the net for a 2-0 Falcon lead.
• Then, just 1:24 after Akpunonu scored, a Masters golazo made it a three-goal margin. Masters had originally played a cross from the left side, and the ball found Andrew Shaffer in the box near the right side of the goal. Shaffer controlled the ball, made several moves to create space and crossed the ball back to Masters. Masters hit a spectacular volley out of the air, and Sanchez had no chance – in his defense, no mere mortal would have had a chance – as the ball rocketed into the far-side netting.
• With 4:18 left in the opening half, NIU's Adrian Corona was given a yellow card for a hard foul on Nichols. It was his second yellow of the match, meaning Northern would have to play a man down.
• And, in the final minute of the half, the Huskies went down to nine men as, in the aftermath of a foul by Adrian Lara near midfield, Zachariah Thomas was shown a straight red.
• Seven minutes into the second half, Akpunonu played a long ball forward, and Martinez, Masters and an NIU defender vied for the ball. One of the trio, and it appeared to be Martinez, got a boot on the ball and put it past Sanchez, but off of the far post.
• But, Martinez would find the net not once, but twice in the second half. His first goal came at the 61:09 mark. After Alberto Anaya was fouled approximately 35 yards from goal, he played a quick free kick just as Martinez broke past the NIU back line. Anaya's low ball bounced twice before Martinez, just inside the 18, hit a left-footed shot across his body. The hard, dipping shot went over NIU substitute goalkeeper Jakub Rojek and just under the crossbar.
• Just over six minutes later, Martinez scored again. Jensen Lukacsko played a diagonal ball into the center of the box, and Martinez was flattened by a defender as the ball reached him. A penalty kick was awarded, and Martinez made no mistake, netting his second goal of the night.
• BG's final goal came in the final minute of the match. In his last contest in a Falcon uniform, Lukacsko took a throw-in, and received a return pass. The fifth-year Falcon played a cross into the penalty area from the right side, and a Martinez flick-on sent the ball to Trace Terry. Terry's half-volley from just outside the six-yard box gave the home team their sixth goal of the night.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• BGSU had advantages of 20-9 in total shot attempts, 11-2 in shots on goal and 7-0 in corner kicks in the win.
• NIU played the final 45-plus minutes with nine men. But, while the teams were 11v11, BG had margins of 8-6 in shots, 5-2 in shots on goal and 4-0 in corners, along with a 3-0 lead.
• Brendan Graves made two saves in goal for the Falcons en route to the shutout win, while Martin Sanchez had three saves and Jakub Rojek two for the Huskies. Each NIU 'keeper allowed three goals.
• Graves and the Falcons had seven shutouts in 16 matches this season.
• BG allowed just one first-half goal all year.
• The Falcons outscored the opponents, 9-1, in the first half in 2022, and BG has now held the opponent scoreless in the first half in 16 of the last 17 matches, dating to last November.
• Jensen Lukacsko played in the 87th match of his BGSU career on Sunday night, tying the school record set last season by Zach Buescher (2017-21).
• Lukacsko made 84 career starts as a Falcon, tying him for third place with Chris Dore (84 starts from 1996-99) on that list. Buescher holds that record as well, with 87.
• Sergi Martinez had the first two-goal match of his career on Sunday evening, and also set a career best with six points. The two-assist contest was his third as a Falcon.
• Martinez led the Falcons in scoring in 2022, with 18 points. He had a team-high eight assists and finished second in goals, with five.
• Martinez, in his second season with BGSU after transferring from Hartford, totaled 30 points on eight goals and 14 assists as a Falcon. In his collegiate career, he had 49 points on 14 goals and 21 assists.
• Joey Akpunonu scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season. He wound up second on the squad with 12 points in 2022.
• Akpunonu now has career totals of eight goals and 19 points.
• Lukacsko assisted on a BGSU goal in the final minute of his final career match. The assist was his second of the season and the ninth of his career.
• Nathan Masters scored his first goal of the season and the sixth of his Falcon career. He also had an assist, his third of the year. Masters now has career totals of 23 points on the six goals and 11 assists.
• For Masters, the three-point match tied his career best. He also had three points in BGSU's win over Georgia Southern last season.
• Kale Nichols also scored his first goal of the season on Sunday night. Nichols finished his career with 21 points on seven goals and seven assists.
• For Nichols, four of the seven goals – including Sunday's goal – were game winners.
• Alberto Anaya picked up his fourth assist of the season and the eighth of his BG career. The sophomore had 10 points in 12 matches this fall, and has 24 career points in 32 career contests.
• Freshman Andrew Shaffer had an assist in the win, and ended his first year as a Falcon with eight points on three goals and a pair of helpers.
• Another freshman, Trace Terry, scored his second career goal. He had goals in each of BGSU's last two home matches, wins over Chicago State (Oct. 21) and NIU.
• Graves, as mentioned, had seven shutouts this season. He now has nine clean sheets in 23 career starts.
• Graves had a GAA of just 0.63 this season, the lowest by a BGSU goalkeeper since 1995. He has a career GAA of 0.95 in 2090 minutes played.
• Graves had a GAA fo 0.63 both in and out of conference play this fall. He allowed five goals (one on a penalty kick) in eight non-league matches in 2022. And, he allowed just five goals (one on a PK) in eight MAC contests in '22.
• Gaetano D'Argento made his second start of the season, and the second of his Falcon career, on Sunday night.
• Brevin Andreadis made his Falcon debut, playing the final 15:53 of the match.
• The Falcons now have a record of 42-25-12 over the last 79 games, dating to midway through the 2018 season. Sixteen of the 25 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.

UP NEXT
• The win over NIU was BGSU's final match of the 2022 season.

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.