Offensive Onslaught Overpowers Oakland, 6-0

Friday, September 23

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

2-2-3, 0-0-0

Oakland

0-6-2, 0-0-1

Oakland

Bowling Green

Photo by: Larry Clapper

September 23, 2022 | Men's Soccer

Box Score BGSU-OU Stats Photo Gallery

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team was firing on all cylinders Friday night (Sept. 23), scoring three times in each half en route to a 6-0 win over Oakland University. The non-conference matchup was held at Cochrane Stadium.

Alberto Anaya had a monster night for the Falcons (2-2-3), as he was involved in the scoring of five of BG's six goals. Anaya scored the first two goals of the contest, just 2:23 apart, and had assists on each of BGSU's three second-half goals.

Sergi Martinez had a goal and an assist on the night, and was fouled in the penalty area to set up another Falcon goal.

Joey Akpunonu blasted home a penalty kick after Martinez was taken down in the box, and Josh Erlandson, Martinez and Andrew Shaffer found the back of the net in the second half. The goals by Erlandson and Martinez came just 2:02 apart.

Erlandson's goal was his first as a Falcon, while Shaffer, a freshman, scored his first collegiate goal.

The Falcons had a 29-8 lead in shot attempts, with an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal. Brendan Graves made three saves in goal, and the Falcons also had a 'team save' as Akpunonu headed a second-half Oakland shot away from the goalmouth.

Michael Sly Jr. made five saves in just under 74 minutes of time for the Golden Grizzlies (0-6-2), while Aiden Smith played the final 16:03 and did not face a shot on goal.

NOTE(S) OF THE NIGHT
• The Falcons' six-goal output was the team's highest in over eight years, since an 8-0 win over Findlay at Cochrane on Sept. 2, 2014.
• Alberto Anaya's total of seven points vs. the Golden Grizzlies was the highest by a Falcon since that same Findlay match, when Pat Flynn tied the school record with 11 points on five goals and one assist.
• Anaya became the first Falcon with three assists in a match in nearly nine years, since Danny Baraldi had three helpers against Purdue Fort Wayne (then IPFW) on Nov. 5, 2013.
• Anaya fell just one assist short of tying the school single-game record. Brian Ferguson had four assists in a win over Eastern Michigan on Sept. 20, 1989

HIGHLIGHTS
• After scoring three second-half goals in last weekend's win at Air Force, the Falcons came out firing on Friday night. BGSU had five shot attempts in the first 15 minutes. After Nathan Masters was fouled on the left side of the field, Alberto Anaya's free kick found Kyle Cusimano in the box. Cusimano's shot hit the upper-left corner of the woodwork, where the post meets the crossbar, with just under 10 minutes gone.
• Anaya opened the scoring almost exactly midway through the first half. After another Oakland foul, this time outside the box in the center of the field, Anaya took the ensuing free kick. His shot hit the wall and floated back toward Anaya. The sophomore volleyed the ball out of the air, and OU goalkeeper Michael Sly Jr. could only watch it whiz past him and into the net.
• Anaya found the net again just 2:23 later. Masters set up the play, beating his defender as he took the ball to the end line and into the penalty area on the left side. Masters threaded a pass through traffic to the onrushing Anaya, who turned it into the net from six yards out.
• Late in the half, Sergi Martinez was fouled in the penalty area, as Sly took him down after he received a pass from Jake Bergin. A penalty kick was awarded, and Joey Akpunonu stepped up and blasted that kick into the net for the Falcons' third goal.
• BGSU added to the lead in the 55th minute. Anaya's corner kick sailed into the danger zone, and Jake Erlandson rose up to get his head on the ball and nod it past Sly.
• Then, just 2:02 later, BGSU scored again. Sly made a difficult save on a Kale Nichols shot, and the Grizzzlies looked to clear the ball out of their own end. But, Amer Dedic stepped up and won the ball, knocking it ahead to Anaya quickly found Martinez heading into the box, and Martinez put the ball over the OU 'keeper with a shot that was just slightly reminiscent of the Crane Kick from the original Karate Kid movie (1984).
• BGSU capped the scoring in the 70th minute. After a foul on the visitors, Anaya took the ensuing free kick. He quickly slid the ball ahead to Martinez, who hit a one-timer from the left side that found an open Andrew Shaffer on the far side of the six-yard box. Shaffer settled the ball and deposited it into the net for his first collegiate goal.
• The Grizzlies looked to spoil the shutout, but Brendan Graves made a save on a Diego Perez shot with eight minutes remaining, and Akpunonu headed a Dylan Wismont effort away from the goal with 6:42 to go.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• Prior to Friday night, BGSU had neither scored nor allowed a first-half goal. Each of the Falcons' first six matches of the season was knotted up, 0-0, at the half. But, the Orange and Brown found the back of the net three times before halftime against Oakland.
• As mentioned earlier, BGSU's total of six goals was the Falcons' highest in over eight years, and Alberto Anaya's seven points was the highest total by a BG player in that same amount of time.
• In addition to falling just one assist shy of the school single-game record, Anaya had the first two-goal game by a Falcon in just under four years. Tate Robertson scored twice in a win over Valparaiso on Sept. 29, 2018.
• After scoring just one goal in the first five matches of the season, BGSU has scored nine in the last two games. The Falcons have scored three goals in each of the last three halves.
• Brendan Graves picked up his third shutout of the season. Graves has kept five clean sheets in 14 career starts.
• Alberto Anaya scored the game-winning goal for the second consecutive contest. Anaya, who recorded the winner last weekend at Air Force, now has five career GWG.
• Anaya now has 23 career points in 27 matches with the Falcons. He has totals of eight goals and seven assists in his young career.
• Friday's winner marked the first time Anaya has scored a GWG at Cochrane Stadium. His other four winners came on the road in 2021 victories at Gonzaga, Cleveland State and Oakland, in addition to last weekend's Air Force match.
• Sergi Martinez now has five goals, seven assists and 17 points since coming to BGSU prior to the 2021 season. The Hartford transfer has collegiate totals of 11 goals, 14 assists and 36 points.
• Both Anaya and Martinez scored a goal for the second consecutive match.
• Joey Akpunonu scored his second goal of the season and the fourth of his career.
• At the other end of the pitch, Akpunonu has accounted for three 'team saves' in the last two matches.
• Josh Erlandson scored his first goal as a Falcon on Friday night, heading home an Anaya corner kick.
• Freshman Andrew Shaffer scored his first collegiate goal in Friday's win.
• Freshman Amer Dedic picked up the first point of his collegiate career with an assist on the Martinez goal.
• Nathan Masters recorded his ninth career assist in the win. He now has 19 career points as a Falcon.
• Kyle Blasingame made his BGSU debut on Friday evening, playing 24 minutes off the bench.
• BGSU is now 77-9-6 when scoring two or more goals in a match in the Eric Nichols Era.
• The Falcons have a record of 38-22-10 over the last 70 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Fourteen of the 22 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.

Gallery: (9-23-2022) MSOC v Oakland 092322 - Larry Clapper

UP NEXT
• BGSU opens Mid-American Conference play by hosting Western Michigan on Tuesday (Sept. 27). That match is set for a 7:00 p.m. start at Cochrane.

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.