BGSU Begins October Slate with Tuesday Tussle vs. Titans

Tuesday, October 3

Detroit, Mich.

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Detroit Mercy

Mads Christensen v Bradley - Sept 23 2023

Photo by: Kemery Aichele, BGSU Athletics

October 02, 2023 | Men's Soccer

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Falcons head to the Motor City to commence three-match road swing

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BGSU at DETROIT MERCY
Tuesday, Oct. 3 | 7:00 p.m.
Titan Field | Detroit, Mich.
Video/Web Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: DetroitTitans.com

• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team wraps up non-conference play with a pair of road matches this week. The Falcons of head coach Eric Nichols begin the week's action with a Tuesday (Oct. 3) trip to Titan Field to face the University of Detroit Mercy. First touch is set for 7:00 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Tuesday's Detroit Mercy match will be streamed via ESPN+. Live stats and Twitter/X updates (@BGSUMSoccer), as always, will also be available.

• Links to any available live audio/video/stats for all 2023 matches can be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com on game day.

FAMILIAR FACES ON THE OTHER BENCH
• The Falcons will see a pair of familiar faces on the other bench on Tuesday night in the Motor City. UDM head coach Nate Kopunek is in his first season with the Titans after spending the previous four years as an assistant at BGSU. He helped the Falcons to a 37-23-10 record along with two trips to the NCAA Championships.

• Former BGSU goalkeeper Logan Kowalczyk is an assistant coach on Kopunek's staff. Kowalczyk had a 16-8-3 career record at BGSU, with a career goals-against average of just 0.83. He had an 0.59 GAA in Mid-American Conference matches during the 2020-21 campaign, helping the Falcons to a MAC regular-season championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

BRACE TERRY
• The Falcons ended the September schedule by scoring a combined seven goals in wins over Bradley (3-1, Sept. 23) and Evansville (4-2, Sept. 30). Sophomore Trace Terry had four of those goals, scoring twice in each game.

• Terry had a total of nine points in those two games, including the game-winning goal in each contest. With a team-leading 12 points this season, he has tripled his total for all of last year.

SENIOR NIGHT SUCCESS
• Saturday (Sept. 30) was Senior Night at Cochrane Stadium, with four members of the program – Daniel Cerezo, Josh Erlandson, Nathan Masters and Eli Shope – recognized prior to the match.

• The win over Evansville gives BGSU a 10-3-2 mark in Senior Day/Night matches since Eric Nichols became head coach. BG has won the last seven such games.

FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• The Falcons have an overall record of 5-3-2, and BGSU is 2-1-0 in Missouri Valley Conference action. After scoring nine goals over the first eight matches of the season, the Falcons have scored a combined seven goals over the last two matches, both wins (3-1 over Bradley, 4-2 over Evansville).

• Sophomore Trace Terry had a pair of goals, including the game winner with under eight minutes to go, in the win over the Braves. After Terry broke a 1-1 tie in the 83rd minute, freshman Jake Lane put the Falcons up by two just 1:36 later.

• Then, Terry had a five-point night in Saturday's win over UE. He assisted on Eli Shope's goal that opened the scoring, before netting the game's next two goals himself. Shope had a goal and an assist, with Andrew Shaffer also finding the back of the net for the Orange and Brown.

• Brendan Graves had nine saves vs. the Purple Aces, stopping a penalty kick in the first half.

• BGSU opened the 2023 campaign in thrilling fashion, posting a 3-2, come-from-behind win over Cleveland State (Aug. 24). Shaffer scored a pair of goals less than nine minutes apart to erase a second-half deficit.

• After a loss at Michigan State (Aug. 28), BGSU began a four-game unbeaten streak, battling Duquesne to a 2-2 draw on the road (Aug. 31). Kyle Cusimano and Rodrigo Montez Silva each found the back of the net and Graves made a career-high 10 saves vs. the Dukes.

• On Labor Day (Sept. 4), Cusimano opened the scoring with a diving header, and Shope scored the game-winning goal midway through the second half as the Falcons topped Michigan, 2-1, at Cochrane Stadium.

• The Falcons then played DePaul to a scoreless draw (Sept. 8) before picking up a 2-1, come-from-behind win over Northern Kentucky four days later (Sept. 12). Taylor Dyson converted a penalty kick late in the first half, and Jake Bergin scored the winning goal midway through the second.

• Nathan Masters was involved in the scoring of both BGSU goals vs. NKU. He was fouled in the box in the first half, leading to Dyson's PK, and he worked a nifty give-and-go with Bergin for what proved to be the GWG in the 71st minute.

• The Falcons suffered a 1-0 loss at Western Michigan (Sept. 16) in the first-ever MVC match for both teams. Graves tied his season and career high with 10 saves, including nine in the first half alone, vs. the Broncos. Then, BGSU lost, 3-0, at Wright State as the Raiders broke a scoreless tie late in the match.

• Bowling Green returned 11 letterwinners, including seven starters, from the 2022 team that went 6-5-5 overall and finished third in the Mid-American Conference with a 4-2-2 league ledger. Nichols and his staff have a whopping 14 newcomers on the 2023 roster.

• After 30 seasons of men's soccer in the MAC, BGSU entered the Missouri Valley Conference in 2023. BGSU and fellow MAC institutions Northern Illinois and Western Michigan joined the MVC, which also includes Belmont, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, UIC and Missouri State.

• The Falcons were picked to finish third in the MVC race in the 2023 season. Missouri State, the defending MVC regular-season and tournament champion, was picked to win the league title in 2023, with WMU tabbed for second.

• A pair of Falcons – Graves and Alberto Anaya – were named to the Preseason All-MVC Team.

INDIVIDUALLY...
• Entering the UDM match, the Falcons have scored 16 goals while allowing 16 this fall. A pair of sophomores lead the way offensively, as Trace Terry and Andrew Shaffer are BGSU's top-two scorers. Terry, after scoring nine points over the last two matches, has 12 points on a team-high four goals and four assists. He is tied for the team lead in the latter category. Terry has tripled his point total for all of last season.

• Shaffer has matched his 2022 totals with three goals and two assists for eight points. Eli Shope also has three goals, and ranks third on the team with seven points, while Kyle Cusimano and Alberto Anaya each have four points. Anaya has four assists to tie Terry for the team lead in that category.

• Four Falcons – Rodrigo Montez Silva, Taylor Dyson, Jake Bergin and Jake Lane – each have found the back of the net once this year.

• Anaya is the Falcons' top returning scorer from a year ago. He had 10 points on three goals and four assists in 2022, despite missing four of BG's 16 matches due to injury. Shaffer had eight points and Josh Erlandson seven last season, with each player scoring three goals.

• Brendan Graves has played all 10 matches in goal this season, and has 56 saves, one shutout and a goals-against average of 1.60.

• Graves has played every second of the Falcons' last 32 matches – a total of 2,900 minutes. No other BGSU player has been between the posts since Oct. 22, 2021.

• A total of 18 different Falcons have started at least one match this season. Only four players – Graves, Terry, Kyle Blasingame and Mads Christensen – have been in the Starting XI for all 10 contests.

• Graves, as mentioned, has played every second so far this season. Blasingame leads the field players in minutes played, having been on the pitch for 846 of the 810 total minutes. Christensen (745), Montez Silva (733), Nathan Masters (722) and Shope (715) each have played over 700 minutes so far this year.

THE OPPONENT
• Detroit Mercy is 3-6-1 overall, and the Titans are 2-1-1 in Horizon League play. UDM is undefeated in the last four matches after an 0-6-0 start to the season. The Titans have posted wins over Cleveland State, Eastern Illinois and Northern Kentucky before playing IUPUI to a 2-2 draw on Saturday (Sept. 30). Individually, Tim Allos leads a balanced attack with two goals and five points, while Casey McCarthy also has two goals this year. In goal, Quinn Tews has made seven starts and has 22 saves, one shutout and a 2.05 GAA. Former BGSU assistant Nate Kopunek is in his first season as the Titans' head coach. UDM went 4-7-6 overall and 3-2-4 in HL play a year ago.

THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Detroit Mercy, 19-8-2, in the all-time series, and BGSU has won the last three meetings. Two years ago (Sept. 21, 2021), the Falcons picked up a 2-0 win at Cochrane Stadium. BG's last trip to the Motor City resulted in a 1-0 win four years ago (Oct. 1, 2019). The Falcons are 9-4-1 at home and 10-4-1 on the road against the Titans over the years.

UP NEXT
• Following the UDM match, the Falcons will wrap up the non-conference schedule with a Saturday (Oct. 7) matchup at Maryland. First touch is set for 7:00 p.m. at Ludwig Field, and the match will be streamed via Big Ten Network +.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• For more information on the BGSU men's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUMSoccer), Instagram (bgfalcons and bgsumsoccer) and Facebook (BGMensSoccer) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.