Falcons Come Up Just Short in College Park

Saturday, October 7

College Park, Md.

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

5-4-3, 2-1-0

Maryland

2-6-2, 0-4-1

Bowling Green

Maryland

Photo by: Riley Rumbley/Maryland Terrapins

October 07, 2023 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)2023 Record Book (PDF)Support BGSU Men's Soccer In The Nest: Brendan Graves

BGSU falls, 1-0, at Maryland in final non-conference contest

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland scored on a counterattack late in the first half, and the Terrapins went on to post a 1-0 win over the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team Saturday night (Oct. 7). The non-conference match was held at Ludwig Field.

Stefan Copetti scored for the Terrapins (2-6-2 [0-4-1 Big Ten Conference]), converting on a breakaway in the 38th minute for the defending Big Ten champions.

The Falcons (5-4-3 [2-1-0 Missouri Valley Conference]) are now 1-2-0 against Big Ten opponents this season, and BGSU has a 3-3-3 mark against non-conference competition this fall.

Brendan Graves made five saves, including several impressive stops, on Saturday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• In the sixth minute of the match, the Terrapins took a corner kick. That corner found Stefan Copetti on the far side of the six-yard box. He headed the ball back across, and Mack DeVries headed a shot on frame, but Brendan Graves made the save.
• Ten minutes later, Mads Christensen played a long ball ahead, and Kyle Cusimano got his head on it. The flick-on found the onrushing Trace Terry, who poked the ball past Maryland goalkeeper Jamie Lowell. But, the flag was up, as the play was nullified due to an offside call.
• In the 17th minute, Eli Shope got through the Maryland defense, but Lowell was able to come off of his line and stop the shot. Two minutes later, Shope and Terry worked a quick give-and-go, but Shope's shot from the top of the box went just high.
• Graves made a nice save on Max Riley midway through the half, before Shope made his presence felt yet again. Alberto Anaya's bouncing ball put Shope past the defense on the right side, and Shope volleyed the ball on one bounce, but the shot was off target.
• Then, Shope made a nifty move to get through traffic on the right side. His low cross was knocked away just before it got to Terry on the six-yard line. Anthony Hernandez got the rebound and hit a quick shot, but it went over the target.
• Maryland got on the scoreboard in the 38th minute. Copetti stole the ball after a BGSU throw-in near midfield, and a teammate tapped the ball back to him as he raced past a Falcon defender. Copetti took the ball into the box and fired a hard shot that found the far side of the net.
•With three minutes left in the half, Christensen sent a long ball ahead, and a Terry flick-on sent the ball into the box. Shope was upended as he attempted to poke the ball over a charging Lowell. But, BGSU's pleas for a penalty kick went unheard, and a goal kick was awarded.
• Kyle Blasingame was fouled with 1:38 left in the half, and the ensuing free kick was headed out by a Maryland player for a corner kick. Off of that corner, the ball came out to Taylor Dyson, but his shot from distance sailed high.
• Early in the second half, Christensen blocked a shot off the boot of Kimani Stewart-Baynes. The ball was played back into the box, and Stewart-Baynes got his head on it, but Graves made the stop.
• Jake Bergin's pass found Anaya in traffic on the left side of the box in the 57th minute, and Anaya hit a curving shot, but the ball went wide of the far post.
• After Andrew Shaffer won a corner kick just past the hour mark, Cusimano got his head on a serve, but the shot was saved.
• BG had a good chance in the 66th minute, as a Cusimano cross found the head of the onrushing Kyle Blasingame on the far side. Blasingame's header was hit with force, but Lowell was able to make the stop.
• With 12 minutes to go, Graves made back-to-back saves on Matias de Jesus just under a minute apart.
• Two minutes later, Anaya received the ball as he worked from right to left across the top of the 18. He faked a shot to get a defender to go to the ground, then uncorked a hard shot that sailed high.
• In the 83rd minute, a diagonal ball by Dyson went just over the head of a leaping Terry in the box.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The announced attendance was 2,262. That marks the fifth-largest crowd for a road game in BGSU men's soccer history (records since 1997).
• Maryland had a slim 8-7 advantage in total shots, and the Terps had a 6-3 lead in shots on goal. Brendan Graves made five saves for the Falcons, with Jamie Lowell making three stops for the hosts.
• A total of seven Falcons played all 90 minutes of the match. In addition to Graves, that list included Kyle Blasingame, Mads Christensen, Kyle Cusimano, Gus Peacock, Eli Shope and Trace Terry.

UP NEXT
• For the Falcons, Saturday's match wrapped up the non-conference portion of the regular-season schedule. BGSU heads to Nashville to face Belmont next Saturday (Oct. 14), with that MVC matchup scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET.

• Then, the Falcons will return home to face UIC on Wednesday, Oct. 18, in another 7:00 p.m. matchup. The Flames are currently tied for 25th in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches poll.

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.