Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Keira Ellenberger, Falcon Media Sports Network
Four Falcons Land on MVC Scholar-Athlete Team
November 15, 2023 | Men's Soccer
Graves, Shaffer Earn First-Team Honors; Anaya & Shope Named to Second Team
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (BGSU Strategic Communications) – Four members of the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team have been voted to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team, the league office announced on Wednesday morning (Nov. 15). Senior Brendan Graves and sophomore Andrew Shaffer have been named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, while senior Eli Shope and junior Alberto Anaya have been chosen to the second team.
The Valley's scholar-athlete teams are the result of voting by the league's soccer sports information directors.
The criteria for the All-MVC honor parallels the CSC (College Sports Communicators; formerly CoSIDA) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of the season's matches. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution.
Graves, a native of Perrysburg, Ohio (Perrysburg), played every second of every match for the second-straight season. In fact, Graves has played every second of the Falcons' last 40 matches -- a total of 3,620 minutes. No other BG player has been between the posts since Oct. 22, 2021. Graves had a 1.67 goals-against average and a pair of shutouts in 2023. He also had 84 saves, the highest single-season total by a Falcon since 2012. Graves had five or more saves in nine of the season's 18 matches, including in eight of BG's last 12 contests. As of Wednesday morning (Nov. 15), Graves was tied for ninth in the nation in saves and ranked 16th in saves per game (4.67). His career total of 11 shutouts ties him for 11th in BGSU history on that list, while his career GAA of 1.27 ranks him 13th all-time.
In the classroom, Graves has a 3.80 cumulative GPA as a business analytics and intelligence major.
Shaffer, who hails from Galena, Ohio (St. Francis DeSales), played in all 18 matches for the Falcons in 2023, making 16 starts. He tied for fourth on the team with eight points, on three goals and a pair of assists. Shaffer scored a pair of goals in the season-opening win over Cleveland State, recording the tying and winning goals in that 3-2 victory, and also found the back of the net in a Missouri Valley Conference win over Evansville. For his efforts in the CSU match, he was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week. Shaffer has 16 career points in 29 matches with the Falcons, having scored eight points (on three goals and two assists) in each of his first two years. He recently was called up to the U.S. Virgin Islands National Team in time for the team's CONCACAF Nations League match vs. Aruba on Thursday (Nov. 16).
Shaffer, a finance major, has a 3.88 cumulative GPA at BGSU.
Shope, a native of Bowling Green, Ohio (Toledo St. John's Jesuit), tied for the BGSU lead in goals and finished third in points, despite missing the Falcons' final four-plus matches due to injury. The fifth-year Falcon started each of BGSU's first 14 matches and had nine points on four goals and an assist. Three of those goals were the game-opening goal, and the fourth was a game-winning marker. He scored BG's first goal of the year, in a season-opening win over Cleveland State, then had the GWG vs. Michigan. Shope had a goal and an assist in a Senior Night win over Evansville, and opened the scoring in another BGSU victory, against UIC. Shope played in 44 career matches for the Orange and Brown, and had 12 points on five goals and two assists.
Shope has a 3.84 cumulative GPA as an exercise science major.
Anaya, a native of Queretaro, Mexico (ITESM Leon), was named to the All-MVC First Team. He tied for the team lead in goals, assists and points in 2023, despite missing three matches due to injury. The midfielder's total of 14 points included four goals and six assists. A team captain, he scored 12 of his points in conference contests, with all four of his goals and four assists coming against MVC foes. Anaya scored a goal in four consecutive games, the longest streak by a Falcon since 2005. He saw action in seven MVC matches, and had at least one point in six of them. Anaya ends his junior season with career totals of 38 points on 12 goals and 14 assists in the Orange and Brown.
Anaya, a finance major, maintains a 3.66 cumulative GPA at BGSU.
BGSU finished the season with an overall record of 7-8-3, and the Falcons went 4-4-0 in their inaugural season in the MVC, placing fourth in the nine-team league. Just three players on the 26-man roster have exhausted their collegiate eligibility.
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.
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The Valley's scholar-athlete teams are the result of voting by the league's soccer sports information directors.
The criteria for the All-MVC honor parallels the CSC (College Sports Communicators; formerly CoSIDA) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of the season's matches. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution.
Graves, a native of Perrysburg, Ohio (Perrysburg), played every second of every match for the second-straight season. In fact, Graves has played every second of the Falcons' last 40 matches -- a total of 3,620 minutes. No other BG player has been between the posts since Oct. 22, 2021. Graves had a 1.67 goals-against average and a pair of shutouts in 2023. He also had 84 saves, the highest single-season total by a Falcon since 2012. Graves had five or more saves in nine of the season's 18 matches, including in eight of BG's last 12 contests. As of Wednesday morning (Nov. 15), Graves was tied for ninth in the nation in saves and ranked 16th in saves per game (4.67). His career total of 11 shutouts ties him for 11th in BGSU history on that list, while his career GAA of 1.27 ranks him 13th all-time.
In the classroom, Graves has a 3.80 cumulative GPA as a business analytics and intelligence major.
Shaffer, who hails from Galena, Ohio (St. Francis DeSales), played in all 18 matches for the Falcons in 2023, making 16 starts. He tied for fourth on the team with eight points, on three goals and a pair of assists. Shaffer scored a pair of goals in the season-opening win over Cleveland State, recording the tying and winning goals in that 3-2 victory, and also found the back of the net in a Missouri Valley Conference win over Evansville. For his efforts in the CSU match, he was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week. Shaffer has 16 career points in 29 matches with the Falcons, having scored eight points (on three goals and two assists) in each of his first two years. He recently was called up to the U.S. Virgin Islands National Team in time for the team's CONCACAF Nations League match vs. Aruba on Thursday (Nov. 16).
Shaffer, a finance major, has a 3.88 cumulative GPA at BGSU.
Shope, a native of Bowling Green, Ohio (Toledo St. John's Jesuit), tied for the BGSU lead in goals and finished third in points, despite missing the Falcons' final four-plus matches due to injury. The fifth-year Falcon started each of BGSU's first 14 matches and had nine points on four goals and an assist. Three of those goals were the game-opening goal, and the fourth was a game-winning marker. He scored BG's first goal of the year, in a season-opening win over Cleveland State, then had the GWG vs. Michigan. Shope had a goal and an assist in a Senior Night win over Evansville, and opened the scoring in another BGSU victory, against UIC. Shope played in 44 career matches for the Orange and Brown, and had 12 points on five goals and two assists.
Shope has a 3.84 cumulative GPA as an exercise science major.
Anaya, a native of Queretaro, Mexico (ITESM Leon), was named to the All-MVC First Team. He tied for the team lead in goals, assists and points in 2023, despite missing three matches due to injury. The midfielder's total of 14 points included four goals and six assists. A team captain, he scored 12 of his points in conference contests, with all four of his goals and four assists coming against MVC foes. Anaya scored a goal in four consecutive games, the longest streak by a Falcon since 2005. He saw action in seven MVC matches, and had at least one point in six of them. Anaya ends his junior season with career totals of 38 points on 12 goals and 14 assists in the Orange and Brown.
Anaya, a finance major, maintains a 3.66 cumulative GPA at BGSU.
BGSU finished the season with an overall record of 7-8-3, and the Falcons went 4-4-0 in their inaugural season in the MVC, placing fourth in the nine-team league. Just three players on the 26-man roster have exhausted their collegiate eligibility.
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.
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