Bowling Green State University Athletics
Thursday, August 24
Bowling Green, Ohio
7 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
vs
Cleveland State
Eli Shope & the Falcons open the 2023 season at Cochrane Stadium Thursday night
Photo by: Sandy King, EIU Athletics
Falcons Host Cleveland State in Thursday's Season Opener
August 23, 2023 | Men's Soccer
BGSU meets the Vikings in a 7:00 p.m. start at Cochrane
BGSU vs. CLEVELAND STATE
Thursday, Aug. 24 | 7:00 p.m.
Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
Video/Web Stream: BCSN/ESPN+
Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team will open the 2023 season on Thursday evening (Aug. 24). Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons face Cleveland State University at Cochrane Stadium. First touch is set for 7:00 p.m., and admission is free.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Thursday's CSU contest will be aired by BCSN in the Toledo area, and also will be available via both the BCSN App and on ESPN+. Live stats and Twitter/X updates (@BGSUMSoccer), as always, will also be available.
• Links to live audio/video/stats for all 2023 matches can be found on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com on game day.
FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• Bowling Green returns 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. Head coach Eric Nichols and his staff have a whopping 14 newcomers on the 2023 roster.
• After 30 seasons of men's soccer in the MAC, BGSU enters the Missouri Valley Conference in 2023. BG and fellow MAC institutions Northern Illinois and Western Michigan join the MVC, which also includes Belmont, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, UIC and Missouri State.
• The 2022 Falcons set a school record for fewest goals allowed in a season, surrendering just 10 in 16 matches. BG's team goals-against average of 0.63 was the second-lowest in school history, and the lowest since 1991.
• Senior Brendan Graves returns after playing every second between the posts last season. His GAA (0.63, obviously) was the third lowest in the 'modern' era (since 1980). Graves was the MAC's co-Goalkeeper of the Year and was named to the All-MAC First Team. He had seven shutouts in 16 matches in 2022.
• BGSU lost a pair of all-league first-team selections, as Sergi Martinez graduated and Joey Akpunonu was selected by FC Cincinnati in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft. Martinez (5-8=18) and Akpunonu (6-0=12) finished first and second, respectively, on the Falcons in scoring in 2022. But, BGSU returns six of last year's top-eight scorers, including Alberto Anaya (3-4=10), who was third on the club in scoring despite missing four games due to injury. Anaya was named to the All-MAC Second Team last fall, earning that honor for the second-straight year.
• The Falcons have been 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.
• The league office also announced the Preseason All-MVC Team, which included a pair of Falcons in Graves and Anaya.
ADDITIONAL FALCON FACTS
• After beginning the 2022 season with a 2-4-2 record, the Falcons ended the year by going 4-1-2 over the final seven matches. BGSU outscored the opponents by a 16-4 count in those seven contests.
• BGSU allowed just one first-half goal during all of 2022, outscoring the opponents, 9-1, in the opening half. BGSU has held the opponent scoreless in the first half in 17 of the last 18 matches, dating to November of 2021.
• In the Eric Nichols Era, BGSU is 81-9-6 when scoring two or more goals.
• The Falcons are 57-29-21 in home matches since Nichols took the helm prior to the 2009 season. BG is 53-21-19 at Cochrane since the start of 2011.
THE OPPONENT
• Cleveland State, like BGSU, opens the 2023 season on Thursday evening. The Vikings won the Horizon League regular-season championship for the first time in program history in 2022, and CSU went on to win the league tournament title and advance to the NCAA Championships. The Vikings went 11-4-5 overall and 5-1-3 in HL play last year. Bojan Kolevski was named the Horizon League Player of the Year after recording 10 goals and 25 points in 2022. He was recently named to the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch list. Head coach Sinisa Ubiparipovic's roster includes a pair of former Falcons in transfers Marko.Rimac and Daniel.Lacerda.
THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Cleveland State, 19-16-1, in the all-time series, and BGSU has won the last two meetings. The Orange and Brown picked up a 3-0 decision in the most recent encounter, just under two years ago (Sept. 3, 2021) in Cleveland. The last meeting at Cochrane Stadium saw the Falcons earn a 1-0 victory (Sept. 17, 2019). CSU's last series win was a 2-0 decision in Cleveland in September of 2018. BGSU is 11-7-0 at home and 8-9-1 on the road vs. the Vikings over the years.
UP NEXT
• Following the CSU match, the Falcons will hit the road for the next two contests. BGSU will head to East Lansing for a Monday (Aug. 28) meeting with Michigan State. That match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will venture to Pittsburgh to meet Duquesne on Thursday, Aug. 31, before returning home for a Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 4) matchup with Michigan at Cochrane Stadium. The U-M contest begins at 3:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• 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.
Thursday, Aug. 24 | 7:00 p.m.
Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
Video/Web Stream: BCSN/ESPN+
Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team will open the 2023 season on Thursday evening (Aug. 24). Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons face Cleveland State University at Cochrane Stadium. First touch is set for 7:00 p.m., and admission is free.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Thursday's CSU contest will be aired by BCSN in the Toledo area, and also will be available via both the BCSN App and on ESPN+. Live stats and Twitter/X updates (@BGSUMSoccer), as always, will also be available.
• Links to live audio/video/stats for all 2023 matches can be found on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com on game day.
FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• Bowling Green returns 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. Head coach Eric Nichols and his staff have a whopping 14 newcomers on the 2023 roster.
• After 30 seasons of men's soccer in the MAC, BGSU enters the Missouri Valley Conference in 2023. BG and fellow MAC institutions Northern Illinois and Western Michigan join the MVC, which also includes Belmont, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, UIC and Missouri State.
• The 2022 Falcons set a school record for fewest goals allowed in a season, surrendering just 10 in 16 matches. BG's team goals-against average of 0.63 was the second-lowest in school history, and the lowest since 1991.
• Senior Brendan Graves returns after playing every second between the posts last season. His GAA (0.63, obviously) was the third lowest in the 'modern' era (since 1980). Graves was the MAC's co-Goalkeeper of the Year and was named to the All-MAC First Team. He had seven shutouts in 16 matches in 2022.
• BGSU lost a pair of all-league first-team selections, as Sergi Martinez graduated and Joey Akpunonu was selected by FC Cincinnati in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft. Martinez (5-8=18) and Akpunonu (6-0=12) finished first and second, respectively, on the Falcons in scoring in 2022. But, BGSU returns six of last year's top-eight scorers, including Alberto Anaya (3-4=10), who was third on the club in scoring despite missing four games due to injury. Anaya was named to the All-MAC Second Team last fall, earning that honor for the second-straight year.
• The Falcons have been 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.
• The league office also announced the Preseason All-MVC Team, which included a pair of Falcons in Graves and Anaya.
ADDITIONAL FALCON FACTS
• After beginning the 2022 season with a 2-4-2 record, the Falcons ended the year by going 4-1-2 over the final seven matches. BGSU outscored the opponents by a 16-4 count in those seven contests.
• BGSU allowed just one first-half goal during all of 2022, outscoring the opponents, 9-1, in the opening half. BGSU has held the opponent scoreless in the first half in 17 of the last 18 matches, dating to November of 2021.
• In the Eric Nichols Era, BGSU is 81-9-6 when scoring two or more goals.
• The Falcons are 57-29-21 in home matches since Nichols took the helm prior to the 2009 season. BG is 53-21-19 at Cochrane since the start of 2011.
THE OPPONENT
• Cleveland State, like BGSU, opens the 2023 season on Thursday evening. The Vikings won the Horizon League regular-season championship for the first time in program history in 2022, and CSU went on to win the league tournament title and advance to the NCAA Championships. The Vikings went 11-4-5 overall and 5-1-3 in HL play last year. Bojan Kolevski was named the Horizon League Player of the Year after recording 10 goals and 25 points in 2022. He was recently named to the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch list. Head coach Sinisa Ubiparipovic's roster includes a pair of former Falcons in transfers Marko.Rimac and Daniel.Lacerda.
THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Cleveland State, 19-16-1, in the all-time series, and BGSU has won the last two meetings. The Orange and Brown picked up a 3-0 decision in the most recent encounter, just under two years ago (Sept. 3, 2021) in Cleveland. The last meeting at Cochrane Stadium saw the Falcons earn a 1-0 victory (Sept. 17, 2019). CSU's last series win was a 2-0 decision in Cleveland in September of 2018. BGSU is 11-7-0 at home and 8-9-1 on the road vs. the Vikings over the years.
UP NEXT
• Following the CSU match, the Falcons will hit the road for the next two contests. BGSU will head to East Lansing for a Monday (Aug. 28) meeting with Michigan State. That match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will venture to Pittsburgh to meet Duquesne on Thursday, Aug. 31, before returning home for a Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 4) matchup with Michigan at Cochrane Stadium. The U-M contest begins at 3:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• 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.
Players Mentioned
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