Falcons Face Duquesne Thursday in Pittsburgh

Thursday, August 31

Pittsburgh, Pa.

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Duquesne

Jake Bergin (18) v Cleveland State - Aug 24 2023

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

August 30, 2023 | Men's Soccer

BGSU Notes (PDF)Duquesne Men's Soccer 2023 Record Book (PDF)Support BGSU Men's Soccer

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BGSU at DUQUESNE
Thursday, Aug. 31 | 7:00 p.m.
Rooney Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Video/Web Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoDuquesne.com

• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team continues a two-match road swing with a trip to Pittsburgh. The Falcons of head coach Eric Nichols face Duquesne University on Thursday evening (Aug. 31), with first touch set for 7:00 p.m. at Rooney Field.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Thursday's Duquesne contest will be streamed via 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 at BGSUFalcons.com on game day.

FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• The Falcons head to Pittsburgh with a 1-1-0 record on the young season. BGSU opened the 2023 season in thrilling fashion, posting a 3-2, come-from-behind win over Cleveland State at Cochrane Stadium last Thursday night (Aug. 24). Sophomore Andrew Shaffer scored a pair of goals less than nine minutes apart to erase a second-half deficit.

• Fifth-year Falcon Eli Shope also found the back of the net for the Falcons, opening the game's scoring in the 16th minute. Sophomore Trace Terry had a pair of assists in the win.

• BGSU held advantages of 17-8 in total shot attempts and 6-3 in shots on goal vs. the Vikings.

• For his heroics in that win, Shaffer was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.

• On Monday night (Aug. 28), Michigan State scored two goals in the final nine mnutes to break open a close game and down the Falcons, 3-0. BGSU played a man down for the last 46-plus minutes.

• 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. 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. BGSU and fellow MAC institutions Northern Illinois and Western Michigan join the MVC, which also includes Belmont, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, UIC and Missouri State.

FALCON FIRSTS
• A total of five BGSU players made their respective Falcon debuts in the win over Cleveland State. That group included freshmen Mads Christensen, Anthony Hernandez and Bennett Painter, along with transfers Taylor Dyson and Rodrigo Montez Silva. Both Christensen and Dyson were in the starting lineup.

• Those five Falcons all saw action at Michigan State as well, along with Daniel Cerezo, who made his BGSU debut vs. the Spartans.

• Sophomore Andrew Shaffer had the first two-goal match of his young career vs. CSU, while Trace Terry recorded his first two-assist match as a Falcon. For Terry, the assists were the first and second, respectively, of his BG career.

• Shaffer's brace marked the first time a BGSU player had scored two goals in a match since ... the Falcons' previous game. Sergi.Martinez scored twice in his final collegiate contest, BG's 6-0 win over Northern Illinois last Nov. 6.

• And, Terry recorded the first two-assist game by a Falcon since ... Martinez did so against the Huskies last Nov. 6. Martinez had a six-point match in that BG win.

ADDITIONAL FALCON FACTS
• In the Eric Nichols Era, BGSU is 82-9-6 when scoring two or more goals.

• The Falcons are 58-29-21 in home matches since Nichols took the helm prior to the 2009 season. BG is 54-21-19 at Cochrane since the start of 2011.

• BGSU is 36-11-13 at home since the start of the 2015 season and 30-9-13 (.702) since the beginning of 2016.

• Entering the Duquesne match, the Falcons have a record of 43-26-12 over the last 81 games, dating to midway through the 2018 season. Sixteen of the 26 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.

THE OPPONENT
• Duquesne, like BG, is 1-1-0 on the young season. The Dukes split a pair of matches at James Madison's tournament, losing by a 3-1 count to the home school before blowing out Virginia Tech, 5-1. Ask Ekeland had a hat trick in the latter match, and was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Ekeland and Maxi Hopfer each were named to the preseason all-conference team as Duquesne was picked to finish fifth in the A-10 in 2023. Ekeland led the Dukes with 17 points, including eight goals, a year ago. That 2022 club went 11-4-4 overall and 4-1-3 in conference play, finishing second in the A-10 standings. Head coach Chase Brooks welcomed back eight starters from the '22 team.

THE SERIES
• The Falcons and Duquesne are tied, 2-2-2, in the all-time series, and BGSU is unbeaten over the last two matches. The most recent meeting, in 2019, saw the teams battle to a 1-1 draw in Pittsburgh. One series trend that is sure to end on Thursday night: Each of the last five meetings between the Falcons and Dukes has required overtime. BGSU is 1-1-0 at home, 0-1-2 on the road and 1-0-0 in neutral-site matchups with Duquesne over the years.

UP NEXT
• Following the Duquesne match, the Falcons will return home for a Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 4) matchup with Michigan at Cochrane Stadium. The U-M game begins at 3:00 p.m, and as always, admission is free.

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.