Friday, October 25
Evansville, Ind.
8 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
at
Evansville
Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics
Falcons Head to Evansville for Final Match of October
October 24, 2024 | Men's Soccer
BGSU battles the Purple Aces Friday night
BGSU at EVANSVILLE
Friday, Oct. 25 | 8:00 p.m. ET
Arad McCutchan Stadium | Evansville, Ind.
Video/Web Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoPurpleAces.com
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team returns to the road for another difficult Missouri Valley Conference test this weekend. Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons face the University of Evansville on Friday evening (Oct. 25), with first touch set for 8:00 p.m. ET at Arad McCutchan Stadium.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Friday's Evansville contest 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 2024 matches can be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com on game day.
DOUBLE THE DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS
• Sophomore Bennett Painter scored his 10th goal of the season in Sunday night's (Oct. 20) match at nationally-ranked Missouri State, in the process tying junior Trace Terry for the team lead in goals.
• As of Wednesday morning (Oct. 23), BGSU is the only team in the nation with two players who have scored at least 10 goals this season.
TOUGH CROWD!
• The Falcons definitely have a difficult schedule down the stretch. BGSU is coming off of a narrow 2-1 loss at Missouri State on Sunday night. The Bears were ranked 11th in the nation in the RPI rankings at the time of the match, and were No. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches Top-25 poll. MSU has moved up to 13th in the latter poll this week.
• BGSU's three remaining regular-season matches include a pair of teams ranked within the top 30 in the RPI. That list includes Evansville (currently 106th), Western Michigan (15th) and Oregon State (30th). The Falcons are currently 71st in the country in the RPI.
• BGSU has already played four teams currently in the top-80 of the RPI this season. That list includes Missouri State, Drake (40th), Michigan (45th) and Michigan State (79th).
TOP-DRAWER TANDEM
• A pair of BGSU strikers, junior Trace Terry and sophomore Bennett Painter, recently were named to the Top Drawer Soccer Midseason Top-100 list. Terry checked in at number 16 on the list, while Painter was 53rd.
• Terry and Painter have combined to score 20 goals this season to date. Keep reading for more information about the duo.
DYNAMIC DUO
• Junior Trace Terry and sophomore Bennett Painter each have had a knack for finding the goal this season. A few facts about the Falcons' dynamic duo...
• Entering Friday's Evansville game, both players have 10 goals on the season. The 2024 campaign marks the first time BGSU has had two players with 10 goals or more since 1996, when Steve Klein scored 18 times and Dave Kindl 11.
• Painter and Terry have 23 and 21 points, respectively, this fall. BGSU has not had two 20-point scorers in a season since the aforementioned '96 campaign. That year, the Falcons actually had three players with over 20 points, as Klein had a whopping 50 points, with Dave Kindl and Jason Began adding 29 and 26, respectively.
• Each player has four game-winning goals in 2024, tying them for fifth in the nation in that category. This season marks the first time two Falcons have each had four GWG in the same year since 1991 (Rob Martella five, Tom Kinney four).
• In addition to being tied for fifth in GWG, Terry is sixth in the nation in shots on goal per game, ninth in shots per game, 10th in total goals, 15th in goals per game, 20th in total points and 23rd in points per game.
• Painter is also tied for fifth in the country in GWG, as mentioned, and he is 10th in total goals, 11th in total points, 19th in goals per game, 20th in points per game, 29th in shots on goal per game and 33rd in total shots per game.
ALOTTA ASSISTS FOR ALBERTO
• Senior Alberto Anaya had four assists in the Falcons' win over Eastern Illinois (Sept. 24) , tying the school record. Anaya matched the mark set by Brian Ferguson in a 6-1 win over Eastern Michigan on Sept. 20, 1989.
• Anaya also had the assist on Bennett Painter's goal at Missouri State. On the season, he now has 13 points on two goals and a BG-best nine assists. As of Wednesday morning (Oct. 23), Anaya was tied for third in the country in total assists and deadlocked for eighth in the nation in assists per game.
• Anaya now has career totals of 23 assists and 51 points. He has moved into a tie for ninth place on the BGSU career assists list, and is now 21st in career points.
RHYMES WITH SAVES
• Fifth-year Falcon Brendan Graves had a pair of shutouts to end the month of September, making a total of seven saves in BG's wins over Eastern Illinois and Belmont. With three saves and another shutout vs. Drake (Oct. 12), he now has kept 15 clean sheets in his BGSU career.
• Graves has a total of four shutouts this season, including a spectacular performance in a 1-0 win at Michigan State (Aug. 26). Graves made six saves vs. the Spartans, with arguably no routine stops among them.
• Graves, who has been in goal for every second of every match for nearly three years now, has a goals-against average of 1.14 this season, and that average drops to 1.00 in MVC matches.
• Entering the Evansville match, Graves has a career goals-against average of 1.24, along with 197 saves and the 15 complete-match shutouts. He has moved into a tie for ninth place in BGSU history in career shutouts, and he is in sole possession of seventh place on the school list for career wins, with 25.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green is 9-3-2 on the season, and the Falcons are 3-2-1 in MVC play. All three of BGSU's conference wins have come by a single goal, with 2-1 victories over Northern Illinois at home and Bradley on the road, and a 1-0 home win against Belmont. The Falcons lost in league play for the first time on Oct. 5, falling at UIC by a 2-1 final.
• BGSU bounced back to beat Detroit Mercy, 5-2 (Oct. 8), rolling up a 5-0 lead at the half at Cochrane Stadium. The Orange and Brown battled visiting Drake to a scoreless draw four days later (Oct. 12). Most recently, the Falcons suffered a 2-1 setback at No. 15 Missouri State Sunday night (Oct. 20).
• In non-league play, the Falcons have topped Wright State, Butler, Eastern Illinois and UDM at home – although the EIU match was moved indoors due to inclement weather and field conditions – and BG has beaten Michigan State and IU Indy on the road. The Falcons played host Northern Kentucky to a 1-1 draw, and BG's lone non-league loss this season to date came at Michigan (2-0; Sept. 2).
• The Falcons are currently ranked ninth in the United Soccer Coaches West Region poll, as of Tuesday (Oct. 22). BGSU is 6-0-1 at home (including a 5-0-1 mark at Cochrane Stadium) and 3-3-1 on the road.
• BGSU has topped the goal total for all of last season. The 2024 Falcons have scored 29 goals in 14 matches, an average of 2.07 goals per game. Last season, BG had 27 goals in 18 games (1.50 goals per game).
• The Falcons welcomed back 17 of the 20 players who saw action last year. That group includes nine starters from a 2023 club that went 7-8-3 overall and 4-4-0 in BGSU's first year in the MVC.
• Sophomore Bennett Painter and junior Trace Terry are leading the way in scoring, with 23 and 21 points, respectively. Both players, as mentioned earlier, have 10 goals to rank among the national leaders. Both Painter and Terry have four game-winning goals this season to date.
• Senior Alberto Anaya and junior Andrew Shaffer have 13 and nine points, respectively. Anaya has nine assists to lead the team and rank third in the nation, while Shaffer is also among the nation's top-20 players in that category, with seven assists. Fifth-year Falcon Kyle Cusimano has six points on the year.
• Another fifth-year Falcon, Brendan Graves, has played all 14 matches in goal and has 52 saves, a 1.14 GAA and four shutouts. Three of the goals BGSU has allowed this season have come via penalty kicks.
• Graves has played all 1260 minutes this season, while Cusimano has been on the field for 1259 of those 1260 minutes. Josh Erlandson has played 1230 minutes, with Shaffer, Anaya and Painter at 1182, 1143 and 1137, respectively.
• Anaya and Terry, BGSU's top-two scorers from a year ago, each were named to the Preseason All-MVC Team in 2024. Both players had 14 points on four goals and six assists last season. Anaya was named to the 2023 All-MVC First Team, with Terry earning all-conference second-team honors.
• In all, BGSU returned six of last year's top-seven scorers.
• Graves is back in goal in '24 after starting every match a year ago. In fact, Graves has played every second of the Falcons' last 54 matches – a total of 4,880 minutes. No other BGSU 'keeper has been between the posts since Oct. 22, 2021.
THE OPPONENT
• Evansville is 7-5-2 on the season, and the Purple Aces are 3-2-0 in the MVC. UE is tied for fourth place, just one point behind third-place BGSU. The Aces are unbeaten in the last four matches (3-0-1), and have won three-straight conference games after an 0-2-0 start in MVC play. Nacho Diaz Barragan leads the team with six goals and 14 points this year, while Michal Mroz has played every second in goal and has 55 saves, three complete-match shutouts and a 1.43 GAA. Coach Robbe Tarver welcomed back 26 players from the 2023 club that went 4-8-4 overall and 2-4-2 in the MVC.
THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Evansville, 10-4-0, in the all-time series, but BGSU has won the last two meetings. Last season, the Falcons picked up a 4-2 win at Cochrane Stadium in the teams' first-ever MVC matchup (Sept. 30, 2023). Evansville's last series victory was a 2-1 decision against the visiting Falcons nearly two decades ago (Sept. 11, 2005). The Falcons are 2-5-0 at home, 0-5-0 on the road and 2-0-0 in neutral-site meetings with the Purple Aces over the years.
UP NEXT
• Following the Evansville match, the Falcons will close the home portion of the regular-season schedule next weekend, facing nationally-ranked Western Michigan on Friday, Nov. 1. That match will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and 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), and on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.
Friday, Oct. 25 | 8:00 p.m. ET
Arad McCutchan Stadium | Evansville, Ind.
Video/Web Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoPurpleAces.com
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team returns to the road for another difficult Missouri Valley Conference test this weekend. Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons face the University of Evansville on Friday evening (Oct. 25), with first touch set for 8:00 p.m. ET at Arad McCutchan Stadium.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Friday's Evansville contest 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 2024 matches can be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com on game day.
DOUBLE THE DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS
• Sophomore Bennett Painter scored his 10th goal of the season in Sunday night's (Oct. 20) match at nationally-ranked Missouri State, in the process tying junior Trace Terry for the team lead in goals.
• As of Wednesday morning (Oct. 23), BGSU is the only team in the nation with two players who have scored at least 10 goals this season.
TOUGH CROWD!
• The Falcons definitely have a difficult schedule down the stretch. BGSU is coming off of a narrow 2-1 loss at Missouri State on Sunday night. The Bears were ranked 11th in the nation in the RPI rankings at the time of the match, and were No. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches Top-25 poll. MSU has moved up to 13th in the latter poll this week.
• BGSU's three remaining regular-season matches include a pair of teams ranked within the top 30 in the RPI. That list includes Evansville (currently 106th), Western Michigan (15th) and Oregon State (30th). The Falcons are currently 71st in the country in the RPI.
• BGSU has already played four teams currently in the top-80 of the RPI this season. That list includes Missouri State, Drake (40th), Michigan (45th) and Michigan State (79th).
TOP-DRAWER TANDEM
• A pair of BGSU strikers, junior Trace Terry and sophomore Bennett Painter, recently were named to the Top Drawer Soccer Midseason Top-100 list. Terry checked in at number 16 on the list, while Painter was 53rd.
• Terry and Painter have combined to score 20 goals this season to date. Keep reading for more information about the duo.
DYNAMIC DUO
• Junior Trace Terry and sophomore Bennett Painter each have had a knack for finding the goal this season. A few facts about the Falcons' dynamic duo...
• Entering Friday's Evansville game, both players have 10 goals on the season. The 2024 campaign marks the first time BGSU has had two players with 10 goals or more since 1996, when Steve Klein scored 18 times and Dave Kindl 11.
• Painter and Terry have 23 and 21 points, respectively, this fall. BGSU has not had two 20-point scorers in a season since the aforementioned '96 campaign. That year, the Falcons actually had three players with over 20 points, as Klein had a whopping 50 points, with Dave Kindl and Jason Began adding 29 and 26, respectively.
• Each player has four game-winning goals in 2024, tying them for fifth in the nation in that category. This season marks the first time two Falcons have each had four GWG in the same year since 1991 (Rob Martella five, Tom Kinney four).
• In addition to being tied for fifth in GWG, Terry is sixth in the nation in shots on goal per game, ninth in shots per game, 10th in total goals, 15th in goals per game, 20th in total points and 23rd in points per game.
• Painter is also tied for fifth in the country in GWG, as mentioned, and he is 10th in total goals, 11th in total points, 19th in goals per game, 20th in points per game, 29th in shots on goal per game and 33rd in total shots per game.
ALOTTA ASSISTS FOR ALBERTO
• Senior Alberto Anaya had four assists in the Falcons' win over Eastern Illinois (Sept. 24) , tying the school record. Anaya matched the mark set by Brian Ferguson in a 6-1 win over Eastern Michigan on Sept. 20, 1989.
• Anaya also had the assist on Bennett Painter's goal at Missouri State. On the season, he now has 13 points on two goals and a BG-best nine assists. As of Wednesday morning (Oct. 23), Anaya was tied for third in the country in total assists and deadlocked for eighth in the nation in assists per game.
• Anaya now has career totals of 23 assists and 51 points. He has moved into a tie for ninth place on the BGSU career assists list, and is now 21st in career points.
RHYMES WITH SAVES
• Fifth-year Falcon Brendan Graves had a pair of shutouts to end the month of September, making a total of seven saves in BG's wins over Eastern Illinois and Belmont. With three saves and another shutout vs. Drake (Oct. 12), he now has kept 15 clean sheets in his BGSU career.
• Graves has a total of four shutouts this season, including a spectacular performance in a 1-0 win at Michigan State (Aug. 26). Graves made six saves vs. the Spartans, with arguably no routine stops among them.
• Graves, who has been in goal for every second of every match for nearly three years now, has a goals-against average of 1.14 this season, and that average drops to 1.00 in MVC matches.
• Entering the Evansville match, Graves has a career goals-against average of 1.24, along with 197 saves and the 15 complete-match shutouts. He has moved into a tie for ninth place in BGSU history in career shutouts, and he is in sole possession of seventh place on the school list for career wins, with 25.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green is 9-3-2 on the season, and the Falcons are 3-2-1 in MVC play. All three of BGSU's conference wins have come by a single goal, with 2-1 victories over Northern Illinois at home and Bradley on the road, and a 1-0 home win against Belmont. The Falcons lost in league play for the first time on Oct. 5, falling at UIC by a 2-1 final.
• BGSU bounced back to beat Detroit Mercy, 5-2 (Oct. 8), rolling up a 5-0 lead at the half at Cochrane Stadium. The Orange and Brown battled visiting Drake to a scoreless draw four days later (Oct. 12). Most recently, the Falcons suffered a 2-1 setback at No. 15 Missouri State Sunday night (Oct. 20).
• In non-league play, the Falcons have topped Wright State, Butler, Eastern Illinois and UDM at home – although the EIU match was moved indoors due to inclement weather and field conditions – and BG has beaten Michigan State and IU Indy on the road. The Falcons played host Northern Kentucky to a 1-1 draw, and BG's lone non-league loss this season to date came at Michigan (2-0; Sept. 2).
• The Falcons are currently ranked ninth in the United Soccer Coaches West Region poll, as of Tuesday (Oct. 22). BGSU is 6-0-1 at home (including a 5-0-1 mark at Cochrane Stadium) and 3-3-1 on the road.
• BGSU has topped the goal total for all of last season. The 2024 Falcons have scored 29 goals in 14 matches, an average of 2.07 goals per game. Last season, BG had 27 goals in 18 games (1.50 goals per game).
• The Falcons welcomed back 17 of the 20 players who saw action last year. That group includes nine starters from a 2023 club that went 7-8-3 overall and 4-4-0 in BGSU's first year in the MVC.
• Sophomore Bennett Painter and junior Trace Terry are leading the way in scoring, with 23 and 21 points, respectively. Both players, as mentioned earlier, have 10 goals to rank among the national leaders. Both Painter and Terry have four game-winning goals this season to date.
• Senior Alberto Anaya and junior Andrew Shaffer have 13 and nine points, respectively. Anaya has nine assists to lead the team and rank third in the nation, while Shaffer is also among the nation's top-20 players in that category, with seven assists. Fifth-year Falcon Kyle Cusimano has six points on the year.
• Another fifth-year Falcon, Brendan Graves, has played all 14 matches in goal and has 52 saves, a 1.14 GAA and four shutouts. Three of the goals BGSU has allowed this season have come via penalty kicks.
• Graves has played all 1260 minutes this season, while Cusimano has been on the field for 1259 of those 1260 minutes. Josh Erlandson has played 1230 minutes, with Shaffer, Anaya and Painter at 1182, 1143 and 1137, respectively.
• Anaya and Terry, BGSU's top-two scorers from a year ago, each were named to the Preseason All-MVC Team in 2024. Both players had 14 points on four goals and six assists last season. Anaya was named to the 2023 All-MVC First Team, with Terry earning all-conference second-team honors.
• In all, BGSU returned six of last year's top-seven scorers.
• Graves is back in goal in '24 after starting every match a year ago. In fact, Graves has played every second of the Falcons' last 54 matches – a total of 4,880 minutes. No other BGSU 'keeper has been between the posts since Oct. 22, 2021.
THE OPPONENT
• Evansville is 7-5-2 on the season, and the Purple Aces are 3-2-0 in the MVC. UE is tied for fourth place, just one point behind third-place BGSU. The Aces are unbeaten in the last four matches (3-0-1), and have won three-straight conference games after an 0-2-0 start in MVC play. Nacho Diaz Barragan leads the team with six goals and 14 points this year, while Michal Mroz has played every second in goal and has 55 saves, three complete-match shutouts and a 1.43 GAA. Coach Robbe Tarver welcomed back 26 players from the 2023 club that went 4-8-4 overall and 2-4-2 in the MVC.
THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Evansville, 10-4-0, in the all-time series, but BGSU has won the last two meetings. Last season, the Falcons picked up a 4-2 win at Cochrane Stadium in the teams' first-ever MVC matchup (Sept. 30, 2023). Evansville's last series victory was a 2-1 decision against the visiting Falcons nearly two decades ago (Sept. 11, 2005). The Falcons are 2-5-0 at home, 0-5-0 on the road and 2-0-0 in neutral-site meetings with the Purple Aces over the years.
UP NEXT
• Following the Evansville match, the Falcons will close the home portion of the regular-season schedule next weekend, facing nationally-ranked Western Michigan on Friday, Nov. 1. That match will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and 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), and on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.
Players Mentioned
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