Falcons Begin Two-Game Road Swing With Tuesday's NKU Tilt

Tuesday, September 17

Highland Heights, Ky.

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Northern Kentucky

Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

September 16, 2024 | Men's Soccer

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BGSU returns to MVC play at Bradley this weekend

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BGSU at NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Tuesday, Sept. 17 | 7:00 p.m.
NKU Soccer Stadium | Highland Heights, Ky.
Video/Web Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: NKUNorse.com

BGSU at BRADLEY
Saturday, Sept. 21 | 8:00 p.m. ET
Shea Stadium | Peoria, Ill.
Video/Web Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: BradleyBraves.com

• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team hits the road for a pair of matches this week, beginning with a midweek non-conference contest. Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons will meet Northern Kentucky University on Tuesday evening (Sept. 17), with first touch set for 7:00 p.m. at NKU Soccer Stadium.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will return to Missouri Valley Conference action this weekend, heading to Peoria, Ill., for a Saturday (Sept. 21) matchup with Bradley University. That match will begin at 7:00 p.m. local time (8:00 p.m. ET) at Shea Stadium.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Both the NKU and Bradley matches will be streamed on 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.

PAINT BY NUMBERS
• Bennett Painter, after a fantastic finish to his freshman campaign, has had a sensational start to his sophomore season. Painter scored both of BGSU's goals, including the winner with just over three minutes left, in the Falcons' 2-1 win over Northern Illinois on Friday night (Sept. 13). He now has team-leading totals of five goals and 11 points through six games this season to date.

• Painter's performance vs. NIU brings his totals to 19 career points in 19 career games, on eight goals and three assists. He has scored all 19 of those points, however, in his last nine matches, dating to late last season.

• Painter has recorded at least one point in eight of those nine games, including in five of six contests this season to date.

• As of Monday morning (Sept. 16), Painter was tied for second in the entire nation in game-winning goals, with three.

ONE AND OH
• Sure, it's only the program's second season as a member of the conference, but the Falcons are off to a 1-0-0 start in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time. BGSU's last win in a league opener came in 2021, when the Falcons downed Georgia State and Georgia Southern to get off to a 2-0-0 start in Mid-American Conference action.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green is 5-1-0 on the season, heading into the NKU match, and the Falcons are off to a 1-0-0 start in MVC play. BGSU is coming off of a 2-1 win over Northern Illinois in Friday night's (Sept. 13) conference opener.

• The Falcons are 3-0-0 at home this season, with a pair of 3-2 wins over Wright State (Aug. 23) and Butler (Sept. 7) in addition to the NIU match. And, BGSU is 2-1-0 in road games, heading into Tuesday's matchup in Highland Heights.

• BG went on the road and defeated both Michigan State (1-0, Aug. 26) and IU Indy (4-1, Aug. 30-31), before falling to now nationally-ranked Michigan (2-0, Sept. 2).

• The Falcons welcomed back 17 of the 20 players who saw action last season. 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 Missouri Valley Conference.

• Sophomore Bennett Painter leads the team in scoring, with five goals and 11 points, while junior Trace Terry has seven points, including three goals. Three of Painter's five goals have proven to be the game-winner.

• Junior Andrew Shaffer and senior Alberto Anaya have six and five points, respectively. Shaffer leads the team with four assists, while Anaya is third on the club with two goals. Fifth-year Falcon Kyle Cusimano has four points on the year.

• Another fifth-year Falcon, Brendan Graves, has played all six matches in goal and has 19 saves, a 1.33 GAA and one shutout. Two of the eight goals BGSU has allowed have come via penalty kicks.

• Graves, Cusimano and Josh Erlandson each have played all 540 minutes this season to date, while Painter and Shaffer have played 538 and 517, 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 46 matches, dating to Oct. 22, 2021.

RHYMES WITH SAVES
• Fifth-year Falcon Brendan Graves has had many impressive matches in goal during his tenure in the Orange and Brown, but the performance at Michigan State (Aug. 26) was definitely one of his best. Graves made six saves, with arguably no routine stops among them, in the Falcons' 1-0 win.

• Graves, who has been in goal for every second of every match for more than two years now, recorded the 12th shutout of his Falcon career in the win over MSU. Eight of those 12 clean sheets have come on the road.

• Graves recorded five or more saves in nine matches last season, including in eight of BG's final 12 contests. He has had two such games this season to date, making five stops vs. Butler in addition to his six-save performance vs. the Spartans.

• Entering the NKU match, Graves has a career goals-against average of 1.28, along with 164 saves and (as mentioned) 12 complete-match shutouts. He finished the 2023 season ranked ninth in the nation in total saves (84) and 16th in saves per game (4.67).

• Graves has played every second of the Falcons' last 46 matches, a total of 4,160 minutes. No other BGSU 'keeper has been between the posts since Oct. 22, 2021.

HOME COOKIN'
• Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons have made Cochrane Stadium a difficult place to play for the opponents. In the last decade (plus three games) – since the start of the 2014 season – BGSU has a record of 50-15-15 (.719) in home games.

• Since Nichols took the helm prior to the 2009 season, the Falcons have a record of 66-31-22 at home.

ROAD WARRIORS
• Before the month of August had ended, the Falcons had doubled the road win total for all of last season.

• BGSU went 1-6-2 away from home in 2023, but the '24 Falcons began the road portion of the schedule with a 1-0 win over Michigan State (Aug. 26), then went to IU Indy and came away with a 4-1 victory (Aug. 30-31).

THE OPPONENT
• Northern Kentucky enters Tuesday's match with a record of 1-2-3 on the season, and the Norse played Robert Morris to a scoreless draw in Saturday's (Sept. 14) Horizon League opener. NKU is riding a three-match unbeaten streak, including a 3-0 win over Western Illinois (Sept. 8). Tyler Murphy leads the team with two goals and four points this season to date. In goal, Nic Lemen has played every second of the first six matches, and has 18 saves, three shutouts and a GAA of just 0.83. Head coach Tom Poitras and the Norse went 4-10-3 overall and 3-6-0 in Horizon League play in 2023.

• Bradley is 3-3-1 overall, and the Braves are 0-1-0 in MVC play. BU lost a narrow 1-0 decision on the road at Missouri State Sunday night (Sept. 15). The Braves are at SIUE on Wednesday (Sept. 18) before entertaining the Falcons this weekend. Individually, Mitch Coughlon leads the team in scoring, with three goals and seven points. Drew Berry has started four games in goal and has two shutouts, 21 saves and a GAA of just 0.75. Alex Grow has made three starts and has one clean sheet, 10 saves and a 1.67 GAA. Tim Regan is in his first season as head coach after six years as an assistant on the staff. The Braves went 5-6-6 overall and 1-6-1 in the MVC last season, and BU returned 27 letterwinners from a year ago.

THE SERIES
• BGSU leads Northern Kentucky, 3-1-1, in the all-time series, and the Falcons captured last year's meeting by a 2-1 score at Cochrane Stadium (Sept. 12, 2023). NKU's lone series win came at Cochrane in 2018, when current BGSU assistant coach Stu Riddle was head coach of the Norse.

• BGSU trails Bradley, 2-1-0, in that series, but the Falcons picked up a 3-1 win at Cochrane last Sept. 23. Prior to the 2023 meeting, the teams had not clashed since 1999.

UP NEXT
• Following the Bradley match, the Falcons will end the month of September with home games vs. Eastern Illinois (Sept. 24) and Belmont (Sept. 27).

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.