Terry’s Late Winner Lifts No. 24 Falcons Past Bradley, 2-1

Saturday, September 21

Peoria, Ill.

8 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

6-1-1, 2-0-0

Bradley

3-5-1, 0-2-0

Bowling Green

Bradley

Photo by: Daniel Carlson

September 21, 2024 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)Support BGSU Men's Soccer

Junior’s 87th-minute header moves BGSU to 2-0 in the MVC

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

PEORIA, Ill. – Junior Trace Terry's second goal of the match, with just 3:37 left in the second half, lifted the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over host Bradley University on Saturday night (Sept. 21). The Missouri Valley Conference match was held at Shea Stadium.

Terry scored both goals for the Falcons (6-1-1, 2-0-0 MVC), currently ranked 24th in the nation in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll.

(NOTE: Bennett Painter was originally credited with the Falcons' first goal, but the goal was changed to Terry. The match stats will be updated in the next few days.)

Terry's first goal came in the 22nd minute of the match, and the Braves (3-5-1, 0-2-0 MVC) went down a man when Claudel Ngongang was shown a straight red card just over eight minutes later. But, the hosts tied the game on a penalty kick in the 59th minute of the match before Terry's late-game heroics.

Brendan Graves made two saves in the win, while the Falcons also had a 'team save' as defender Gus Peacock blocked a Bradley shot off of the goal line late in the first half.

At the other end of the field, BU 'keepers Drew Berry and Alex Grow combined for three saves, and the Braves were credited with a pair of 'team saves' on the night.

NOTE OF THE NIGHT: BRACE TERRY
• Trace Terry's two-goal match was the third of his BGSU career, the highest total among current Falcons. It was also his second brace in as many matches against Bradley.
• Last season, in the teams' first meeting as MVC members, Terry had two goals in a 3-1 BGSU win at Cochrane Stadium (Sept. 23, 2023).
• Terry's other brace came just a week later, in a 4-2 victory over Evansville at Cochrane (Sept. 30, 2023).

BONUS NOTE OF THE NIGHT: MIND. BLOWN.
• Last year, as mentioned in the previous note, Trace Terry scored two goals in BG's win over Bradley. The 2023 match saw Terry score midway through the first half, before BU tied the match on a second-half penalty kick. Then, Terry scored the eventual winner, off of an Andrew Shaffer assist, in the 83rd minute.
• On Saturday night, Terry scored midway through the opening half, before the Braves tied the match on a second-half PK. Then, Terry scored the winner in the 87th minute, off of a Shaffer assist.
• (The 2023 match saw Jake Lane score as well, for a 3-1 BGSU win.)

HIGHLIGHTS
• 10' | Alberto Anaya hit a low shot from distance, that forced Bradley's starting goalkeeper, Drew Berry, to tip it wide of the far post with a diving effort.
• 14' | Anthony Hernandez stole a wayward pass just over midfield, and – seeing that Berry had strayed from the goalmouth – the sophomore fired a long shot, but the ball went just wide right.
• 17' | Berry dove to grab a cross from Bennett Painter, and was injured as he hit the ground. The Braves' starting 'keeper was forced to leave the match, and was replaced by Alex Grow.
• 22' | The Falcons took the lead midway through the opening half. From the center of the park, Jake Bergin played a long ball ahead to Trace Terry, who raced into the penalty area and got his head on the ball. Terry's shot went past the onrushing Grow and toward the goal. Bradley defender Ethan Beauman-Ansah raced toward the ball with Painter on his heels. Beauman-Ansah attempted to clear the ball with a sliding effort, and the ball hit the left post and rolled across the goal line. Painter wheeled and blasted it into the net.
• Initially, the goal was credited to Painter, but it was later determined that Terry's shot had indeed crossed the line before Beauman-Ansah's clearing attempt.
• 31' | With just under 15 minutes remaining in the first half, a straight red card was shown to Bradley's Claudel Ngongang. Kyle Cusimano was injured on the play, and was forced to leave the match, but returned to the contest less than two minutes later, with his head wrapped in a bandage. He played the remainder of the contest.
• 38' | Painter stole the ball from a Bradley player on the left side of the field, deep in the BGSU offensive end. The sophomore brought the ball along the end line and played a short cross, but a defender was able to knock it out of play with a sliding effort.
• 40' | The 10-man Braves were very dangerous in the latter minutes of the opening half. After taking just one shot in the first 39 minutes, the hosts fired three shots in under two minutes.
• First, a shot by Joao Saraiva went through traffic and rang off the post. Then, after another shot was wide right, the Braves got the ball back and another Saraiva was headed away from the goal line by defender Gus Peacock for a 'team save.'
• 46' | Just 30 seconds into the second half, a left-side cross found the boot of Anaya, who hit a quick shot that was blocked on the left side of the penalty area.
• 59' | With 31:34 to go, a penalty kick was awarded to Bradley, and Kevin Mejias converted the kick to tie the match.
• 59' | Almost immediately after the kickoff, the Falcons took the ball into the Braves' end of the field, and Painter hit a shot off of a left-side cross. It was blocked by a defender for a 'team save' for the hosts, and Andrew Shaffer's follow-up try went over the crossbar.
• 64' | Bergin put Terry past the defense on the right side of the box, and Terry's hard shot forced Grow into a diving fingertip save. The ball rolled inches wide of the left post. Then, off of the ensuing corner kick, a header by Josh Erlandson was blocked off of the line by a BU defender for the third 'team save' of the night.
• 72' | After working a combination play with Hernandez on the left side of the field, Mads Christensen flicked the ball toward goal with the outside of his foot. The ball glanced off the top of the bar and out for a goal kick.
• 80' | Brendan Graves made a great reaction save with under 10 minutes to go. A free kick from the right side found Alex Nicastro on the left side of the box Nicastro's header was deflected by a BG defender. Graves, who had reacted to Nicastro's original shot, was able to adjust and make an impressive point-blank stop off of the deflection.
• 85' | Shaffer played a gorgeous diagonal ball from the right side. Cusimano ran toward it at the far post, but it was headed away by a defender at the last second. Off of the resulting corner kick, a shot by Taylor Dyson was blocked.
• 87' | The Falcons took the lead with just 3:37 to go. Peacock blocked a clearing attempt by a Bradley player, knocking the ball forward to Shaffer. Shaffer, with a defender shadowing him, lofted a cross into the center of the box. Terry outjumped both Grow and a defender to head the ball into the center of the goal from approximately six yards out.
• 89' | The Falcons weren't out of the proverbial woods just yet, however. Nicastro put another header on frame with just over a minute to go. The shot was struck with great force, but Graves made a diving save near the left post to preserve the lead and the win.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• BGSU had advantages of 14-8 in total shot attempts, 7-4 in shots on goal and 7-2 in corner kicks.
• Graves made two saves in the win, while Berry (one save in 16-plus minutes) and Grow (two stops in the final 73-plus minutes) combined for three.
• Terry's game-winning goal was his second of the season and the fourth of his BGSU career. He also scored the winner in last year's BGSU-Bradley match.
• Terry now has team-leading totals of six goals and 13 points this season.
• Andrew Shaffer had the assist on Terry's GWG. Shaffer now has seven points, including a team-best five assists, this season.
• Shaffer's game-winning assist was the second of his career. His other GWA also came on a Terry goal vs. Bradley with under 10 minutes to go, breaking a 1-1 tie.
• Terry now has career totals of 21 goals and 31 points, while Shaffer has 23 career points, including nine assists.
• Jake Bergin's assist was his first of the year and the third of his BGSU career.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons return home for the next two matches, beginning with a Tuesday (Sept. 24) meeting with Eastern Illinois. First touch for the non-conference matchup is set for 7:00 p.m., and admission is free.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will return to MVC play on Friday (Sept. 27), hosting Belmont in another 7:00 p.m. start.

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.