Xavier Strikes Late to Top Falcons, 2-0

Friday, September 4

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

1-4-0, 0-0-0

Xavier

3-0-1, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Bowling Green	0	0	0
Xavier	0	2	2

Photo by: IU Athletics

September 04, 2026 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Xavier University remained undefeated, scoring late to defeat the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team Friday night (Sept. 4), in non-conference action at Corcoran Field.

Jose Pedro scored a pair of goals for the host Musketeers (3-0-1). Pedro broke a scoreless draw with just 12:02 remaining in the match, as he pounced on the ball after a miscommunication in the BG back end, went in alone on Falcon goalkeeper Enzo Gil and gave the hosts the lead.

With the Falcons (1-4-0) pressing forward in the final minute of the match, Pedro scored on a counterattack with just three seconds to go.

Gil had four saves on the night. For the hosts, Jonny Mennell made two stops.

The Musketeers had advantages of 16-8 in total shot attempts and 6-2 in shots on goal. Xavier enjoyed a 15-2 lead in corner kicks – with six of those corners coming in a span of under three minutes late in the contest – but, the hosts did not score off of any of those 15 corner kicks.

The match started roughly 30 minutes later than scheduled due to inclement weather in the Cincinnati area.

STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• Nine of BGSU's starters played the entire match on Friday night, with a tenth – freshman Aidan Flanders – playing all but nine seconds. Flanders went to the sideline after a second-half injury, but upon the resumption of play, the ball went out of bounds almost immediately and Flanders returned to the field.
• Senior Saul Rios made his first start of the season and played 81 minutes vs. the Musketeers.
• Freshman Luciano Perez-Cernuda led the Falcons with three shot attempts on Friday night, and had both of BGSU's shots on goal in the match.
• The Falcons committed just six fouls in the Xavier match, the team's lowest total since last season's Drake contest (Oct. 18, 2025). BG has not been whistled for fewer than six fouls in four years (five at Air Force on Sept. 17, 2022).
• With Rios in the starting lineup on Friday night, a total of 16 different players have started at least one match this season to date. That total includes five freshmen and four sophomores.
• Of BGSU's four losses this season, three have come after the match was scoreless through at least 75 minutes. BGSU has allowed nine goals in five matches, and seven of those nine goals have come in the 76th minute or later.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons return home to meet DePaul next Friday night (Sept. 11). That contest will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and admission is free.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will return to the road for a pair of matches, taking on Milwaukee (Sept. 15) and Mercyhurst (Sept. 19), before opening the Missouri Valley Conference slate at home against Western Michigan on Friday, Sept. 25.

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.