2023 Men's Soccer Roster
Jersey Number 33
Brendan Graves
- Position:
- Goalkeeper
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 175
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Perrysburg, Ohio
- High School:
- Perrysburg
- Prev School:
- Pacesetter SC
Bio
 |
Bowling Green |
- Named to the All-MVC Second Team
- Also named to the MVC's All-Tournament Team
- Named to the Academic All-District® Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, earning that honor for the third consecutive year
- And, was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team
- Chosen to both OCSA All-Ohio Second Team and the Academic All-Ohio First Team
- Earned the MVC's Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award, and was named to the MVC Honor Roll
- A team captain for the second-straight season
- Started all 20 matches
- For the third season in a row, played every second of every match
- Had 79 saves, six shutouts and a 1.19 GAA
- In MVC regular-season play, had 28 saves, a saves pct. of .800, three shutouts and a GAA of just 0.88
- Was 17th in the nation in goalkeeper minutes played (1808:09)
- Tied for first in the MVC and 36th in the nation in shutouts
- Ranked 14th in the country in total saves, and was 42nd nationally in both save pct. (.767) and saves per game (3.95)
- Made two saves in the come-from-behind win over Wright State
- Those two saves included a spectacular diving stop with the game tied midway through the second half
- Had one of the finest games of his Falcon career, making six saves in a shutout win at Michigan State
- Few, if any, of those six saves were anything close to routine, and he also broke up numerous other scoring chances
- Made two stops in the win at IU Indy
- The only goal he allowed in that match came on a penalty kick
- Had four saves at Michigan
- Was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3
- Made five stops in the win over Butler, and had two saves at Northern Kentucky
- Made two more saves in a win at Bradley, with BU's lone goal coming on a PK
- Had four saves in a shutout victory over Eastern Illinois
- Recorded three stops en route to his second-straight clean sheet, this time vs. Belmont
- For his efforts in those two shutout wins, was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 1
- Tied his career high with 10 saves at UIC
- Made four stops in the Falcons' 5-2 win over Detroit Mercy
- Picked up his fourth shutout of the season with three saves against Drake
- Had five saves, stopping a breakaway early in the second half, in BG's match at #15 Missouri State
- Made one save at Evansville
- Earned a shutout in BGSU's 3-0 win over #14 Western Michigan at Cochrane Stadium
- His four saves vs. the Broncos included a pair of spectacular stops in the second half
- Named MVC Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 5, earning that honor for the third time in 2024
- Made five stops at Oregon State
- Had seven saves in the Falcons' 4-1 win over UIC in the MVC Tournament
- The save total was his second-highest of the season, behind only his total in the regular-season meeting with UIC
- Made five saves in BG's 1-0 win vs. Drake in the league tourney semifinal round
- The shutout vs. the Bulldogs was his sixth of the season and the 17th of his career
- Again made five saves three days later, in the MVC Tournament's championship match vs. Evansville
2023 | Senior
- A 2023 team captain
- Named to the Academic All-District® Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, earning that honor for the second consecutive year
- Also named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team
- Made the OCSA Academic All-Ohio First Team for the second year in a row
- Named to the Preseason All-MVC Team
- Played every second of every match in goal for the second-straight season
- Had 84 saves, a pair of clean sheets and a 1.67 goals-against average despite seeing multiple center-backs miss large chunks of playing time due to injuries
- Tied for ninth in the nation in total saves, and ranked 16th in saves per game (4.67)
- Made 42 saves in MVC matches and 42 stops in non-league play
- Earned the win in the season-opening win over Cleveland State, making one save
- Had four stops at Michigan State
- Made a career-high 10 saves, including several world-class stops, at Duquesne
- Had four more saves in the Falcons' win over Michigan
- Made three saves to earn his first shutout of the season vs. DePaul
- Had two stops in the win over Northern Kentucky
- Tied his career best with 10 saves, including nine in the first half, at Western Michigan in BGSU's first-ever MVC match
- Had six saves at Wright State
- Made seven saves, allowing only a penalty-kick goal, in BGSU's first-ever MVC victory, a 3-1 triumph vs. Bradley
- Had nine saves, including three in the final five minutes, in the Falcons' win over Evansville
- Made a first-half save of a penalty kick against the Purple Aces
- Earned his second shutout of the season at Detroit Mercy, making two saves
- Made five stops at Maryland, and had two saves at Belmont
- Had six saves in BGSU's 3-1 win over UIC
- Made one save in another 3-1 victory, this time on the road against Drake
- Five saves vs. nationally-ranked Missouri State, and two stops at Northern Illinois
- Made five saves in the MVC Tournament match vs. NIU
2022 | Junior
- Had one of the top seasons by a goalkeeper in BGSU history
- Named the MAC's co-Goalkeeper of the Year
- Also named to the All-MAC First Team
- And, was named to the Academic All-District® Team, selected by College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA)
- Chosen to the OCSA Academic All-Ohio First Team
- Named to the Academic All-MAC Team
- Played every second of every match, with 43 saves, a saves pct. of .811 and a goals-against average of just 0.63
- Had seven shutouts in 16 matches, allowing just 10 goals (two on PKs) all season
- Ranked eighth in the entire nation in GAA, while ranking 15th in saves pct. and 26th in shutouts
- Made three saves to earn the shutout in the season opener at DePaul
- Had five saves and allowed just one goal at Loyola (Ill.) two days later
- Made one stop in the home opener vs. Ohio State, and the lone goal he allowed came on a PK
- Kept a clean sheet at Michigan, making one save
- Had three saves, including a diving stop with under 10 minutes to go, vs. Michigan State
- Made two saves in the Falcons' 3-1 win at Air Force
- Kept a clean sheet vs. Oakland, making three stops
- Had three saves at Georgetown
- Made three saves in the 1-1 draw vs. #20 Akron at Cochrane
- Made two stops in a shutout win at Chicago State
- Had two saves en route to a second-straight clean sheet, this time against the #20 Zips on the road
- Recorded his third consecutive shutout with five saves in a home win over Chicago State
- For his efforts vs. UA and CSU, earned honorable mention on the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week (Oct. 25)
- Finally saw his shutout streak come to an end at over 430 minutes, but picked up the win in BG's 3-1 triumph at Northern Illinois
- Made three saves vs. the Huskies, and had five stops at Western Michigan
- Had two saves en route to his seventh shutout of the season in BGSU's home win over NIU
2021 | Sophomore
- Played in six matches, starting the final six contests of the season
- Had 15 saves, a 2-3-1 record and two shutouts
- Also had a goals-against average of 1.61, and a GAA of 1.35 in MAC matches
- Had the first complete-match shutout of his career in his 2021 season debut
- Made two saves in BGSU's 3-0 win at Oakland
- Four days later, made his Cochrane Stadium debut and had seven saves in a 1-1 draw vs. Western Michigan
- For his efforts vs. Oakland and WMU, was named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week on Nov. 2
- Made four stops at West Virginia
- Had one save in the MAC Tournament semifinal at Northern Illinois
- Became just the second 'keeper in program history to record a shutout in the NCAA Championships, joining BGSU Hall-of-Famer Scott Vallow on that list
- Had one save as the Falcons posted a 1-0 shutout win at Louisville in the first round of the NCAA tourney
- Started the national tourney second-round match at Indiana as well, playing all 90 minutes
2020(-21) | Freshman
- Played in one match in his initial season with the Falcons
- Had a 1-0-0 record, three saves and a 2.00 goals-against average
- Earned the win in his collegiate debut, playing all 90 minutes and making three stops in BG's 3-2 win over Dayton in the season opener
Perrysburg High School |
Perrysburg, Ohio |
- A four-year letterwinner at Perrysburg H.S. (‘20), where he was coached by former BGSU men’s soccer goalkeeper Brandon Decker
- A three-year team captain who posted 25 career shutouts for the Yellow Jackets
- Named a High School All American by both Allstate and Bimbo
- Named to the All-Ohio Division I First Team by OSSCA
- Also a USC All-Region selection
- Earned all-conference (Northern Lakes League) honors in all four seasons, including first-team accolades in each of his final two years
- A three-time All-District First-Team choice
- National Honor Society
- Also a member of student council and Youth Leadership Toledo
Personal |
- Born in Toledo, Ohio
- Son of Christopher and Michelle Graves
- An only child
- Has played club ball for Pacesetter SC, helping that club to a State Cup championship as well as a regional semifinal appearance
- Also has played for Toledo Villa
- Favorite athlete is Derek Jeter
- Lists his parents as his biggest influences
- A business analytics & intelligence major at BGSU
GRAVES ON BGSU
“From a young ball boy, to attending ID camps, I have witnessed how family oriented this team is. After my visit, Bowling Green felt like home. The coaches and players as well as the staff and other students were all very welcoming and kind. In addition, the morals and values of the soccer program were very appealing and the academic programs are highly regarded in my desired major. I am excited to be a part of this strong program and university."
Eric Nichols Post-Match Interview (Sept. 5, 2025)
Saturday, September 06
BG VB : Postgame Interview Sept. 5 (Stacey Clark Classic Game 3)
Friday, September 05
BG VB : Postgame Interview Sept. 4 (Stacey Clark Classic Game 2)
Friday, September 05
BGSU Football Commercial 2025
Thursday, September 04
