Bowling Green State University Athletics
Saturday, November 1
Bowling Green, Ohio
3:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
11-5-1, 1-2-1MAC
2
vs
1
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Western Michigan (Senior Day)
8-5-4, 2-1-1MAC
1
2
OT 2
F
Western Michigan
0
1
0
1
Bowling Green
0
1
1
2
Max Auden had the first two-goal game of his BGSU career
Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications
Doubleheader! Auden, Falcons Rally Past League-Leading WMU, 2-1
November 01, 2014 | Men's Soccer
Redshirt soph scores late in second half, again in OT to keep BGSU alive in MAC tourney race
Redshirt sophomore Max Auden scored late in regulation, then again in overtime as the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team rallied for a 2-1 win over Western Michigan University Saturday afternoon (Nov. 1). The Mid-American Conference match was held at Cochrane Field.
LINKS
FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS: Auden | Roth | Nichols
PHOTO GALLERY: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing & Communications
With the win, the Falcons improve to 11-5-1 overall and 1-2-1 in MAC play, and BGSU remains alive for a MAC Tournament berth. The Broncos, who entered the day in first place in the MAC, drop to 8-5-4 and 2-1-1, respectively.
The two-goal game was the first of Auden's collegiate career. Both goals came on headers, with sophomore Jacob Roth earning the assist in each case.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Falcons sit in fifth place in the MAC standings, with the top-four teams advancing to the MAC Tournament. BGSU can clinch a berth in the league tournament with a win in the final MAC match (at Northern Illinois next Saturday), along with a loss by either WMU or Buffalo, or a Buffalo tie. The Broncos host West Virginia next Saturday, while UB plays at Akron. A BG tie at NIU, combined with a UB loss, would also put the Falcons into the league tourney.
"We painted ourselves into a corner," said Falcon head coach Eric Nichols. "We had to get some sort of a result today. Even a tie probably would have left a little hope, but a win definitely gives us hope. We have work to do, and business to take care of, but this win was huge."
After a scoreless first half, the intensity gradually increased during the second period, and the final few minutes of regulation and the overtime were almost surreal.
The Broncos took the lead midway through the second half, as Carlos Suarez knocked home a cross that was deflected by BGSU redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Heuton. But, Auden and the Falcons equalized with just under 15 minutes remaining in regulation, as the redshirt sophomore headed Roth's corner kick home at the near post.
With only 11 seconds left in the second half, WMU's Zach Bock was issued a yellow card after colliding with Heuton as the Falcon 'keeper gathered in a ball that was sent into the penalty area. The card was Bock's second of the match, meaning the Broncos would play a man short for the rest of the afternoon.
The Broncos got off to a fast start in the OT period, however. Western won a corner kick in the opening minute of the period, and off of that corner, a header by Nick Wysong rang off the crossbar. The rebound came to a WMU teammate, who fired a shot toward the lower left-hand corner of the goal, where it was blocked by Falcon sophomore Joe Sullivan on the goal line. Sullivan was whistled for a handball and issued a red card, and the Broncos were awarded a penalty kick.
Sean Conerty, who had hit the crossbar with a shot of his own late in regulation, stepped up to take that PK, but Heuton made the save with a diving effort to his right. During the battle for the rebound, Heuton was shaken up as he corralled the ball in traffic, and he was replaced in the match by fellow redshirt sophomore Nick Landsberger.
With the teams playing 10-v-10 soccer, the Falcons had three of the next four shot attempts of the match, but none of those four shots was on target. Finally, with the clock winding down, the Falcons controlled the ball near midfield. Roth took the ball into the WMU end of the field on the right side, and fired a long, diagonal ball into the box, where Auden rose above a host of players to head the ball past WMU 'keeper Drew Shepherd and into the net, sparking a wild BGSU celebration. The winning goal came with just 14 seconds left in the period.
The Falcons had a 17-12 advantage in total shot attempts, but the Broncos put seven shots on goal to BG's four. Heuton made six saves in 91-plus minutes of action, while Landsberger did not face a shot on goal in his eight-and-a-half-minute stint in net.
At the other end of the field, Shepherd made two saves for the Broncos.
The teams combined for only one shot on goal in the opening 25 minutes. That shot came off the foot of Suarez, after a ball had squirted through the BG defense, but Heuton smothered the shot attempt on the left side of the box. BG had a threat several minutes later, after Sullivan was fouled in the WMU end, but senior Danny Baraldi's free kick was blocked, and junior Ryan James' effort on the rebound sailed over the goal.
In the 19th minute, a Baraldi pass nearly sent sophomore Pat Flynn, the MAC's leading scorer, past the defense, but a Bronco backliner blocked the ball at the last second. Two minutes later, Roth's long ball into the box was settled by Sullivan, but the assistant referee's flag was raised, indicating offside against the Falcons.
Just over six minutes remained in the period when the Falcons had a solid scoring chance. Sullivan slid a pass to Baraldi, who fired a shot toward the far side of the net. Shepherd, however, made an acrobatic save, diving to deflect the ball wide of the frame for a corner kick. Off of that corner, the ball found its way to freshman Ian Haskin, who blasted a shot that went wide of the mark. Haskin's shot was the final shot attempt of the half.
The second half saw the Broncos get off to a quick start. Less than a minute into the half, Heuton was tested by Edu Jimenez, but the BG 'keeper made the save. Heuton punched away the ensuing corner kick, and senior defender Jon Kumher cleared the next WMU corner.
At the other end of the field, Sullivan slid a pass to Baraldi on the left side of the box, but the senior's shot sliced wide left.
Nine minutes into the period, the Broncos' Sean Hazen cut the ball back to beat a BG defender on the right side of the penalty area, but his shot was easily grabbed by Heuton. Several minutes later, though, the visitors broke on top.
The Bronco goal came when Kyle Farris played a cross into the box from the right side. The dipping, knuckling ball sailed into the goalmouth, where Heuton got a hand on it with a diving effort. The ball rolled directly into the path of Suarez in the center of the six-yard box, however, and the WMU junior tapped the ball into the net at the 63:30 mark.
With exactly 15 minutes left, though, the Falcons tied the score as Roth's corner kick found the head of Auden at the near post. The Naperville, Ill., met the corner with a bullet of a header, and there was nothing Shepherd could do as the ball sailed past him and into the net.
Just under 12 minutes remained in regulation when Haskin's diagonal ball found fellow freshman Chase Betenson on the left side. Shepherd made the save on Betenson's shot near the left post, but the Falcons regained possession and maintained pressure on the WMU defense. The Broncos bent but didn't break, as a Flynn cross/shot was blocked, and a shot by Auden was also deflected by a defender.
As the clock ticked down toward the four-minute mark, Auden played a ball ahead to Flynn near the top of the 18-yard box. Flynn, blanketed by three or four Bronco defenders, maintained possession admirably, but could not find enough free space to take a shot.
At the other end of the field, Conerty blasted a shot with 2:07 left, and the ball banged off the crossbar and back into play. That was the last shot attempt of regulation, as WMU won a corner kick with 30 seconds left, but that sequence ended with a foul and the yellow/red card issued to Bock.
That set the stage for the frantic nine-plus minutes of overtime, which saw Auden become the second Falcon -- and the second Naperville, Ill., native -- in as many games to score a 'Golden Goal.'
The Falcons step outside of MAC play for a midweek match vs. Wright State University. The teams meet on Tuesday night (Nov. 4) in their annual battle for the I-75 Cup. The WSU match, BG's final home contest of the season, will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane. Then, on Saturday (Nov. 8), BGSU closes the regular-season with the MAC matchup at Northern Illinois.
FALCON NOTES
* Saturday was Senior Day for the BGSU men's soccer program, and the team's three seniors were recognized in ceremonies prior to the match. That trio included Danny Baraldi, Jon Kumher and Vlad Lekarev.
* The Falcons' total of 11 wins is the program's highest in 17 years. No BGSU team has won as many as 11 matches since the 1997 Falcons went 18-6-0 en route to a third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
* Saturday's WMU match marked the first time in 2014 that BGSU has come back to win a game in which the Falcons were trailing. BGSU is now 1-5-0 in such matches this season.
* The Falcons are now 3-1-1 in overtime matches this season. BG's three OT wins are the most in a season since 2001. That team also went 3-1-1 in such matches.
* Max Auden became the second BGSU sophomore from Naperville, Ill., to score a 'Golden Goal' in as many games. Pat Flynn scored at the 108:42 mark in the Falcons' 1-0 win at Detroit on Wednesday (Oct. 29).
* BGSU's top-three scorers all are Naperville natives. Flynn has 29 points this season, while Joe Sullivan has 13 and Auden 11.
* Auden's two-goal game was the first of his BGSU career. He has four career goals as a Falcon, all coming this season.
* Auden's brace marked the fifth time this season a BG player has scored two or more goals in a match. Flynn has done so on three occasions, with a school record-tying five goals vs. Findlay and two goals vs. both Niagara and Eastern Illinois. Sullivan also had a pair of goals in the Niagara match.
* The win was the 100th in the head-coaching career of Eric Nichols. Nichols, in his sixth season with the Falcons, now has an overall head-coaching record of 100-72-20. He spent four years (2004-07) as the head coach at Ohio Dominican.
* Sophomore Jacob Roth had his third two-assist game of the season on Saturday. Roth also had a pair of assists in the wins over Findlay and Niagara.
* On the year, Roth has a team-leading eight assists, the highest total by a Falcon since Danny Baraldi had eight helpers in the 2011 season.
* Roth and Baraldi each have 10 points this season to date, joining the aforementioned Naperville trio in double digits. This season marks the first time five players have scored at least 10 points apiece since the 1997 season, when a whopping nine players did so.
* BGSU has scored 30 goals this fall to date, the program's highest total since the 1999 team scored 35 times.
* The Falcons have scored 11 of those goals -- including each of the three goals in this week's two games -- in the 76th minute or later. Seven of those 11 goals have come with the score tied and given BGSU the lead for good.
* Falcon opponents have converted on just 2-of-5 penalty kicks this season. Redshirt sophomores Ryan Heuton (vs. WMU) and Nick Landsberger (at Ohio State) each have saved one PK this fall, while another opponent PK (vs. Michigan State) hit the crossbar.
* BGSU is now 6-1-0 this season, and 27-4-4 in the Eric Nichols Era, when scoring two or more goals in a game.
LINKS
FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS: Auden | Roth | Nichols
PHOTO GALLERY: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing & Communications
With the win, the Falcons improve to 11-5-1 overall and 1-2-1 in MAC play, and BGSU remains alive for a MAC Tournament berth. The Broncos, who entered the day in first place in the MAC, drop to 8-5-4 and 2-1-1, respectively.
The two-goal game was the first of Auden's collegiate career. Both goals came on headers, with sophomore Jacob Roth earning the assist in each case.
| M A C S T A N D I N G S & S C H E D U L E | ||
| Team (Overall) | MAC (Pts.) | Remaining MAC Match |
| Akron (10-5-1) | 3-1-0 (9) | v Buffalo |
| Western Michigan (8-5-4) | 2-1-1 (7) | v West Virginia |
| West Virginia (10-6-1) | 2-1-1 (7) | @ Western Mich. |
| Buffalo (5-9-2) | 1-1-2 (5) | @ Akron |
| Bowling Green (11-5-1) | 1-2-1 (4) | @ Northern Ill. |
| Northern Illinois (3-8-5) | 0-3-1 (1) | v Bowling Green |
Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Falcons sit in fifth place in the MAC standings, with the top-four teams advancing to the MAC Tournament. BGSU can clinch a berth in the league tournament with a win in the final MAC match (at Northern Illinois next Saturday), along with a loss by either WMU or Buffalo, or a Buffalo tie. The Broncos host West Virginia next Saturday, while UB plays at Akron. A BG tie at NIU, combined with a UB loss, would also put the Falcons into the league tourney.
"We painted ourselves into a corner," said Falcon head coach Eric Nichols. "We had to get some sort of a result today. Even a tie probably would have left a little hope, but a win definitely gives us hope. We have work to do, and business to take care of, but this win was huge."
After a scoreless first half, the intensity gradually increased during the second period, and the final few minutes of regulation and the overtime were almost surreal.
The Broncos took the lead midway through the second half, as Carlos Suarez knocked home a cross that was deflected by BGSU redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Heuton. But, Auden and the Falcons equalized with just under 15 minutes remaining in regulation, as the redshirt sophomore headed Roth's corner kick home at the near post.
With only 11 seconds left in the second half, WMU's Zach Bock was issued a yellow card after colliding with Heuton as the Falcon 'keeper gathered in a ball that was sent into the penalty area. The card was Bock's second of the match, meaning the Broncos would play a man short for the rest of the afternoon.
The Broncos got off to a fast start in the OT period, however. Western won a corner kick in the opening minute of the period, and off of that corner, a header by Nick Wysong rang off the crossbar. The rebound came to a WMU teammate, who fired a shot toward the lower left-hand corner of the goal, where it was blocked by Falcon sophomore Joe Sullivan on the goal line. Sullivan was whistled for a handball and issued a red card, and the Broncos were awarded a penalty kick.
Sean Conerty, who had hit the crossbar with a shot of his own late in regulation, stepped up to take that PK, but Heuton made the save with a diving effort to his right. During the battle for the rebound, Heuton was shaken up as he corralled the ball in traffic, and he was replaced in the match by fellow redshirt sophomore Nick Landsberger.
With the teams playing 10-v-10 soccer, the Falcons had three of the next four shot attempts of the match, but none of those four shots was on target. Finally, with the clock winding down, the Falcons controlled the ball near midfield. Roth took the ball into the WMU end of the field on the right side, and fired a long, diagonal ball into the box, where Auden rose above a host of players to head the ball past WMU 'keeper Drew Shepherd and into the net, sparking a wild BGSU celebration. The winning goal came with just 14 seconds left in the period.
The Falcons had a 17-12 advantage in total shot attempts, but the Broncos put seven shots on goal to BG's four. Heuton made six saves in 91-plus minutes of action, while Landsberger did not face a shot on goal in his eight-and-a-half-minute stint in net.
At the other end of the field, Shepherd made two saves for the Broncos.
The teams combined for only one shot on goal in the opening 25 minutes. That shot came off the foot of Suarez, after a ball had squirted through the BG defense, but Heuton smothered the shot attempt on the left side of the box. BG had a threat several minutes later, after Sullivan was fouled in the WMU end, but senior Danny Baraldi's free kick was blocked, and junior Ryan James' effort on the rebound sailed over the goal.
In the 19th minute, a Baraldi pass nearly sent sophomore Pat Flynn, the MAC's leading scorer, past the defense, but a Bronco backliner blocked the ball at the last second. Two minutes later, Roth's long ball into the box was settled by Sullivan, but the assistant referee's flag was raised, indicating offside against the Falcons.
Just over six minutes remained in the period when the Falcons had a solid scoring chance. Sullivan slid a pass to Baraldi, who fired a shot toward the far side of the net. Shepherd, however, made an acrobatic save, diving to deflect the ball wide of the frame for a corner kick. Off of that corner, the ball found its way to freshman Ian Haskin, who blasted a shot that went wide of the mark. Haskin's shot was the final shot attempt of the half.
The second half saw the Broncos get off to a quick start. Less than a minute into the half, Heuton was tested by Edu Jimenez, but the BG 'keeper made the save. Heuton punched away the ensuing corner kick, and senior defender Jon Kumher cleared the next WMU corner.
At the other end of the field, Sullivan slid a pass to Baraldi on the left side of the box, but the senior's shot sliced wide left.
Nine minutes into the period, the Broncos' Sean Hazen cut the ball back to beat a BG defender on the right side of the penalty area, but his shot was easily grabbed by Heuton. Several minutes later, though, the visitors broke on top.
The Bronco goal came when Kyle Farris played a cross into the box from the right side. The dipping, knuckling ball sailed into the goalmouth, where Heuton got a hand on it with a diving effort. The ball rolled directly into the path of Suarez in the center of the six-yard box, however, and the WMU junior tapped the ball into the net at the 63:30 mark.
With exactly 15 minutes left, though, the Falcons tied the score as Roth's corner kick found the head of Auden at the near post. The Naperville, Ill., met the corner with a bullet of a header, and there was nothing Shepherd could do as the ball sailed past him and into the net.
Just under 12 minutes remained in regulation when Haskin's diagonal ball found fellow freshman Chase Betenson on the left side. Shepherd made the save on Betenson's shot near the left post, but the Falcons regained possession and maintained pressure on the WMU defense. The Broncos bent but didn't break, as a Flynn cross/shot was blocked, and a shot by Auden was also deflected by a defender.
As the clock ticked down toward the four-minute mark, Auden played a ball ahead to Flynn near the top of the 18-yard box. Flynn, blanketed by three or four Bronco defenders, maintained possession admirably, but could not find enough free space to take a shot.
At the other end of the field, Conerty blasted a shot with 2:07 left, and the ball banged off the crossbar and back into play. That was the last shot attempt of regulation, as WMU won a corner kick with 30 seconds left, but that sequence ended with a foul and the yellow/red card issued to Bock.
That set the stage for the frantic nine-plus minutes of overtime, which saw Auden become the second Falcon -- and the second Naperville, Ill., native -- in as many games to score a 'Golden Goal.'
The Falcons step outside of MAC play for a midweek match vs. Wright State University. The teams meet on Tuesday night (Nov. 4) in their annual battle for the I-75 Cup. The WSU match, BG's final home contest of the season, will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane. Then, on Saturday (Nov. 8), BGSU closes the regular-season with the MAC matchup at Northern Illinois.
FALCON NOTES
* Saturday was Senior Day for the BGSU men's soccer program, and the team's three seniors were recognized in ceremonies prior to the match. That trio included Danny Baraldi, Jon Kumher and Vlad Lekarev.
* The Falcons' total of 11 wins is the program's highest in 17 years. No BGSU team has won as many as 11 matches since the 1997 Falcons went 18-6-0 en route to a third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
* Saturday's WMU match marked the first time in 2014 that BGSU has come back to win a game in which the Falcons were trailing. BGSU is now 1-5-0 in such matches this season.
* The Falcons are now 3-1-1 in overtime matches this season. BG's three OT wins are the most in a season since 2001. That team also went 3-1-1 in such matches.
* Max Auden became the second BGSU sophomore from Naperville, Ill., to score a 'Golden Goal' in as many games. Pat Flynn scored at the 108:42 mark in the Falcons' 1-0 win at Detroit on Wednesday (Oct. 29).
* BGSU's top-three scorers all are Naperville natives. Flynn has 29 points this season, while Joe Sullivan has 13 and Auden 11.
* Auden's two-goal game was the first of his BGSU career. He has four career goals as a Falcon, all coming this season.
* Auden's brace marked the fifth time this season a BG player has scored two or more goals in a match. Flynn has done so on three occasions, with a school record-tying five goals vs. Findlay and two goals vs. both Niagara and Eastern Illinois. Sullivan also had a pair of goals in the Niagara match.
* The win was the 100th in the head-coaching career of Eric Nichols. Nichols, in his sixth season with the Falcons, now has an overall head-coaching record of 100-72-20. He spent four years (2004-07) as the head coach at Ohio Dominican.
* Sophomore Jacob Roth had his third two-assist game of the season on Saturday. Roth also had a pair of assists in the wins over Findlay and Niagara.
* On the year, Roth has a team-leading eight assists, the highest total by a Falcon since Danny Baraldi had eight helpers in the 2011 season.
* Roth and Baraldi each have 10 points this season to date, joining the aforementioned Naperville trio in double digits. This season marks the first time five players have scored at least 10 points apiece since the 1997 season, when a whopping nine players did so.
* BGSU has scored 30 goals this fall to date, the program's highest total since the 1999 team scored 35 times.
* The Falcons have scored 11 of those goals -- including each of the three goals in this week's two games -- in the 76th minute or later. Seven of those 11 goals have come with the score tied and given BGSU the lead for good.
* Falcon opponents have converted on just 2-of-5 penalty kicks this season. Redshirt sophomores Ryan Heuton (vs. WMU) and Nick Landsberger (at Ohio State) each have saved one PK this fall, while another opponent PK (vs. Michigan State) hit the crossbar.
* BGSU is now 6-1-0 this season, and 27-4-4 in the Eric Nichols Era, when scoring two or more goals in a game.
Team Stats
WMU
BGSU
Goals
1
2
Shots
12
17
Shots on Goal
7
4
Saves
2
6
Corners
11
3
Fouls
17
15
Scoring Plays
.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
SUAREZ, Carlos (4)
Assisted By: FARRIS, Kyle
Knocked home loose ball after GK deflect
63:30
AUDEN, Max (3)
Assisted By: ROTH, Jacob
Headed in corner kick at near post
75:02
AUDEN, Max (4)
Assisted By: ROTH, Jacob
Heads 18's diagonal ball into the right
99:46
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
2
Shots
5
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's SoccerD/M
/ Men's Soccer
M
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Friday, September 19
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Wednesday, September 17
Off The Pitch: Andrew Shaffer (Sept. 11, 2025)
Thursday, September 11