Falcons Go West to Face NIU Saturday Night

Saturday, October 22

DeKalb, IL

7:00 PM CT

Bowling Green State University

Northern Illinois

Joe Sullivan - Aug 28 2016 v Appalachian St - Larry Clapper photo

Naperville native Joe Sullivan & the Falcons take on NIU Saturday night (Larry Clapper photo)

Photo by: Larry Clapper

October 20, 2016 | Men's Soccer

BGSU battles the Huskies in a key MAC matchup

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

FALCONS at NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Saturday, October 22 – 7:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. ET)
NIU Soccer Complex | DeKalb, Ill.
Live Stats: NIUHuskies.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer

FALCONS at FORT WAYNE
Tuesday, October 25 – 7:00 p.m.
Hefner Soccer Complex | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Live Stats: GoMastodons.com | Twitter: @BGSUmenssoccer

FOLLOW THE FALCONS...
Links to any live audio/video/stats will be available on the men's soccer schedule page at BGSUFalcons.com on match day

BGSU MEN'S SOCCER LINKS
This Week's Notes - PDF
2016 Season Releases/Notes
Falcons Earn NSCAA Team Academic Award
No. 18 Kentucky Gets Past Falcons in OT
BGSU Battles Broncos to 1-1 Draw
2016 BGSU Men's Soccer Media Guide | Schedule | Roster
Join the Falcon Club Today!

UP NEXT IN FALCON SOCCER
The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team, off to its best Mid-American Conference start in 14 years, hits the road for a league matchup this weekend. Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons face Northern Illinois University on Saturday night (Oct. 22), with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. locally (8:00 p.m. ET) at the NIU Soccer Complex.

Then, the Falcons will step outside of league play for one final time, taking on Fort Wayne on Tuesday evening (Oct. 25) at Hefner Soccer Complex. That match will wrap up a three-game road swing, and also will conclude a stretch of six road contests in a seven-game span. The Falcons and Mastodons will kick off at 7:00 p.m.

FREE ADMISSION / FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Again this season, admission to all Falcon men's and women's soccer home regular-season matches is free. Live stats will be available for each home game via BGSUFalcons.com. Twitter updates for all men's soccer action in 2016, both home and away, will be available via @BGSUmenssoccer. And, plans are in the works to broadcast several home matches on ESPN3.com. All of the pertinent information can be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com on the day of the match.

• In addition to live stats for each of the next two games, both the NIU and Fort Wayne matches are scheduled to have a live stream (fee required for both).

FAST START
• BGSU is off to a 1-0-1 start in MAC play. With 40 percent of the conference matches in the books, the Falcons are in second place in the six-team league with four points. BG was picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches poll.

• The Falcons' conference start is the program's best since 2002. That '02 team began league play with a pair of wins en route to a 4-1-0 league mark.

• The Falcons have not been undefeated after three MAC matches in two decades, since the 1996 team went a perfect 5-0-0 in conference play.

EVERY GAME IS A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
• Saturday's match at Northern Illinois is an important one (as they all are when there are only five MAC regular-season matches on the schedule). A win over NIU would go a long way toward earning a MAC Tournament berth. The top-four teams in the final regular-season standings will qualify for the league tournament.

• Currently, BGSU is second in the MAC, with four points (teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie). If the Falcons can post a win at NIU, BG would have seven points, and would clinch no worse than a tie with the Huskies in the final regular-season standings – and BG would hold the tiebreaker.

• Additionally, if the Falcons beat NIU and get to seven points, West Virginia would have to go 3-0-0 in the final three conference matches, all on the road, to pass the Falcons. Even a 2-0-1 finish by WVU would only allow the Mountaineers to tie BG with seven points – and again, BG would hold the tiebreaker.

• WVU plays at Akron on Saturday. A BG win over NIU, coupled with an Akron win over the Mountaineers, would clinch a league tourney berth for the Falcons.

• Finally ... a win over NIU would clinch no worse than a .500 record (2-2-1) for the Falcons. In each of the last two years – i.e., in the two years since the MAC dropped to six teams for men's soccer – teams finishing 2-2-1 have placed third. Two years ago, BGSU tied WVU for third place at 2-2-1, with both clubs making the tournament. Last fall, Buffalo went 2-2-1 and finished third in the conference.

SUCCESSFUL IN THE CLASSROOM AS WELL
• BGSU recently received the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2015-16 academic year, the NSCAA office announced. The award is given to soccer programs that have achieved a minimum team grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

• The Falcons had a team GPA of 3.235 in the 2015-16 academic year, with a 3.176 GPA in the fall semester and a 3.295 GPA in the spring semester.

• Nichols' team was recognized for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, and the men's soccer Falcons made the list for the eighth time overall.

A FEW THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons have an overall record of 8-4-2, and BGSU is 1-0-1 in MAC play. BG currently sits in second place in the six-team conference.

• BG opened the year with three multiple-goal wins at Cochrane Stadium, downing IUPUI, Appalachian State and Marshall. The Falcons scored 10 goals and conceded just one in those three matches.

• BG went on the road for the first time and picked up a win, as freshman Chris Brennan's goal with just four seconds remaining in the second overtime gave the Falcons a thrilling 1-0 victory at Cleveland State. But, the Brown and Orange then dropped two of the next three contests.

• The lone win during that three-game stretch was a 2-0 victory over Wright State in this year's battle for the I-75 Cup. Seniors Jacob Roth and Pat Flynn scored BG's goals vs. the Raiders.

• BG downed Ohio State by a 2-0 result before a crowd of over 2,500 fans at Cochrane. The Falcons then dropped a narrow 1-0 decision at #25 Michigan State, but rebounded with road wins in the next two contests.

• Those wins included a 2-1 victory at Northern Kentucky, with junior Alexis Souahy scoring both goals. Then, the Falcons got a goal from Flynn early in the second half and a clean sheet from freshman Anthony Mwembia, earning a 1-0 win over No. 22 West Virginia in Morgantown.

• BG's last two matches have required overtime. Last weekend, the Falcons battled Western Michigan to a 1-1 draw at Cochrane. And, on Tuesday night, No. 18 Kentucky got a goal in the 98th minute for a 1-0 victory over BG.

• BGSU is 5-0-2 at home and 3-4-0 on the road this season. The Falcons have outscored the opponents, 16-3, in the seven home matches, and BG has been outscored by a narrow 6-5 count in the seven road contests.

• The Falcons are 6-0-0 when scoring two or more goals this season. BGSU is 14-0-1 in such matches since the start of the 2015 season, and the Falcons are 44-4-5 when scoring at least two goals in the Eric Nichols Era.

• BGSU is ranked fifth in the Great Lakes Region in the latest NSCAA ratings. The Falcons have been ranked among the region's top-10 teams in all eight weeks this season, and the number-five ranking is a season best.

• Nine different players have scored at least one goal for the Falcons this season to date. Brennan has five goals, while Flynn has four and senior Joe Sullivan three.

• Flynn has a team-best 12 points, while Brennan has registered 10 points, Sullivan nine and freshman Robert Miller III eight. Roth has seven points, including a team-leading five assists.

• Mwembia has played 13 of the 14 matches in goal this season to date. He has 48 saves, six shutouts and a goals-against average of just 0.58. Mwembia leads the MAC in both GAA and saves percentage (.857). Redshirt freshman Noah Kummer played the full 90 minutes in the win at NKU, making three saves.

• A total of 21 players have seen action for the Falcons this fall to date, with 16 players making at least one start. Seven players – Flynn, Roth, Souahy, Sullivan, junior Brad Macomber, redshirt sophomore Bismark Agyeman and true soph Tate Robertson – each have started all 14 matches.

• BGSU is 3-0-0 this fall and 16-0-0 all-time when Flynn scores a goal. The Falcons are 3-0-2 when Brennan finds the back of the net.

• The Falcons have a record of 31-19-4 (.611) since the beginning of the 2014 season. The '14 team went 14-6-1, posting the program's most wins in nearly two decades (since 1997), and advanced to the MAC Tournament's championship match for the first time since 2003. Last year's team finished 9-9-1, marking only the second time since 2000 that BGSU had won as many as nine games in a season.

• The Falcons' loss at UK was BG's first setback in a night game this year. BGSU is now 7-1-2 in night games in 2016. All of the team's remaining regular-season contests are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET or later.

A HOMECOMING OF SORTS
Four members of the Falcons are Illinois natives and will play near their respective hometowns on Saturday night. Three of the program's four seniors – Max Auden, Pat Flynn and Joe Sullivan – call Naperville home, while redshirt sophomore Billy Larsen hails from St. Charles, Ill.

SCOUTING NIU
Northern Illinois has an overall record of 1-8-4, and the Huskies are 0-1-1 in MAC play heading into Saturday's match. Northern lost a 2-0 decision to nationally-ranked Loyola (Ill.) on Tuesday night. Individually, Kevin Rodriguez leads the team with five points. He and Max Voss have two goals apiece this fall. In goal, Drew Donnally has started 11 of the Huskies' 13 matches, and has 43 saves and a goals-against average of 1.97. A year ago, head coach Eric Luzzi's team finished 7-7-1 overall and 1-3-1 in the MAC. Luzzi welcomed back a total of 15 letterwinners, including eight starters, from that club.

A LOOK AT FORT WAYNE
Fort Wayne is 7-7-0 on the season, and the Mastodons are 1-2-0 in Summit League play, heading into a Saturday game at Eastern Illinois. The 'Dons are looking to snap a three-game losing streak, including a 2-0 loss to visiting Valparaiso on Tuesday evening. Three players have at least five goals this year to date, including Oscar Uyamadu, who leads the team with six goals and 14 points. Jacob Murphy also has six goals, and he has 13 points. In goal, Jorge Trujillo has 11 of the team's 14 decisions, and also has 39 saves and a 2.04 GAA. Coach Mike Harper returned 16 players from last year's team, which finished 5-12-0 overall and 2-4-0 in the Summit.

THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Northern Illinois, 17-9-1, in the all-time series between the teams, and the Huskies captured last year's meeting, 1-0 in overtime at Cochrane Stadium. Two years ago, in the Falcons' last trip to DeKalb, goals by Illinois natives Joe Sullivan and Max Auden lifted BG to a 2-1 win over Northern. Last year's NIU win snapped a three-match series unbeaten streak for the Brown and Orange. BG is 7-7-0 at home, 2-9-1 on the road and 0-1-0 in neutral-site meetings with the Huskies through the years.

• The Falcons lead IPFW, 9-4-2, in that series, and BG has won the last three meetings. The last two matchups, however, have been one-goal decisions. Last fall, Sullivan's goal with under nine minutes to go gave the Falcons a 3-2, come-from-behind win. Two years ago, BG got a goal with less than seven minutes left for a 1-0 win in Fort Wayne. The Falcons are 5-2-2 at home and 4-2-0 on the road vs. the 'Dons through the years.

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
Following the Fort Wayne match, the Falcons will conclude the regular-season schedule with two home matches. BGSU will face nationally-ranked Akron on Saturday, Oct. 29, before meeting Buffalo the following Saturday (Nov. 5). Both Mid-American Conference matches will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane, and the UB match will be 'Senior Night' for the Falcons, as the program's four seniors – Max Auden, Pat Flynn, Jacob Roth and Joe Sullivan – will be recognized in pre-game ceremonies.

BGSU MEN'S SOCCER - REMAINING REGULAR-SEASON MATCHES
Sat., Oct. 22 – at Northern Illinois, 7:00 CT *
Tue., Oct. 25 – at Fort Wayne, 7:00
Sat., Oct. 29 – AKRON, 7:00 *
Sat., Nov. 5 – BUFFALO, 7:00 *

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