Saturday, October 30
Bowling Green, OH
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
10-3-3, 2-1-2
1
vs
1
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Western Michigan
6-6-5, 1-3-1
1
2
3
4
F
Western Mich.
1
0
0
0
1
Bowling Green
0
1
0
0
1
The Falcons celebrate the second-half goal by Roberto Fernandez Garrido (center)
Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics
Falcons Battle Broncos to 1-1 Draw
October 30, 2021 | Men's Soccer
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team rallied from a halftime deficit, battling Western Michigan University to a 1-1, double-overtime draw on Saturday evening (Oct. 30). The Mid-American Conference match was held at Cochrane Stadium.
Roberto Fernandez Garrido scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season for the Falcons (10-3-3, 2-1-2 MAC), with a golazo in the 74th minute.
Max Keenan had scored just past the half-hour mark to give the Broncos (6-6-5, 1-3-1 MAC) the lead. A Jacob Erlandson shot with just under a minute left in the opening half hit the post, and WMU took that 1-0 advantage into the break.
Fernandez Garrido scored on a spectacular scissors kick off of a Kale Nichols cross to knot the score with 16:51 left in regulation.
That duo very nearly gave the Falcons a victory in the final minute of overtime. After a foul on the Orange and Brown, WMU 'keeper Isaac Walker played a free kick deep into the BGSU end of the field. The Falcons took possession and worked forward. In the BGSU half of the field, with the Broncos pressing forward, Nichols won a challenge against the last Western defender, and Nathan Masters played the ball ahead to Fernandez Garrido. The striker hit a shot from the 18-yard line that was saved by Walker, and a follow-up try by Nichols went over the bar.
Brendan Graves, making his second start of the season and the third of his BGSU career, had a career-high seven saves for the Falcons. Walker made four stops for the visitors.
The Falcons currently sit in second place in the seven-team MAC standings. BGSU still could finish anywhere from second to fifth. Northern Illinois, with a win over Akron earlier on Saturday, has clinched the MAC regular-season title and will host the conference tournament.
BGSU closes the regular season at West Virginia. With a win in that match, the Falcons would finish second in the MAC standings. A tie at WVU would clinch a top-four seed and a berth in the conference tourney.
The Falcons could lose at WVU and still get into the tournament, depending upon the outcomes of the remaining matches around the conference.
FALCONS REACT
"They (WMU) were on their game in the first half, and I was a little disappointed that we were kind of caught off guard by the tempo that they were playing with. We kind of settled it down after they scored, and in the second half we got up to speed.
"We got the goal in the second half and it became kind of an even game. Once we went down a man, we saw something different in our guys. The energy, the spark, concentration, communication ... everything just went up a notch. And in that moment, I think you saw the character of our group. "– Head Coach Eric Nichols
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Broncos were on the front foot in the early going. WMU had three shot attempts within the first three-plus minutes of the match. The BG defense blocked two of those shots, and Brendan Graves made a save against Eric Conerty. Just over 10 minutes into the match, a Bronco free kick squirted through a maze of players, and Charlie Sharp ran onto it, but Graves made the save in the box.
• BGSU had several first-half chances – an Alberto Anaya shot in the 19th minute was on frame, and a sequence of passes three minutes later resulted in Sergi Martinez winning a corner kick – but the Broncos had a 12-5 advantage in first-half shots.
• And, the visitors took the lead on a Max Keenan goal at the 30:50 mark. Keenan scored off of a Philip Smith assist to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead.
• BG's best chance of the half came in the final minute. Jacob Erlandson brought the ball forward and worked a combination play with Roberto Fernandez Garrido. Erlandson took the return pass and fired a shot that beat WMU 'keeper Isaac Walker, but rang off the right post.
• With nearly an hour gone in the match, Martinez put Fernandez Garrido behind the defense. Fernandez Garrido entered the box, but Walker was able to knock the ball away from him, poking it out of bounds.
• But, 15 minutes later, Fernandez Garrido made no mistake. Kale Nichols picked him and and lifted a right-side cross into the air. Fernandez Garrido timed his scissors kick perfectly, backing up and then taking flight. His hard, low shot split two defenders and found the far corner of the goal.
• The Falcons found themselves short-handed just over a minute later, however,, and the Broncos had a 4-0 advantage in second-half shots after BG's goal. Graves was equal to the task, though, as he stopped a Keenan shot with exactly two minutes remaining, then thwarted Mike Melaragni on a hard shot from the top of the box with 1:25 remaining.
• The Falcons, as mentioned, had two chances in the final minute of the second overtime, but a Fernandez Garrido shot was saved and a Nichols effort was off the mark.
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Broncos had a 22-12 lead in total shots and an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal. Eric Conerty had six total shots, including three on frame, for the visitors.
• Roberto Fernandez Garrido and Alberto Anaya each took three shots for BGSU. Fernandez Garrido put all three of his shots on frame.
• And, Fernandez Garrido scored on one of those shots. He now has a team-leading six goals on the season. With 13 points, he is third on the club behind Anaya and Jacob Erlandson, both of whom have 14 points.
• Kale Nichols picked up his second assist of the season, and he has six total points this fall.
• Nichols now has career totals of six assists and 16 points as a Falcon.
• The Falcons now have a record of 35-17-7 over the last 59 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Twelve of the 17 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons will end the regular season with a match at West Virginia on Thursday (Nov. 4). That contest is set for a 7:00 p.m. start as well.
• With a win or a tie vs. the Mountaineers, or with a favorable outcome from one of Thursday's other matches around the league, the Falcons will qualify for the MAC Tournament and will play a semifinal-round match on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Northern Illinois, as the regular-season champion, will host that four-team tourney.
ÂGallery: (10-30-2021) M.Soccer v Western Mich - Oct 30 2021
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• For more information on the men's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUmenssoccer), Instagram (bgsumenssoccer) and Facebook (BGMensSoccer) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.
Â
Roberto Fernandez Garrido scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season for the Falcons (10-3-3, 2-1-2 MAC), with a golazo in the 74th minute.
Max Keenan had scored just past the half-hour mark to give the Broncos (6-6-5, 1-3-1 MAC) the lead. A Jacob Erlandson shot with just under a minute left in the opening half hit the post, and WMU took that 1-0 advantage into the break.
Fernandez Garrido scored on a spectacular scissors kick off of a Kale Nichols cross to knot the score with 16:51 left in regulation.
That duo very nearly gave the Falcons a victory in the final minute of overtime. After a foul on the Orange and Brown, WMU 'keeper Isaac Walker played a free kick deep into the BGSU end of the field. The Falcons took possession and worked forward. In the BGSU half of the field, with the Broncos pressing forward, Nichols won a challenge against the last Western defender, and Nathan Masters played the ball ahead to Fernandez Garrido. The striker hit a shot from the 18-yard line that was saved by Walker, and a follow-up try by Nichols went over the bar.
Brendan Graves, making his second start of the season and the third of his BGSU career, had a career-high seven saves for the Falcons. Walker made four stops for the visitors.
The Falcons currently sit in second place in the seven-team MAC standings. BGSU still could finish anywhere from second to fifth. Northern Illinois, with a win over Akron earlier on Saturday, has clinched the MAC regular-season title and will host the conference tournament.
BGSU closes the regular season at West Virginia. With a win in that match, the Falcons would finish second in the MAC standings. A tie at WVU would clinch a top-four seed and a berth in the conference tourney.
The Falcons could lose at WVU and still get into the tournament, depending upon the outcomes of the remaining matches around the conference.
FALCONS REACT
"They (WMU) were on their game in the first half, and I was a little disappointed that we were kind of caught off guard by the tempo that they were playing with. We kind of settled it down after they scored, and in the second half we got up to speed.
"We got the goal in the second half and it became kind of an even game. Once we went down a man, we saw something different in our guys. The energy, the spark, concentration, communication ... everything just went up a notch. And in that moment, I think you saw the character of our group. "– Head Coach Eric Nichols
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Broncos were on the front foot in the early going. WMU had three shot attempts within the first three-plus minutes of the match. The BG defense blocked two of those shots, and Brendan Graves made a save against Eric Conerty. Just over 10 minutes into the match, a Bronco free kick squirted through a maze of players, and Charlie Sharp ran onto it, but Graves made the save in the box.
• BGSU had several first-half chances – an Alberto Anaya shot in the 19th minute was on frame, and a sequence of passes three minutes later resulted in Sergi Martinez winning a corner kick – but the Broncos had a 12-5 advantage in first-half shots.
• And, the visitors took the lead on a Max Keenan goal at the 30:50 mark. Keenan scored off of a Philip Smith assist to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead.
• BG's best chance of the half came in the final minute. Jacob Erlandson brought the ball forward and worked a combination play with Roberto Fernandez Garrido. Erlandson took the return pass and fired a shot that beat WMU 'keeper Isaac Walker, but rang off the right post.
• With nearly an hour gone in the match, Martinez put Fernandez Garrido behind the defense. Fernandez Garrido entered the box, but Walker was able to knock the ball away from him, poking it out of bounds.
• But, 15 minutes later, Fernandez Garrido made no mistake. Kale Nichols picked him and and lifted a right-side cross into the air. Fernandez Garrido timed his scissors kick perfectly, backing up and then taking flight. His hard, low shot split two defenders and found the far corner of the goal.
• The Falcons found themselves short-handed just over a minute later, however,, and the Broncos had a 4-0 advantage in second-half shots after BG's goal. Graves was equal to the task, though, as he stopped a Keenan shot with exactly two minutes remaining, then thwarted Mike Melaragni on a hard shot from the top of the box with 1:25 remaining.
• The Falcons, as mentioned, had two chances in the final minute of the second overtime, but a Fernandez Garrido shot was saved and a Nichols effort was off the mark.
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Broncos had a 22-12 lead in total shots and an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal. Eric Conerty had six total shots, including three on frame, for the visitors.
• Roberto Fernandez Garrido and Alberto Anaya each took three shots for BGSU. Fernandez Garrido put all three of his shots on frame.
• And, Fernandez Garrido scored on one of those shots. He now has a team-leading six goals on the season. With 13 points, he is third on the club behind Anaya and Jacob Erlandson, both of whom have 14 points.
• Kale Nichols picked up his second assist of the season, and he has six total points this fall.
• Nichols now has career totals of six assists and 16 points as a Falcon.
• The Falcons now have a record of 35-17-7 over the last 59 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season. Twelve of the 17 setbacks in that time have come by a single goal.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons will end the regular season with a match at West Virginia on Thursday (Nov. 4). That contest is set for a 7:00 p.m. start as well.
• With a win or a tie vs. the Mountaineers, or with a favorable outcome from one of Thursday's other matches around the league, the Falcons will qualify for the MAC Tournament and will play a semifinal-round match on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Northern Illinois, as the regular-season champion, will host that four-team tourney.
Â
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• For more information on the men's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUmenssoccer), Instagram (bgsumenssoccer) and Facebook (BGMensSoccer) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.
Â
Team Stats
WMU
BGSU
Goals
1
1
Shots
22
12
Shots on Goal
8
5
Saves
4
7
Corners
5
5
Fouls
21
16
Scoring Plays
.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
Max Keenan (4)
Assisted By: Philip Smith
GOAL by WMU Keenan, Max Assist by Smith, Philip.
30:50
Roberto Fernandez Garrido (6)
Assisted By: Kale Nichols
GOAL by BGSU Fernandez Garrido, Roberto Assist by Nichols, Kale.
73:09
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
3
SOG
3
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's SoccerM
/ Men's SoccerEric Nichols Post-Match Interview (Sept. 5, 2025)
Saturday, September 06
Off The Pitch: Bennett Painter (Sept. 3, 2025)
Thursday, September 04
Eric Nichols Post-Match Interview (Sept. 1, 2025)
Monday, September 01
Bennett Painter Post-Match Interview (Aug. 21, 2025)
Friday, August 22