Falcons Head to Nashville for Friday's Belmont Bout

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 33 | 7:30 P.M. | E.S. ROSE PARK | NASHVILLE, TENN.

BOWLING GREEN
FALCONS
(4-4-2, 0-1-0 MVC)

BELMONT
BRUINS
(5-0-4, 0-0-1 MVC)


WATCH: ESPN+ \| LIVE STATS: BGSU @ BU \| TWITTER/X: @BGSUMSoccer \| INSTAGRAM: bgsumsoccer

SETTING THE SCENE / FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team hits the road for four of the first five October matches, beginning this weekend. Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons travel to Nashville for a Friday (Oct. 3) meeting with Belmont University. First touch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at E.S. Rose Park.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will step outside of Missouri Valley Conference play for one final time, heading to Cleveland for a Tuesday-evening (Oct. 7) matchup with Cleveland State University. That contest begins at 7:00 p.m. at Krenzler Field.

WHERE TO WATCH
• Both Friday's Belmont battle and Tuesday's tilt at Cleveland State are scheduled to be streamed via ESPN+.

STATS & SOCIAL MEDIA
• Links to live stats (as well as to any available audio/video) for all 2025 matches can always be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com – both on the men's soccer schedule page and in the right column on the main page – on match day.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• For more information on BGSU men's soccer, follow the Falcons on Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUMSoccer), Instagram (bgfalcons and bgsumsoccer) and Facebook (BGMensSoccer), and on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.

THE STARTING XI
I – The Falcons are 4-4-2 on the season, and BGSU has won two of the last three games. Most recently, BG picked up a 2-0 home win over Northern Kentucky on Tuesday night (Sept. 30). Senior Trace Terry scored the first goal on a penalty kick, then had an assist on junior Bennett Painter's second-half goal vs. the Norse.

II – Redshirt sophomore Jason Ball made his collegiate debut in the NKU match, and had five saves en route to his first clean sheet.

III – Terry has scored a goal in four of the last six matches, and leads the Falcons with six goals and 13 points this season. Painter has four goals and 10 points, while senior Andrew Shaffer has two assists on the year, tying him with Painter for the team lead.

IV – Terry has moved into a tie for 11th place on the BGSU career goals list, and he is now in sole possession of 11th in career points. The striker has 24 goals and 60 points. Ten of his goals have been game winners, placing him fourth on that Falcon chart.

V – Painter has scored 48 points in 43 career matches. He currently has 20 career goals to tie for 17th on that BG chart, and the junior is deadlocked for 25th in career points.

VI – Junior goalkeeper Enzo Gil started each of BGSU's first nine matches of the season in goal, and has 50 saves, a goals-against average of 1.22 and a pair of clean sheets. Gill, who has been named MVC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season, is tied for first in the entire nation in total saves, and he is fifth in the country in saves per game (5.66) and 28th in save percentage (.820).

VII – Head coach Eric Nichols and his staff – assistant coaches Gonzalo Carranza, Jack Bennett and Ryan James – have a total of 12 returning student-athletes on the 2025 roster. That group includes six starters from a year ago. A whopping 15 newcomers joined the Falcons in 2025.

VIII – BGSU finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 12-6-2, and the Falcons went 4-3-1 in their second season in the MVC, tying for third place in the then nine-team league. The Orange and Brown picked up wins over UIC and Drake to advance to the championship match of the MVC Tournament, before falling in overtime to Evansville.

IX – Four of the top-six point-scorers from the 2024 club returned. The returnees include a pair of forwards in Painter (13 goals, 30 points) and Terry (12 goals, 29 points) who combined for a whopping 25 goals and 59 points last fall. The duo combined for nine GWG. Terry was named to the All-MVC First Team, and Painter earned all-league second-team honors.

X – Terry was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-America Second Team last season, and also was chosen to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI Third Team. Terry was named to the TDS Preseason Best XI Third Team in 2025.

XI – Last December, Terry was chosen by Seattle Sounders FC in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft. He is the first player in program history to return to the Falcons after being drafted, and is the fifth player in history (and the first since 1999) to come back for another season after being named an All-American.

XII (off the bench) – Terry was named to the United Soccer Coaches Forwards to Watch list this season – one of just 20 players to be so honored. Additionally, the Falcons were picked to finish second in the MVC in 2025, and Painter, Terry and Andrew Shaffer all were named to the Preseason All-MVC Team.

BGSU MSOC FEATURE & LINKS
Sept. 27 - BG Falcon Media - Falcons Honor Mickey Cochrane, Recognize 1995 Championship Team During Alumni Weekend
Sept. 26 - BG Falcon Media - From Brazil to Bowling Green: Men's Soccer's New Brazilian Influence
Sept. 22 - BG Falcon Media - Turning Setbacks into Strengths: The Resilient Journey of Amer Dedic
Sept. 16 - BG Falcon Media - When Passion Meets Opportunity: Michael Lindh's D1 Soccer Breakthrough
Sept. 1 - BG Falcon Media - Zig Zone One on One: Trace Terry

THE BRUINS / THE SERIES
• Belmont is 5-0-4 on the season, and the Bruins are 0-0-1 in MVC action after a 1-1 draw at Western Michigan last Friday afternoon. Belmont is one of just 17 undefeated teams in the country, and the Bruins – who have matched last season's win total – have conceded just one shot on goal in each of the last three games. Brock Kiper leads the team with four goals and nine points, while Jaxon Stokes has six points on three goals. Grant Calvert has played all but 13-plus minutes in goal this season, and has 26 saves, three clean sheets and a goals-against average of just 0.57. Last season, head coach David Costa's squad went 5-8-4 overall and 1-5-2 in MVC play.

• The Falcons trail Belmont, 2-1-0, in the all-time series, and the home team has won each game. Last year, Trace Terry scored late in the first half to lift the Falcons to a 1-0 victory at Cochrane Stadium (Sept. 27, 2024). Two years ago, in the teams' last meeting in Nashville, the Bruins picked up a 2-1 win (Oct. 14, 2023). The only previous meeting was a 3-2 Belmont victory in Nashville in 2011.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• For more information on BGSU men's soccer, follow the Falcons on Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUMSoccer), Instagram (bgfalcons and bgsumsoccer) and Facebook (BGMensSoccer), and on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 33 | 7:30 P.M. | E.S. ROSE PARK | NASHVILLE, TENN.

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