Aces Take Friday's MVC Opener, 3-0

Friday, September 26

Bowling Green, Ohio

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

3-4-2, 0-1-0

Evansville

3-2-5, 1-0-0

Evansville

Bowling Green

Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

September 26, 2025 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)Support BGSU MSOC Photo Gallery

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team fell in Friday night's (Sept. 26) Missouri Valley Conference opener, as the University of Evansville came away with a 3-0 win at Cochrane Stadium.

The Purple Aces (3-2-5, 1-0-0 MVC) got first-half goals from Pablo Calvete and Armon Haghighat to take a two-goal lead into the intermission, and Andres Escudero capped the scoring with just over 10 minutes to go in the match.

Michal Mroz made one save to pick up the win in goal for the visitors. Enzo Gil had three stops for the Falcons (3-4-2, 0-1-0 MVC).

NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• Friday's match was part of Alumni Weekend for the men's soccer program, with a number of former Falcons on hand. The 1995 team that captured the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship was recognized at halftime of the match.
• And, prior to kickoff, the legendary Mickey Cochrane was recognized as well. Cochrane, the father and architect of the BGSU men's soccer and lacrosse programs, recently was inducted into the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association (OCSA) Hall of Fame. Cochrane is now a member of no fewer than six halls of fame.
• The 95-year-old Cochrane and his wife, Pat, were on hand for the pre-match ceremony.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The visitors got on the board with just over nine minutes gone. Chase Ricker, who had two assists on the night, played a corner kick from the left side. At the six-yard line a Devin Shepherd flick-on put the ball over a crowd of players from both teams, and Pablo Calvete was on the far side of the goal, hitting a one-time effort that found the lower-right corner of the net.
• With just under 18 minutes to go before halftime, Andrew Shaffer made a run down the left side of the field, past several Evansville players, and fired a cross into the box. A defender got his head on the ball, but it continued toward the onrushing Anthony Hernandez. The junior hit a hard shot on the short-hop, and the ball whizzed just over the crossbar.
• The visitors doubled the lead with just 2:41 left before halftime. Again, Ricker was involved in the play, as he took a pass and hit a left-side cross. Armon Haghighal got on the end of that cross on the far side of the six-yard box, and he trundled the ball into the net.
• In the second half, Andres Escudero hit the crossbar with a shot for the visitors in the 74th minute, and Hernandez and the Falcons had a chance at the other end three minutes later. The junior took a long pass as he raced into the box on the left side, and he attempted to head the ball back across to classmate Bennett Painter, but goalkeeper Michael Mroz was able to get to the ball first.
• Then, with 10 and a half minutes to go, the Aces capped the scoring as Escudero got his head on a cross from Nacho Diaz-Caneja, putting the ball back across and into the net.
• Three minutes later, off of a Saul Rios throw-in deep in the Evansville end, Trace Terry headed the ball toward goal, and Painter got a shot off in traffic. The shot forced Mroz into a diving save, and the Aces were able to clear the ball out of the box before BGSU could get another shot off.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons are back at Cochrane Stadium on Tuesday night (Sept. 30), facing Northern Kentucky. That match will begin at 7:00 p.m., and admission is free.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will begin the month of October with a pair of road matches, beginning with an MVC contest at Belmont next Friday night (Oct. 3). The Falcons will play four of the first five October games on the road.

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