The Falcon men’s soccer team will travel out of state for a second straight weekend after being invited to the Duquesne Invitational.

The event, which will be held in Pittsburgh, will out the Falcons against Richmond and Duquesne today and tomorrow, respectively, but coach Eric Nichols does not foresee his team playing any less attack-minded soccer away from home.

‘We are not going to make any changes,’ Nichols said. ‘We are still going to try to take the game to our opponents. We are not going to play for just a point.’

Without any injuries, the Falcons will look to play in a 4-3-1-2 formation, utilizing senior Cameron Hepple as a deep striker. Hepple, who scored the Falcons’ first goal of the season against Marshall in a 2-0 win, will look to add to his tally on the weekend.

‘I need to take more risks on the ball,’ Hepple said. ‘I need to want the ball more; taking people one on one is one of my favorite parts of the game, whether passing or shooting.’

The Falcons defense, which allowed seven goals in its previous two games, will look to redeem itself today against a Richmond squad that has only scored once in two matches.

‘This is a chance for the whole team to redeem themselves,’ Nichols said. ‘Last weekend, we did not compete at the level we can.’

Duquesne (2-1), who will be led by Joshua Patterson will present a different challenge tomorrow. The Falcons know that to be successful, they will need to contain Patterson, who has scored both of the Dukes’ goals this season.

‘We always have to know where a player like that is,’ Nichols said. ‘We will take a look at how he gets his goals and be sure to recognize those situations. Having said that, he has some teammates that compliment him really well.’

BG’s coaching staff is also shaking up the midfield as freshman Joey D’Agostino will get his first start, replacing Dusko Topolic.

‘Joey played great at Kentucky’ Nichols said. ‘He has had a good week of training also.’

D’Agostino set up the Falcons lone goal last weekend, teeing it up for striker Byard Ebling.

Also looking to get time on the field this weekend will be forward Max Weston, who transferred from Indiana University this fall.

‘Being given an opportunity here has been great,’ Weston said. ‘Coach has given all of us a fair chance to play.’

Weston also talked about the importance of getting good results on the weekend.

‘We need to make a name for ourselves in the conference, it will be good for the program to get past last weeks results,’ Weston said. ‘The team needs to go out and play organized and disciplined soccer, and hopefully we can come back with two wins.’

The Falcons are on the road until Sept. 20, when they host Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) at Cochrane Field.