There’s no place like home for the BGSU men’s soccer team, which returned home last weekend to play in Bowling Green for the first time this season after being on the road for nearly three weeks.

BGSU forward Omari Aldridge scored three times and two Falcon midfielders recorded their first ever collegiate goals in a pair of thrilling and emotional homecoming matches for the young Falcons. They were able to pull off a dramatic double overtime victory against nationally-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 3-2 on Friday, and respond with another huge win on Sunday against Saint Mary’s by a score of 3-1.

Friday’s win snapped BG’s 25-game losing streak dating back to 2003.

“Friday night was exciting,” coach Fred Thompson said. “Our guys were pumped up and energized, and the great crowd we had on hand simply added to the excitement.”

The Falcons, starting seven freshmen, took advantage of a potentially dangerous Buckeyes team, who according to Thompson, just did not take them seriously from the start.

“They gave us space and let us knock the ball around all we wanted in the first half,” Thompson said.

The Falcons immediately took advantage of OSU’s lack of aggression. Sophomore Ryan Perea’s first collegiate goal put his team ahead 1-0 with 20 minutes left in the first half.

It was the next 45 minutes that tested the Falcons. The Buckeyes came out with a different game plan than their laid-back approach in the first half, which was to derail the under-sized Falcons and get them out of the game both mentally and physically.

“The second half was just another story because they realized that we were really embarrassing them and not just beating them,” Thompson said about OSU’s halftime adjustments. “They were much more intense, and it became more difficult for us because they were a much bigger and stronger team, and they were [playing] more physical to try to push us off our game.”

Nonetheless, the Falcons resisted the Buckeye’s immediate surge as the second half began and continued to play with composure and stamina, while remaining sturdy on defense.

They were able to grab more momentum around the 71-minute mark, as senior captain Omari Aldridge scored his second goal in as many games off a George Davis assist, jumping the Falcons to a secure 2-0 advantage.

The frustrated Bucks began to push the pace of the game after the eye-opening goal and were starting to show their size and strength against the young guys in orange and brown.

Eight yellow cards were issued in the increasingly physical match, including two ejections from the game for OSU.

The Buckeyes dominated the Falcons and scored twice in the final 15 minutes of the game, evening the score and concluding regulation locked up at 2.

After a quiet and unsettled first overtime, it was the second period of extended play that produced a victor in this one, as freshman Kyle Williams drew a feeble deflection from OSU goalkeeper Ray Burse off a corner kick and sent in the game winner.

Williams, who sported his new pair of shiny white shoes for the game, adjusted to the deflection by switching to his left foot, and shot it through one defender and past the goalkeeper for his first goal as a member of the Falcons squad.

“I was very happy for the guys,” Thompson said. “They were thrilled because it was a game that was an emotional roller coaster for them and one that they worked so hard for, and it paid off in the end.”

The Falcons bounced back on Sunday following Friday’s thrilling victory and focused on another challenge as they hosted Saint Mary’s, once again coming out and performing impressively in front of their home crowd.

The Falcons repeated their solid defensive performance against OSU with another first half shutout of the Gaels, who like OSU, had a considerable size advantage over the Falcons.

BGSU midfielder Gregory Hennelly recorded his first goal of the season in the second half, and Omari Aldridge scored twice to give the Falcons what they needed to gain a comfortable lead.

The Falcons were able to keep possession enough to drain the clock against the ambitious Gaels, winning 3-1.

“It was another tough game, but we defended well and executed when we needed to, which is what a young team like us needs to do to get better,” Thompson said.

Despite the weekend success, Thompson still believes the first wins of the season are only part of the process of developing his young team, though this weekend’s games not only showed significant progress, but team synchronization and execution against sizable opponents.

The Falcons will face yet another difficult challenger this week as they take on the Michigan State in East Lansing. They’ll find out if they can measure up to their recent success at home.

“We are starting to put the pieces together and generate a lot of good things, now we have to see if we can play together on a consistent basis, and maybe we can win more games,” Thompson said.