BGSU Men’s Soccer opened up their 2023 campaign against Cleveland State on a scorching hot and humid night in Bowling Green on Thursday.
The Falcons broke through first, with sophomore forward Trace Terry sliding a through ball to fifth-year forward Eli Shope, who rifled a shot into the back of the net to give BG a 1-0 lead in the 15′.
Cleveland State drew even in the 25′, as reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, Bojan Kolevski, found the equalizer for the Vikings off a deflected shot that beat Brendan Graves.
A physical contest couldn’t separate the two teams in the first half, keeping the scoreline 1-1 heading into halftime.
In the beginning of the second half, the Vikings would take the lead through Kyle Folds after a counter-attack from Cleveland State, making it 2-1 CSU in the 58′
The difference maker for the Falcons was sophomore midfielder Andrew Shaffer, who came off the bench and equalized things for the BG in the 64′ with a long-range blast from distance in the upper left corner.
Shaffer found the back of the net again, this time via a right-footed curler in the top right corner in the 72′ to give the Falcons the lead once again, 3-2.
The Orange and Brown staved off the remaining 18 minutes with possession and veteran leadership from the backline from 5th year Josh Erlandson, senior defender Kyle Cusimano, and the rest of the Falcon defense, to wrap up the season-opening victory.
BG outshot the Vikings 17-8 on the night, with six shots on goal compared to CSU’s three.
A solid opening performance from the Falcons gives them momentum and confidence to start their season with a couple of road trips ahead.
The Falcons travel up north next to Michigan State for match number two. The game is set for Monday, August 28th with kick-off at 7 p.m.
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