The Bowling Green men’s soccer team (1-0-0) started their regular season in thrilling fashion Friday night, taking back the I-75 Cup with a 3-2 victory over Wright State University (0-1-0) and avenging their 3-0 loss to their rivals last season.
This win marks the 13th time that the Falcons have been able to hold the trophy that represents the two-team rivalry, which dates back 42 years.
While it seemed things would play out evenly for the two teams out of the gates, the first half would end up being one the Falcons might wish to forget.
Wright State took full control towards the midway point of the first half, scoring two goals in the span of just five minutes.
The first goal came at the 23rd-minute mark off the foot of sophomore midfielder Edwin Espinal-Elvir, who found himself alone with the goalkeeper inside the box off a breakaway pass.
The Raiders would find themselves once again pushing the point of attack in Bowling Green’s territory, leading to the Falcons making costly mistakes in their own box.
At the 28th-minute mark, Wright State got the chance to extend their lead off of a penalty kick, and sophomore forward Felix Ezekwuka took full advantage, finding the back of the net. The goal gave the Raiders a 2-0 lead and all the momentum to close out the half.
The halftime break would prove to be what BG needed to get their offense going, something that sophomore forward Bennett Painter noted.
“When we went into our locker room, we basically said, ‘We are getting outworked,’ and that is the one thing we are not going to accept tonight,” stated Painter. “So we just turned it up another level.”
That next level of play for the Falcons would be on display early, smothering the offensive zone and giving the Raiders little breathing room to make an escape.
Bowling Green finally found the net for the first time on the night at the 49th-minute mark with a kick from junior forward Trace Terry, assisted by junior midfielder Andrew Shaffer.
The offensive pressure would not stop there for the Orange and Brown, as just over seven minutes later, Painter forced an ‘own goal’ against the Raiders, knotting the game up 2-2.
Painters’ success on the night would not end there. At the 84th-minute mark and after a deadlock tie that lasted nearly 30 minutes, Painter found the back of the net following a ricochet on a BG free kick, giving the Falcons the 3-2 lead with just over five minutes remaining.
The momentum and energy that Bowling Green played with in the second half is something they will look to bring with them this Monday as they head up to East Lansing, Michigan, to battle the Michigan State Spartans.
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