BGSU men’s soccer (5-1-0, 1-0-0) defeated Northern Illinois (1-5-0, 0-1-0) in both teams’ first Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) game of the season.
FIRST HALF
Sophomore forward Bennett Painter set the Falcons ahead early in the match, finding the back of the net following a 5′ Bowling Green corner.
BGSU kept the pressure on the Huskies, as senior captain Kyle Cusimano nearly doubled their lead with a strike off a corner kick sent in by senior captain Alberto Anaya.
Adding to their momentum, an 18′ line drive by Anthony Hernandez forced NIU sophomore goalkeeper Atahan Arslan to make a diving save and push the ball out for a corner.
Bowling Green dominated the entire first half, with four shots on goal and six corner kicks to Northern Illinois’ zeros.
SECOND HALF
Northern Illinois started the second half enthusiastically, as sophomore defender Luka Vasic found a 50′ equalizer off NIU’s first corner kick of the night.
The second half was electric, with both teams creating opportunities to take the lead. A shot by the Huskies nearly put them ahead, but the crossbar kept the scoreline level.
Bowling Green found a burst of energy entering the final ten minutes of the match, forcing multiple saves by Arslan and clearances by Northern Illinois’ back line.
After a scramble in the box, Bennett Painter found himself right in front of the goal and slotted one past NIU’s goalkeeper, clinching the win for the Falcons.
Painter is no stranger to this feeling, tallying three game-winning goals this season.
“I mean, it just grows every match,” Painter said about his confidence after the match. “I just get the ball every time, and I’m very confident.”
REVIEW OF THE GAME
This game demonstrated the truly competitive nature of MVC play. Bowling Green had many chances to widen their lead in the first half, but NIU managed to stay in the game and shut down the Falcons until the final minutes.
Although the two teams entered the competition with opposite records, either side could have come away with three points tonight.
“It’s huge,” head coach Eric Nichols said about the win. “I mean, three points in a conference is just massive; they’re hard to come by.”
Next, the Falcons travel to Highland Heights, Kentucky, to face Northern Kentucky on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. in a non-conference matchup.
