HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KENTUCKY- The #24 ranked BGSU men’s soccer (5-1-1) battled Northern Kentucky (1-2-4) to a physical 1-1 draw at Scudamore Stadium.
The opening minutes of the game can be described as a cage match, with both teams struggling to create goal-scoring opportunities.
As the first 45′ progressed, Bowling Green dominated possession and was able to find open space inside the penalty box but wasn’t able to put anything on target.
Junior forward Trace Terry had the first quality chance of the half for the Falcons in the 32nd minute. The Bellbrook forward was through on goal, but his shot was saved by NKU goalkeeper Nic Lemen.
The Falcons struck the opening goal in the 35th minute of the match; Terry headed home a cross from senior midfielder Alberto Anaya to make it 1-0 BG.
In the first half, the Orange and Brown outshot the Norse with six shots to zero and had three corner kicks to NKU’s one, as the Falcons would lead 1-0 going into the locker room.
Sophomore forward Ali Taleb put the first shot on goal of the game for NKU, forcing a save from fifth-year goalkeeper Brendan Graves, coming out of his penalty box in the 57th minute.
Just seconds later, Northern Kentucky would tie the game 58′ off a long-cross from sophomore midfielder Yonatan Cohen, who found Taleb inside the 18, and he would slot the ball past Graves, making it 1-1.
The Norse would take control of the game after equalizing and had a chance to take the lead with sophomore midfielder Bennett Gerak curving a shot over the crossbar in the 68′.
Bowling Green’s best chance to retake the lead came in the 79th minute when fifth-year defender Kyle Cusimano put in a cross to Painter, who headed the ball just wide.
As the game moved into its final stages, the intensity picked up from both sides, especially with fouls committed and off-the-ball antics.
The match would end with both sides even at one-a-piece, giving the Falcons their first draw of the 2024 season.
BG outshot the NKU 12 to five on the night, with each team putting three on goal. Both keepers, Graves and Lemen, were called upon to make two saves throughout the game.
Up next for the nationally-ranked Falcons will be another road test, this time facing off against the Bradley Braves for their second Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m.
