For just the third time ever and the first time at Cochrane Stadium, BGSU men’s soccer (7-1-1, 2-0-0) faces off against the Belmont Bruins (2-3-3. 0-1-1) in their third Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) match of the season.
WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleimeyer will have the call of the game on the WBGU-PBS YouTube page. Click the link below to tune in starting at 7:00 p.m.
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In the Falcon’s previous two meetings with Belmont, the Bruins have won both matchups, which includes a 2-1 win last season and a 3-2 victory in 2011.
Friday night will be the second-ever MVC matchup between the two sides in their short history.
SOARIN’ FALCONS
The Orange and Brown are unbeaten in their last five games, with four wins and a draw. Coming off a 5-0 victory at “home” in Rossford over Eastern Illinois, the Falcons have already matched their win total from last season.
Junior forward Trace Terry and sophomore striker Bennett Painter have combined for 14 goals and two assists on the year, supporting them underneath is senior midfielder Alberto Anaya, who has seven assists this season, including four last games against EIU.
An unsung hero this season for The Orange and Brown has been sophomore box-to-box midfielder Anthony Hernandez, and while he doesn’t have the numbers on the boxscore, his impact on the team has been sensational this season.
“It’s been one of our best all season,” said head coach Eric Nichols. “He’s gonna play a lot of positions. He played three positions today [EIU], and he actually didn’t play probably the position that is most natural for him, which is the six. But he’s been really good all year.”
Currently, the Falcons are tied for first place in The Valley with six points on a 2-0-0 record and have a massive chance to earn win number three in conference action against a physical Belmont side.
UP AND DOWN BRUINS
It’s been a rollercoaster season for Belmont so far with a below.500 record, the Bruins are currently winless in MVC play coming off a 4-0 thumping loss to Drake on the road.
The Bruins haven’t won in their previous five matches, but they opened up conference action with a 1-1 draw to nationally ranked and defending MVC champions Western Michigan, easily their best result of the season and one of the best in program history.
But yet, you looked at the games earlier in the year; there have been a lot of draws, but not a lot of results on the road. The Bruins are winless away from Nashville, with a 0-3-2 record, and only scoring three goals as well in five games.
Senior midfielder AJ Chastonay leads the front line for Belmont with five goals and two assists, trying to lead the Bruins to their first road win since Oct. 6 of last season.
History will be on Belmont’s side, but make no mistake that this is almost certainly a must-win for the Bruins.
FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
Forward, #21 – Trace Terry, Bowling Green
Terry has scored four goals in the past two games, and in his last match against EIU, he put up a career-high 11 shots in one of his best performances in a Bowling Green uniform.
Forward, #33 – Brendan Graves, Bowling Green
Coming off his second shutout of the season and the 13th of his career, Graves has been key in many conference matches over his time at BG, and he may be important once again against Belmont in hopes of improving to 3-0-0 in MVC play.
Midfielder, 16 – AJ Chastonay, Belmont
Chastonay has scored five of Belmont’s nine goals this season and has been a consistent danger in the box for the Bruins, He has been crucial in creating chances as well.
Defender, #26 – Dylan Steely, Belmont
Steely was picked to this year’s 2024 Preseason All-MVC Team and has been arguably the best all-around player for Belmont this season. The defender is not afraid to get forward and help in the midfield and has great awareness in the penalty box. A big performance from Steely will be needed for Belmont to collect their first road win of the year.
