The elements would not stop the BGSU men’s soccer team (8-1-1, 3-0-0) as they beat the Belmont Bruins (2-4-3, 0-2-1), 1-0.
Before the game even started, the pitch at Cochrane Stadium was wet and muddy from the rain throughout the week.
The field has seen three games this week, two from BGSU women’s soccer on Sunday and Thursday, and last night. Remind you that there was supposed to be a fourth game on Tuesday against EIU, but due to poor field conditions and weather, the match was moved to Rossford.
However, that would not stop these Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) foes from squaring off. It was noticeable right away how the ball was going to bounce, with the rain and wind being two wild cards throughout the game.
“Made it a completely different game,” fifth-year goalkeeper Brendan Graves stated about the weather, but thanks to rain on and off throughout the week, the Falcons had a chance to better prepare themselves to play in difficult conditions. “We are no strangers to having to deal with different venues.” A call back to earlier this week when they moved a game to a different stadium because of the weather.
One way the Falcons were able to weather the storm was by controlling the tempo. From the start of the game, the Falcons kept the ball moving with concise passes and waited for their moments to strike.
“They realized that we can probably try and keep the ball a little bit more,” head coach Eric Nichols said postgame.
Combine the methodical play of the Falcons with the weather, and it was bad news for the Bruins, who were only able to get three total shots on goal tonight.
The Bruins still made it a game to the end, as they never gave up and kept the pressure on the Falcons to finish the game strong.
“The whole team, starting with Trace [Terry] all the way down to Josh [Erlandson], all those guys putting in a shift and working… It’s a team effort,” Graves said when asked about his second straight shutout game. As they all still work together and cover for each other, this Falcons defense will continue to complement the offense.
With this game behind them, the Falcons moved to 3-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play and 8-1-1 on the season. They also extend their home winning streak this season to 5-0.
The Falcons are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 5, as they travel to Chicago to face the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) at 8 p.m.
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