It may have been a cool, breezy fall night in Bowling Green at Cochrane Stadium, but boy, it certainly rained goals for the Orange and Brown.
BGSU men’s soccer (9-2-1, 3-1-0) defeated the Detroit Mercy Titans (1-8-2, 0-2-2) by a final score of 5-2.
The Falcons’ first goal of the match came in the ninth minute when a beautiful cross from senior midfielder Alberto Anayafound the head of sophomore forward Bennett Painter to open the floodgates for the Orange and Brown.
Just seven minutes later, Bowling Green would double their lead off a long ball from the back that found the run of freshman forward Ryko Bodurov, who slotted home his first-ever collegiate goal to make it 2-0 BG.
Painter would get his second in the 26th minute after stealing the ball from Detriot Mercy goalkeeper Viktor Sulc, leading to a wide-open net and an easy tap-home for the Cincinnati striker to add BG’s third goal.
Why not make it a hat trick?
Painter snuck in behind the defense of the Titans once again, leaving himself one-on-one with Sulc, and finished with convention to earn his first collegiate hat-trick and to make it 4-0 Orange and Brown in the 35′.
The Falcons still wouldn’t stop there, as just seconds later, redshirt freshman midfielder Aidan Ptacek, in just his third-ever game for BG, would score his first collegiate goal to add a fifth for Bowling Green. 5-0, with 10 minutes left to go in the first half.
Painter would be involved in all five goals in the first 45′. A hat trick, along with two assists.
As both teams went into halftime, the Falcons outshot the Titans 10-5 in the first half. The obvious difference is that Bowling Green put five past Sulc, while fifth-year goalkeeper Brendan Graves only had to make three saves.
In the 61st minute, Anaya nearly added a sixth goal for the Orange and Brown with a curling freekick that second-half substituted goalkeeper Quinn Tews saved.
The Titans spoiled the shutout and got on the scoreboard in the 76th minute. Junior midfielder Vincent Stockton knocked home a shot off the crossbar to make it 5-1.
Detriot Mercy would capitalize on their momentum and get a second. The Falcons turned the ball over building out of the back, and junior forward Tim Allos put in a low cross in the box to senior midfielder Fisher Hudak, who pounced, to make the score 5-2.
Despite giving up two goals in the second 45,’ the Falcons would hold on to earn the 5-2 victory.
This win feels good for Bowling Green, especially coming off a 2-1 loss to UIC in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play that left a bad taste in their mouths.
“Coming off that game in Chicago, not only did we lose, we lost in a way we didn’t want to lose. You know, we had to do a little bit of soul-searching and figure out what are we really made of,” said head coach Eric Nichols postgame. “It wasn’t the soccer, but it was about the guts and the commitment to each and every play.”
“So, I questioned the boys. I know they questioned each other, and they stepped up and certainly delivered in that first half. We got a lot of respect for Detroit,” said Nichols. “Their record does not indicate the level of play, level of dedication, and commitment they make to each and every play, so I was really pleased with that first half.”
There is not a whole lot more you can say about the performance of the Falcons, especially for Painter, who put up arguably his best performance of the season.
“He’s hungry, man; he’s hungry; he’s dangerous,” said Nichols. “This is an opportunity for him to step up, and man, did he deliver, and he was hungry for more. You know, even when we pulled him out, he was disappointed because he wanted more.”
Final stats from the night saw the Falcons outshoot the Titans 14-12, with eight on target to Detriot Mercy’s six.
A physical contest saw 35 total fouls, 18 for Detroit Mercy and four yellow cards, along with 17 for BG and two yellows as well.
The Falcons return to MVC action on Saturday, Oct. 12, when they take on the Drake Bulldogs in a massive game at Cochrane Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
