After a hard-fought battle against No. 13 Missouri State, BGSU men’s soccer (9-3-2, 3-2-1) travels to Indiana to take on the Evansville Purple Aces (7-5-2, 3-2-0) in a crucial matchup in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).
Friday night will mark the 15th all-time meeting between the Falcons and the Purple Aces. In 2023, the Orange and Brown defeated Evansville 4-2 at Cochrane Stadium via a brace from junior forward Trace Terry.
Despite last year’s win, the Falcons trail the all-time series with four wins and 10 losses. The first-ever meeting between these two programs took place in 1979, with the Purple Aces defeating BG 5-1.
BOWLING GREEN
The Falcons are in third place in the MVC on 10 points, with two conference games left to go. They are one point back from Drake, who is in second, and now six points behind Missouri State, which has a comfortable lead in first place.
While it’s going to be tough to win the MVC regular-season championship, Bowling Green is still more than capable of earning the second seed and getting a bye week heading into the MVC Tournament. But to do that, the Falcons are going to need a big-time win on the road against a good, dynamic Evansville side.
Bowling Green will be without Terry, who is serving a one-game suspension for a red card he picked up at the end of the Missouri State game. This means his striking partner, sophomore forward Bennett Painter, will be asked to do more lifting up top.
Look for freshman forward Ryko Bodurov to soak up the minutes in Terry’s absence. Along with senior midfielder Alberto Anaya and junior midfielder Andrew Shaffer, they play the roles of both providers and also goal-scorers.
A win on the road would be momentum heading into the Falcons’ home regular-season finale. But a complete 90-minute performance will be needed.
EVANSVILLE
After missing out on the MVC Tournament last year, Evansville has bounced back with a strong 2024 campaign.
The Purple Aces have been on a heater as of late, being unbeaten in their last four games with three wins and one draw. Including three straight MVC wins after starting conference play with two losses.
Friday night will only be Evansville’s fifth home game of the season, where they are 3-1 at Arad McCutchan Stadium, with their only loss coming against Drake on Sept. 14.
Evansville has scored the fourth most goals in The Valley, with 24 in 14 games played. However, they have conceded the third most goals in the MVC with 20.
A win for the Purple Aces against the Falcons would be huge, as they would jump from current fourth-place and No. 9-ranked Western Michigan and also move in front of the Orange and Brown in third.
Falcon Four players to watch
Forward: #12 Bennett Painter, Bowling Green
After his performance against Missouri State, Painter has 10 goals and three assists this season and has seemingly answered the call every time the Falcons need a goal. Without Terry, Painter’s importance becomes even more crucial on Friday.
Defender, #2 Kyle Cusimano, Bowling Green
Cusimano has shifted to playing in the middle of the back three for the Orange and Brown; his communication with his fellow centrebacks and Arial duals will be huge for the Falcons to come away with three points.
Forward: #20 Nacho Diaz Barragan, Evansville
Diaz Barragan leads the Purple Aces in goals with six on the year along with two assists. A shift forward who can move just about anywhere on the pitch, while he’s cooled off as of late, he’s still a striker who possesses a lot of quality in the final third.
Midfielder: #27 Jacopo Fedrizzi, Evansville
The redshirt freshman midfielder has been quite the surprise this season for Evansville, with three goals and three assists in 13 starts. Coming off a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over Northern Illinois, Fedrizzi is in fantastic form and is certainly someone to keep an eye on.
