For the first time ever, BGSU men’s soccer (10-5-2, 4-3-1) traveled to the west coast to face the RV Oregon State Beavers (10-3-3, 5-1-1) for their 2024 regular-season finale.
The conditions on the night were cold, but the match was heated and fast-paced from the opening kick-off.
Fifth-year goalkeeper Brendan Graves had to make an early save in the third minute of the match as Oregon State’s Sergi Solans tried to beat Graves to his near post, but the Perrysburg native was able to evade it away.
In the 14th minute, the Falcons broke through first, as junior striker Trace Terry crossed the ball across the six to his striking partner, sophomore forward Bennett Painter, who tapped the ball past Beaver goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz for his 12th goal of the season and a 1-0 BG lead.
Just over 15 minutes in the first 45′, Graves had to make four key saves, keeping Oregon State off the board.
Solans nearly equalized in the 22′ after a Beaver counterattack that led to the Spanish forward being one-on-one with Graves, sailing the shot over the crossbar.
After multiple chances, the Beavers finally tied the match up, with winger Alejandro Silva finding the ball inside the 18 and blasting a shot into the side netting in the 28th minute.
Just minutes later, Solan earned his 13th goal of the season from a long ball from Nicklas Lund, which found Solan in the box, who flicked the ball around fifth-year defender Kyle Cusimano and poked the ball past Graves to give the Beavers a 2-1 lead.
Oregon State outshot Bowling Green 10 to six, with six shots on goal to just two for BG.
An entertaining and fast-paced first half, the Falcons trail the Beavers heading into the break, 2-1.
The Orange and Brown came out of the second half a lot more intense and on the front foot than they did in the match’s opening minutes, searching for an equalizer.
Oregon State extended their lead in the 65th minute after a misplay in the back from BG led to a fast-break from Solan, whose shot was stopped by Graves but kept the play alive, crossing the ball to the back post to midfielder Arnau Farnos, who headed home the third goal, 3-1 Beavers.
While the Falcons were able to dictate more possession in the second 45,’ they only managed to register two shots, both not causing Cruz to do a lot of work in the net.
The Beavers had a few chances off counter-attacks to add a fourth, but spectacular play from Graves kept it just a two-goal lead for Oregon State.
Oregon State outshot the Orange and Brown 20 to eight on the night, with seven shots on goal for the Beavers while just two for the Falcons, and had seven corner kicks to just three for BG.
Ultimately, Oregon State defeated Bowling Green 3-1, giving the Falcons their fifth loss of the season.
A big takeaway from the match was Terry was subbed out after playing 30 minutes in the game and did not return to the pitch.
While the Falcons gain great experience and exposure playing a talented Beavers squad, the focus shifts now to the postseason, as the Orange and Brown officially begin their quest for a Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament championship.
The number three-seeded Falcons will begin MVC Tournament action on Sunday, Nov. 10, at Cochrane Stadium. In the quarterfinal round, they will host the number six-seeded University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Flames. Kick-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
