After the second match hosted at Cochrane Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 10 that saw the UIC Flames fall to the third-seeded BGSU Falcons (11-5-2, 4-2-1 MVC) in BG’s first MVC tournament win in program history, the story carries on away from home in Springfield, Missouri when head coach Eric Nichols and company take on the Drake Bulldogs (9-4-3, 5-1-2 MVC) on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m.
The 4-1 result against UIC on Sunday marked the first MVC tournament victory in BG’s short two-year history with the conference, and the squad felt a sweet revenge in a couple of different ways.
Firstly, the Falcons got revenge on a Flames team that won an October match in Chicago by a score of 2-1, ending BG’s three-game winning streak to start conference play.
BG also got the bad taste of a penalty shootout loss to Northern Illinois in the quarterfinals of the 2023 MVC tournament out of their mouth, securing an undefeated record with more than four games played within the confines of Cochrane Stadium for the first time since 2016.
The Bulldogs of Des Moines will be heading into the match with confidence after a complete turnaround of the program, going from a 1-6-1 MVC record in 2023 to a second-best 5-1-2 stint under third-year head coach Pat Flinn, earning them a ticket straight to the MVC semifinal at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Missouri.
Scouting the Past
Drake will be coming into the match directly succeeding their only loss of the MVC conference season, a 1-0 result against the 11th-ranked and first-seeded Missouri State team that holds as the favorite to win the MVC tournament.
The Bulldogs managed three straight wins against Bradley, UIC, and Northern Illinois however, after back-to-back impressive draws, coming firstly against the Western Michigan Broncos and secondly against BGSU, giving the Falcons their only result that wasn’t a win at Cochrane Stadium in 2024.
The Falcons went through a rough patch in the middle of MVC play, earning four straight results conference results without a victory, including the lone draw against Drake in a sea of road losses against UIC, Missouri State, and Evansville.
The Falcons seemed to come out on the other side stronger, however, ending the now 23rd-ranked Western Michigan Broncos’ streak of 37 straight undefeated results with a 3-0 victory at Cochrane Stadium that sent BG into the MVC tournament with confidence.
Drake’s MVC tournament record is 3-6, dating back to 2017, and the past three appearances from 2020-2022 featured three straight losses in their first match of the tournament, while they failed to make the tournament in 2023.
BG’s short MVC tournament history features an 0-1 record with their loss to Northern Illinois last year, but looking at the last three tournaments they played before the MAC’s men’s soccer conference dissolved after the 2022 season, the Falcons had a 2-3 record in those games dating back to 2018, including a MAC championship appearance in 2019.
If the Falcons come out on top on Wednesday afternoon, they will face the winner of the other MVC semifinal match between the fifth-seeded Evansville Purple Aces and the Missouri State Bears, who hold home-field advantage throughout the tournament.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
The seven-save performance of the graduate student goalkeeper out of Perrysburg, Ohio, was key to the 4-1 victory against UIC on Sunday night that marked the final match Graves will play in Bowling Green in his illustrious five-year career with the Falcons.
Graves got awarded a spot on the All-MVC Second Team as a result of his efforts, his first spot on an all-conference team in his career, and he will be riding that confidence into what might take the spot as the biggest game of his career in the MVC semifinal on Wednesday.
Despite four goals against the Flames, there was one name left off the scoring summary: the 16th-ranked player in the nation, according to TopDrawer Soccer.
The forward earned the first All-MVC First Team selection of his career after an 11-goal season that tied him for 18th most in the nation, and his pairing with sophomore forward Bennett Painter proved to be striking fear in opposing defenses all season.
Terry will be looking to get back in the scoring column in the matchup of a lifetime, nine hours away from his hometown of Bellbrook, Ohio, and with a chance to make history, no one will be surprised if he comes through on Wednesday.
After junior midfielder Damian Segura was sidelined with an injury in mid-September that left him sidelined for the rest of the season, he still leads the team in goals with five, but right on his tail is the freshman striker from West Des Moines, Iowa, who has taken over as the primary goal scorer for the Bulldogs.
Kipnusu earned the MVC Freshman of the Year award for his efforts in a four-goal season that gives hints to him being dangerous in his upcoming three years with the program, and he will be the one to watch when the Bulldogs put offensive pressure on BG on Wednesday.
The Norwegian defensive midfielder earned the MVC Co-Midfielder of the Year award in 2024 after a two-goal season that saw him be versatile and threatening on both sides of the ball.
Gjerde’s energy gives Drake an added presence in the midfield that many teams lack, and his ability to work well with Pat Flinn’s system has made him a threat in any matchup.
Watch for Gjerde to make a big impact on and off the ball in Drake’s attack and defense on Wednesday.
