BGSU men’s soccer (3-4-2, 0-1-0) hosted Evansville (3-2-5, 1-0-0), losing 3-0 to open Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play on Friday night.

Head coach Eric Nichols spoke after the game about the result: “I don’t think the score reflects the 90 minutes.”

Before the action began, Mickey Cochrane was honored for his contributions to Bowling Green soccer and his induction into the hall of fame for the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association (OCSA). 

Following the ceremony, the Evansville Purple Aces struck fast in the 10th minute as junior midfielder Pablo Calvete received a corner kick from freshman midfielder Chase Ricker and pushed it through a crowd of players. 

A noticeable theme of the match was the Orange and Brown being unable to convert on their 8 corner kicks. In the 22nd minute alone, Evansville denied two BG corner kicks in a row. 

Both defenses held strong until the 43rd minute, when Ricker notched a second assist and crossed the ball to junior forward Armon Haghighat, putting the Purple Aces up 2-0. 

In the closing seconds of the half, there was an argument between players, and senior forward Trace Terry was issued a yellow card. This was the first of five yellow cards assessed during the match. 

Throughout the match, players repeatedly got tangled up in plays, leading to stoppages. This was especially an issue in the early stages of the second half, with a lengthy delay in the action at the 58th minute. 

The final nail in the coffin for BGSU was an 80th-minute goal by Evansville’s freshman forward Andres Escudero, assisted by senior defender Nacho Diaz-Caneja. 

Despite the loss, senior midfielder Andrew Shaffer spoke on the team’s mentality: “No one is jumping off the ship.” 

Coming off this conference opening loss, the orange and brown will look to bounce back against the Northern Kentucky Norse. 

The matchup will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 7:00 p.m. under the lights at Cochrane Stadium.