BGSU men’s soccer (5-6-2, 1-2-0 Missouri Valley Conference) came from behind to defeat the Bradley Braves 3-1 (2-5-5, 0-2-1 MVC) Friday night, in an important Missouri Valley Conference matchup.
The Falcons struggled in the first half, as their several-game slumps showed no signs of stopping.
During a Bradley attack in the 32nd minute, midfielder Ryko Bodurov got caught out of position, creating an easy one-on-one opportunity for Bradley midfielder Nokkvi Hjorvarsson to score on Falcon Goalkeeper Jason Ball, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead over the Falcons.
Despite a few opportunities on set pieces, including right in front of the Bradley net, the Falcons were unable to equalize as Bradley took their lead into halftime.
In the early going, the Falcons’ best chances at a goal in the second half both came just under 62 minutes in. Anthony Hernandez and Andrew Shaffer both had opportunities close to the net, but Bradley’s Drew Berry was able to easily save both attempts. Less than a minute later, Trace Terry connected on a highlight-reel goal, assisted by Bodurov.
Shortly beyond 70 minutes into regulation, Terry was fouled in the goal area. The ensuing penalty kick gave Bowling Green its first lead of the night, and Terry his second goal of the night.
With just under 10 minutes to play, Bodurov logged his second assist of the night, finding Bennett Painter, who scored the insurance goal, putting the Falcons ahead 3-1. Bradley had a few more chances in the game’s waning minutes, but ultimately the 3-1 margin stood, cementing the victory for the Falcons.
One of the largest stories of the night was the turnaround from half to half by Bodurov.
“When you go into a game and make a mistake and it costs you a goal, it kind of affects you emotionally and physically, but all the guys believed in me,” said Bodurov. “Them believing in me and the coach believing in me gave me the confidence to go out and do my thing.”
For Bowling Green, the win marked their first in conference play this season, earning them much-needed points as they entered the night seated in last place in the conference.
The Falcons will go on the road for their next match on Saturday, Oct. 18, taking on the preseason conference favorites Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. Kick-off is set for 8:30 p.m.
Falcon Media Sports Network will have the recap of the match on bgfalcoonmedia.com.
