BGSU men’s soccer fell to Ohio State 3-2 after an explosive second half, and late goal gave the Buckeyes the narrow edge.
The Falcons and Buckeyes shared a scoreless, defense-heavy first half. Bowling Green goalkeeper Enzo Gil was tested early with back-to-back shots on goal only one minute in, including one that struck him in the face.
Through the first half, both teams had the best scoring chances when moving the ball quickly in transition. With under four minutes remaining in the first half, Bowling Green attempted to set up in the offensive half of the field, but ultimately fell back to create open space.
“I thought we were really good in the first half,” head coach Eric Nichols said. “We should have had a goal or two, but we didn’t finish.”
The Buckeyes held the majority of possession in the first half, but also could not score out of quick transitions.
The second half held all five of the game’s goals throughout. Immediately out of halftime, the Buckeyes controlled possession and pushed through the BG defense.
Eventually, eight minutes into the second half, a handball was called on the Falcons within their own penalty area. The penalty kick was scored by junior Isaiah Chisolm on Jason Ball. Ball took over as BG’s goalkeeper for the second half.
Ohio State strengthened its offensive pressure after Chisolm’s goal. The momentum kept the Buckeyes in control, which would result in another goal 15 minutes later. Redshirt sophomore Jason Maisonneuve’s goal extended Ohio State’s lead to two.
The Falcons quickly responded. Only 23 seconds of game clock transpired between Maisonneuve’s goal and sophomore Tyson McCoy’s. McCoy was able to score with a pass directed to him in the goal area.
With ten minutes left to go, the Falcons’ pressure intensified. BG controlled the ball, keeping possession within their offensive side of the field. With the persistent attack, a second-chance opportunity fell to McCoy once again, who scored to even the game at 2-2.
“He’s dangerous,” said Nichols. “He’s just so hungry. If you’re not on top of your game, he’s going to give you fits.”
The Buckeyes, through sophomore defender Martin McLaughlin, found the game-winning goal in the final minutes. A cross landed right to McLaughlin, who scored via a header on the back post to win the game.
The BG coaching staff has seen that spring exhibition games are bettering the Falcons. “It’s still about developing your team in the spring,” Nichols said. “We get a lot better idea of who can do what and how to handle certain situations, have real emotion to the game.”
The Falcons look forward to their second road game of the spring season versus Akron. Kickoff is set for April 4 at 6 p.m
