The BG men’s soccer team took a trip to Akron, Ohio, for a match against Mid-American Conference foe the Akron Zips who are also ranked in the top 15.

The Falcons put up a good fight but could not manage to score and left Akron with a 1-0 loss.

“We had a good mentality and a good approach today, and we actually played a pretty good game,” said head coach Eric Nichols. “There were moments in the game where we were on our front foot. But, we did not have enough of those moments. When we create chances, which we did today, we’ve got to put them away.”

Akron outshot the Falcons by a total of 20-9, although the shot on goal difference was much closer as Akron led that category 7-3. Anthony Grant again led the Falcons in shots with two and both shots were on target but were saved by the Akron goalkeeper Fernando Pina.

Akron scored the lone goal of the day with 1:32 left in the first half. Zip Eric Stevenson played through the defense to forward Reinaldo Brenes who finished his chance from 12 yards out.

“With a team like Akron, if you make a mistake, they will punish you,” Nichols said. “We had a little lapse in our defending, and they beat us on a break and got a good goal.”

Goalkeeper Michael Wiest had five saves on the day, including back-to-back saves on Stevenson and Adam Najem just seconds apart in the second half to keep the deficit at a single goal.

The Falcons had some chances of their own as three of their players had two shots a piece but with only three on target they could not make the chances count.

“I like the way we finished the game. We pressed hard and created some more chances,” Nichols said. “We certainly came over here to win, but we left the field today with no regrets.”

Although the Falcons lost their MAC opener they will move on to their next game against Marshall Friday, Sept. 27.

“The most important thing is that I know we are getting better,” Nichols said. “Each game, we are playing better than the one before. The best is yet to come with this group.”