DeKALB – The NIU men’s soccer team faced off against Bowling Green State University Tuesday evening in a lopsided contest that saw the Falcons come out on top with a score of 3-1.
Head coach Ryan Swan spoke how he was disappointed with the team’s performance against the Falcons.
“(I’m) really disappointed with the result and how we performed in the final third,” Swan said. “I thought our possession time was decent, but we just weren’t dangerous enough. We didn’t get enough shots on goal.”
Tuesday’s match had to be played through wind and rain. The conditions didn’t stop the Falcons from getting the scoring started early.
The Falcons got on the board quickly in the 10th minute of the game. Falcons senior midfielder Sergi Martinez directed a free kick to his teammate, junior defender Joey Akpunonu, who was able to send it right into the net off his head.
Near the end of the half in the 37th minute an unsuccessful corner kick by Falcons senior midfielder Sergi Martinez was deflected NIU redshirt senior goaltender Martin Sanchez. The ball ended up in the area of Falcons senior defender Josh Erlandson who kicked it in to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
Bowling Green played solid defense, thwarting NIU’s attempts to get behind the Falcons and preventing the Huskies from getting any decent shots at the net.
The Huskies eventually got on the board to keep themselves in the match with a score in the 82nd minute. Fifth-year senior forward Miguel Maynez Jr. capitalized off a turnover and fired a long shot to the back of the net to cut NIU’s deficit to one.
The Huskies’ hopes of recovering from what originally 2-0 deficit were ended once the Falcons responded with their final goal of the match. The Falcons received a free kick, and Erlandson rose above everyone to knock in a header and put the game away for BGSU with a score of 3-1, giving him his second goal of the night.
The Huskies’ next match will be played at 7 p.m. Saturday against the University of Akron for their final home match of the season. It can be watched through NIU All-Access and live statistics can be found through SIDEARM Sports.
