SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Junior Trace Terry scored in the 82nd minute, and Brendan Graves and the back line made that lead stand up, as the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team defeated Drake University, 1-0, on Wednesday (Nov. 13). The game, a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinal-round match, was held at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium.

With the win, the Falcons (12-5-2 [4-3-1 MVC]), the third seed for the six-team tournament, advance to Saturday night's conference tourney championship match. BGSU will face fifth-seeded Evansville.

Graves made five saves en route to his sixth shutout of the season, and his second against the second-seeded Bulldogs (9-5-3 [5-1-2 MVC]) in 2024. The teams played to a scoreless draw in their regular-season meeting at Cochrane Stadium.

The Falcons picked up the shutout despite playing without the services of MVC Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Cusimano for the final 41-plus minutes of the match. Cusimano, who entered the match having played 1,619 of the Falcons' 1,620 total minutes this season, left early in the second half due to an injury and did not return.
 

GOAL‼️‼️@BGSUMSoccer takes the lead over the Bulldogs 1-nil, with 8 minutes left of regulation‼️#MVCSoccer pic.twitter.com/LT1wNFzOWB

— Missouri Valley Conference (@MVCsports) November 13, 2024

Gallery: (11-13-2024) 111324 msoc v Drake - Jesse Scheve

NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• The Falcons have advanced to the championship match of the MVC Tournament for the first time. The 2024 season marks BGSU's second in the conference.
• BGSU's last trip to a conference tourney final came in 2019, when the Falcons fell, 1-0, to West Virginia in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship in Akron, Ohio.

B!G PLAYS (HOW IT HAPPENED)
• Brendan Graves got a couple early touches on the ball, grabbing a high cross without any difficulty, then making the save on a shot by Jackson Kirsch in the fifth minute of the match.
• After a BGSU corner kick, a dangerous-looking cross by Andrew Shaffer was knocked out for another corner before it could reach the penalty area approximately 10 minutes into the contest.
• The Bulldogs had a chance midway through the first half, when a corner kick found Eloge Iradukunda on the far side of the penalty area. But, Iradukunda's right-side shot sailed well over the crossbar.
• BGSU's first shot attempt of the match came in the 25th minute. After Alberto Anaya was fouled, the senior took the ensuing free kick. He put a ball on frame, but DU goalkeeper Tomas Butkovic made the save.
• One minute later, with the Falcons threatening, Shaffer put a ball into the six-yard box, where Trace Terry and a DU defender were vying for possession. The ball deflected toward the goal, but Butkovic was able to grab it.
• Graves made a pair of saves on shots from outside the penalty area, by Kai Knuchel and Eskil Gjerde, as the match passed the half-hour mark. The first was an easy save on a shot from distance, and the Falcon 'keeper parried the second shot and grabbed the ball on one bounce.
• BGSU broke out of the defensive end in the 58th minute, as Shaffer found Jake Bergin near midfield. Bergin played the ball forward to Ryko Bodurov, who cut to his right and fired a shot from the 18-yard line. But, Butkovic made the stop.
• Anaya and Anthony Hernandez each did some nifty work in close quarters on the right side of the field, and Anaya's pass found Hernandez near the end line. Hernandez chipped a ball that went through the box before a teammate could reach it.
• After a foul on the Falcons just outside the box in the 64th minute, Kirsch put a curving free kick toward the far side of the goal, but Graves made a leaping save to tip the ball over the bar. Off of the ensuing corner kick, a header by the Bulldogs' Preston Kipnusu was wide left.
• Just after checking back into the match midway through the second half, Bennett Painter beat a defender on the left side of the field.  He attempted to play the ball to Terry, who was charging down the center of the field, but DU's Cole Schrage was able to block the ball away.
• Less then a minute later, Hernandez raced to save a long pass just before the end line. His cross wound up finding Bergin, who had a ball blocked near the top of the 18. Terry tracked down the rebound and slid a pass to Anaya, who hit a hard, low shot. But, Butkovic was able to make the stop.
• After a foul on the Bulldogs with under 10 minutes to go, Anaya put his free kick into the penalty area. Josh Erlandson got his head on the serve and put a shot on frame, but the shot was saved by Butkovic. But, BGSU's next shot would not be stopped.
• The Falcons took the lead with 7:59 to go. Hernandez stole a Drake pass near midfield, and fired a ball ahead to Painter on the left side. Painter in turn passed it to Terry in the center of the field. Terry made a nice first touch to settle the ball, and blasted a shot that beat Butkovic and nestled inside the far post.
• With just over four minutes to go, a buildup by Drake led to a right-side cross from J.P. Pascarella. But, Gjerde's header sailed high.
• As to be expected, Drake applied a great deal of pressure as the Bulldogs looked for the equalizer. With just under three minutes to go, Graves made a great leaping effort to grab a serve by Zacarias Escobar-Bowie. Then, with 1:15 remaining, Graves punched a corner kick out of the goalmouth while being hindered, and a foul was called on the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons, as mentioned, advance to Saturday's (Nov. 16) championship match. BGSU, the number-three seed, will face fifth-seeded Evansville, with first touch set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium.
• The winner of Saturday's match will earn the MVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

MVC TOURNAMENT
Sunday, November 10 – Quarterfinals (campus sites)
#5 Evansville 2, #4 Western Michigan 1 (OT)
at #3 Bowling Green 4, #6 UIC 1

Wednesday, November 13 – Semifinals (Springfield, Mo.)
#3 Bowling Green 1, #2 Drake 0
#5 Evansville 1, at #1 Missouri State 0

Saturday, November 16 – Final (Springfield, Mo.)
#3 Bowling Green vs. #5 Evansville, 7:30 p.m. ET

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• For more information on the BGSU men's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUMSoccer), Instagram (bgfalcons and bgsumsoccer) and Facebook (BGMensSoccer) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.