CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University scored a pair of goals just two-and-a-half minutes apart in the first half, erasing an early deficit and going on to a 3-1 win over the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team Wednesday night (Nov. 6). The non-conference match, the Falcons' final regular-season contest, was held at Lorenz Field.

Sophomore Bennett Painter had given the Falcons (10-5-2 [4-3-1 MVC]) an early lead, scoring his team-leading 12th goal of the season in the 14th minute.

But, the Beavers (10-3-3 [5-1-1 WCC]), who are receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches national poll and ranked 23rd in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer, would answer.

Alejandro Silva tied the contest in the 28th minute, and Sergi Solans scored what would prove to be the winning goal in the 31st.

Aranu Farnos added a second-half goal for the Beavers, who advanced to the semifinal round of the College Cup last season.

Brendan Graves made five saves for the Falcons, who now turn their attention to Sunday's MVC Tournament quarterfinal-round match at Cochrane Stadium. BGSU tied for third place in the nine-team league, and the Falcons have earned the number-three seed for the conference tournament (Wednesday's MVC results, updated standings and the league tournament schedule can be found below).

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Just over two minutes into the match, Brendan Graves made a nice save on OSU's Sergi Solans, tipping a shot that Andrew Shaffer then cleared out of the box. Less than a minute later, Solans was back again, taking a pass and firing a shot from the left side of the box that Graves again was able to block.
• Graves read an Oregon State through ball very well, coming far off of his line to knock a pass away from a striker in the 12th minute. Soon after, he made a diving save on a shot by Arnau Farnos.
• BGSU's first shot attempt of the night found the back of the net. Jake Bergin, just outside the 18-yard line, played a ball to Trace Terry, who was splitting a pair of OSU defenders. Terry controlled the pass on the right side of the six-yard box, centering it to the onrushing Bennett Painter. Painter's one-time redirection found the right corner of the net.
• Solans had another solid chance on a counter attack, but Graves got a hand on the open shot, making a tremendous save to direct the ball over the bar (although the Falcons were awarded a goal kick on the play).
• The Beavers tied the score in the 28th minute. Alejandro Silva took a Farnos pass and hit a shot from just outside the 18 that found the far corner of the net.
• And, soon after, the hosts would take the lead when Solans took a pass while facing away from goal, popped the ball over his head, spun and poked a shot into the left corner of the goal in the 31st minute.
• Just after checking into the match, Ryko Bodurov maneuvered his way past several players on the left side of the penalty area. The freshman hit a shot from a difficult angle, and the ball was tipped just wide of the far post by OSU goalkeeper Ghandi Cruz.
• With just under 37 minutes gone, Bodurov played a pass out wide to Anthony Hernandez. The sophomore in turn slid a ball back into the center of the box, where Bergin ran onto it and hit a low shot. But, the ball whizzed inches wide of the right goalpost.
• In the 54th minute, Shaffer played a nifty cross through the six-yard box, but no one was able to get on the end of it. A minute later, the Beavers looked to counter, and OSU had numbers, but Josh Erlandson was able to block an attempted through ball near the top of the 18.
• The Beavers scored on a counterattack. Solans took a pass and was all alone as he fired a hard shot near the 18. Graves made the stop on the point-blank blast, but Solans tracked down the rebound and chipped the ball across the goalmouth. Farnos was there to head the ball into the goal to give the hosts a two-goal advantage.
• With just over 10 minutes to go, OSU's Nicklas Lund was shown a yellow card as he fouled Painter on the right side of the field, near the end line. Alberto Anaya took the free kick for what was in essence a short corner kick, chipping it into the six-yard box. Kyle Cusimano got a foot on the ball, but his shot went wide of the near post.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons will return to the Midwest to prepare for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. BGSU has earned the number-three seed for the league tourney, and will host sixth-seed UIC in quarterfinal-round action on Sunday night (Nov. 10). That match will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Cochrane Stadium, and admission is free.
• Should the Falcons get past the Flames, BGSU would meet second-seeded Drake in the semifinal round on Wednesday, Nov. 13. That contest would begin at 4:00 p.m. ET in Springfield, Mo.
• Regular-season champion Missouri State will host the semifinals as well as the final, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 16.

MVC STANDINGS AND SCHEDULE
Team (Overall)               MVC   Pts. 
1. Missouri St. (12-2-2)    7-0-1   22 
2. Drake (9-4-3)            5-1-2   17 
3. Bowling Green (10-4-2)   4-3-1   13 
   Western Mich. (11-1-6)   3-1-4   13 
   Evansville (8-6-3)       4-3-1   13 
6. UIC (7-9-0)              3-5-0    9 
7. Bradley (4-8-5)          1-5-2    5 
   Belmont (5-8-4)          1-5-2    5 
9. Northern Ill. (3-12-1)   1-6-1    4 
Teams earn 3 pts for a win, 1 for a tie

WEDNESDAY'S RESULTS
at Oregon State 3, Bowling Green 1
at Western Michigan 2, UIC 1
Belmont 2, at Evansville 2
Northern Illinois 3, at Bradley 3
Missouri State 1, at Drake 0

MVC TOURNAMENT
Sunday, November 10 – Quarterfinals (campus sites)
#5 Evansville at #4 Western Michigan, 11:00 a.m. ET
#6 UIC at #3 Bowling Green, 7:00 p.m. ET

Wednesday, November 13 – Semifinals (Springfield, Mo.)
Lowest remaining seed vs. #2 Drake, 4:00 p.m. ET *
Highest remaining seed at #1 Missouri State, 7:00 p.m. ET
* if BGSU advances past UIC, the Falcons will face Drake

Saturday, November 16 – Final (Springfield, Mo.)
Semifinal survivors, 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.