Senior Danny Baraldi scored in the 64th minute, lifting the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over host Marshall University Wednesday evening (Aug.20). The scrimmage was held at MU's Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex.

Falcons Top Marshall in Scrimmage

The teams played three 30-minute periods in the scrimmage, and Baraldi's goal came early in the third period. The tri-captain capitalized on a Marshall turnover, slotting the ball past MU goalkeeper Dominik Reining from approximately six yards out.

Baraldi's unassisted goal was all Nick Landsberger and the Falcon defense would need. Landsberger, a redshirt sophomore, played all 90 minutes, making three saves in the shutout win.

The Falcons outshot the Thundering Herd by a 12-9 margin, and BGSU put six shots on goal to MU's three. BG held an 8-3 advantage in total shot attempts in the first 30-minute period.

"You could definitely tell that it was a preseason match," said BGSU head coach Eric Nichols. "The game was lacking a bit in terms of quality. The heat had a little to do with it, but we saw some heavy legs tonight.

"We saw some promising things from our group in the attack. We created some chances and had good possession. Now, we need to finish those chances. We could have had several more goals tonight."

Baraldi and sophomore Pat Flynn combined for nine of BG's 12 total shots and five of the team's six shots on goal. Baraldi had a match-high five shot attempts, putting two on frame, while Flynn's four total shots included three on target.

Jack Hopkins was the lone MU player with more than one shot attempt on Wednesday, with his three total shots including two on goal. Baraldi and Hopkins were the goal-scorers in the teams' last meeting, a 1-1 draw in Huntington last fall (Sept. 27, 2013).

Reining made two saves in relief in goal. Starting MU 'keeper Bijan Gloston had three saves against the Falcons.

"We've got a lot to work on, but we saw a lot of promise as well. We had some young guys step up, play well and show that they deserve to be considered.

"Now, we'll take a day off tomorrow, and get back after it. We've got to learn a lot from this game and get better for IUPUI."

Wednesday's match marked the Falcons' lone exhibition of the 2014 preseason. BGSU will begin the regular season with a pair of home games, hosting IUPUI on Friday, Aug. 29, before facing Findlay the following Tuesday (Sept. 2). The IUPUI match will begin at 6:00 p.m., while the Findlay contest is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start. Admission is free to all BGSU home soccer matches.

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