Bowling Green Falcons men's soccer

History

Bowling Green State University first fielded a men's soccer team in 1965. The team initially competed as an independent.

From 1986 through 1992, the Falcons were a member of the Mid-America Soccer Conference, winning the season championship in 1987, 1989, 199, and 1992 and the conference's only tournament championship in 1991.

From 1993 through 2022, BGSU competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference. They won the regular season title in 1986, 2000, 2002, and 2020. The Falcons won the first three MAC Tournament championships in 1985–87, and have advanced to the title game more than five times since then.

The team played in BGSU's full-time home of the Mid-American Conference through the 2022 season, after which the MAC dropped that sport. Bowling Green joined the Missouri Valley Conference as a single-sport member effective in 2023.

Colors and badge

The BGSU school colors are burnt orange and seal brown. In 1914, Professor Leon Winslow of the industrial arts department reportedly saw the color combination on a woman's hat while riding the interurban trolley to Toledo and recommended to the board of trustees that those colors be adopted.

Stadium

The Falcons play at Mickey Cochrane Field (Cochrane Soccer Stadium) on the BGSU campus. The stadium seats 700 with portable seating for 800 more available and standing room for hundreds more.

Rivalries

Bowling Green's main college soccer rival is Wright State. The two compete for the I-75 Cup.

Honors

Source: More than 30 BGSU Falcons have gone on to play professional soccer

Bowling Green men's soccer's first head coach, Mickey Cochrane, was inducted into the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America, now known as United Soccer Coaches) Hall of Fame in 1995.

All-Americans

• Dave Dyminski – 1972 NSCAA Honorable Mention, 1973 NSCAA 2nd Team
• Bud Lewis – 1974 NSCAA Honorable Mention
• Dennis Mepham – 1979 NSCAA Honorable Mention
• Neil Ridgway – 1982 NSCAA 1st Team, 1983 NSCAA 1st Team
• Jon Felton – 1987 NSCAA 3rd Team
• Rob Martella – 1992 NSCAA 1st Team
• Steve Klein – 1996 NSCAA 1st Team
• Scott Vallow – 1997 NSCAA 3rd Team, 1998 NSCAA 3rd Team
• Chris Doré – 1999 NSCAA 3rd Team

Academic All-Americans

• Kyle Royer – 1988 ISAA adidas Scholar-Athlete All-American. 1989 ISAA adidas Scholar-Athlete All-American, 1990 ISAA adidas Scholar-Athlete All-American
• Greg Murphy – 1991 ISAA adidas Scholar-Athlete All-American. 1991 CoSIDA Academic All-American
• Joe Burch – 1995 CoSIDA Academic All-American, 1995 NSCAA Scholar-Athlete All-American Honorable Mention, 1996 CoSIDA 1st Team Academic All-American
• Ty Fowler – 1999 CoSIDA 1st Team Academic All-American
• Jacob Lawrence – 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team
• Brandon Silva – 2013 CoSIDA 2nd Team Academic All-American
• Pat Flynn – 2014 CoSIDA 2nd Team Academic All-American, 2015 CoSIDA 1st Team Academic All-American, 2016 CoSIDA 1st Team Academic All-American
• Joe Sullivan – 2015 CoSIDA 2nd Team Academic All-American, 2016 CoSIDA 1st Team Academic All-American

Notable alumni

• Thaddeus Atalig
• George Davis IV
• Fred DeGand
• Cameron Hepple
• Steve Klein
• Dennis Mepham
• Scott Vallow
• Dana Veth
• Kyle Williams
• Bud Lewis

References

References

1. "Bowling Green State University". NCAA & Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
2. "MAC Men's Soccer". Bowling Green State University.
3. (November 11, 2022). "MAC to Suspend Sponsoring Men's Soccer Following 2022 Season". Mid-American Conference.
4. (November 11, 2022). "Missouri Valley Conference To Expand in Men's Soccer for 2023". Missouri Valley Conference.
5. "Cochrane Soccer Stadium". Bowling Green State University.
6. (November 5, 2019). "Bowling Green Wins I-75 Cup".