Peoria, IL -- Close Calls and Down to the wire as Bradley Soccer comes up short to Bowling Green.
The phrase "so close" would be an apt way to describe the night between Bradley and Bowling Green as the two sides battled to a 2-1 final in Missouri Valley Conference action. In a game where Bradley controlled most of the play and offensive opportunities, it was a handful of moments in the final third for Bowling Green that proved to be the difference.
The Falcons would take an early lead in the 15th minute when Aidan Flanders finished off a pass from Joshua Pedersen to put Bowling Green ahead 1-0. The goal was Flanders' first of the 2026 campaign. Bradley would mount more pressure toward goal as the first half progressed, outshooting BGSU 9-5 over the opening 45 minutes, including great chances from Braden Missey, Liam Healey, and Mitch Coughlon.
The Braves would finally get one over the line with less than 10 minutes to go in the half.....or so it seemed. Upon further review, the goal was disallowed after a handball was ruled against the Braves in the penalty area prior to the goal.
In the second half, the Falcons would strike first. In the 60th minute, Caue Ramos found his way into the scoring column, converting a look from Aiden Ptacek to extend the BGSU lead to 2-0. With their backs against the wall, Bradley ratcheted up the offensive effort. Following the second Bowling Green goal, Bradley outshot BGSU 11-2 over the final 30 minutes.
With the match finding its way into the late stages and the scoreline unchanged, Bradley would earn a penalty kick opportunity following a handball in the box against Bowling Green that was confirmed after another video review. With Coughlon stepping up for the Braves, BGSU goalkeeper Jason Ball made a great stop, diving to his right.
Despite not converting the penalty kick, the Braves still had some say left in the match.
Archie Heron floated a free kick from roughly 30 yards out that was mishandled by the Falcons, resulting in an own goal. Bradley would get a few more chances to try and level the match, but ultimately, they were steered away from finding the equalizer as Bowling Green held on for a 2-1 final through full time.
Bradley will be back in action when they hit the road for Nashville, Tennessee, to take on the Belmont Bruins, who earned a 2-1 win over Drake in earlier action. The match will be available for streaming on ESPN+.
