EVANSVILLE, Ind. – MVC play begins for the University of Evansville men’s soccer team this Friday as they travel to Bowling Green, Ohio to take on the Bowling Green Falcons. Kick-off is set for 6 PM CT. The match serves as a rematch of last season’s MVC Tournament final, which the Aces won 3-2 in overtime to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.
Last Time Out
With his team facing a 1-0 deficit with less than 15 minutes to play, Evansville freshman Andres Escudero (San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain/IES Joan Miro) notched his second brace in three matches to power Evansville to a come from behind 2-1 win over Butler on Tuesday night at Arad McCutchan Stadium. With the brace, Escudero became the first freshman in the country with multiple braces this season.
After Butler opened the scoring with a goal in the 77th minute, Escudero scored the equalizer in the 80th minute before delivering the winner in the 86th minute. With the brace, Escudero becomes the first Evansville freshman with multiple braces in a season since MVC Freshman of the Year Nacho Diaz Barragan in 2022.
The first half saw scoring chances for both sides, but neither side was able to convert for a goal. Escudero and Chase Ricker (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) put shots on goal for the Aces in the 26th and 28th minutes, while Ben Zec (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) tallied shots on goal in the 34th and 36th minutes.
Action ratcheted up late in the second half, starting with a near goal by Evansville’s Devin Shepherd (Denver, Colo./Arapahoe) in the 70th minute. However, his shot went off the crossbar and the Aces were denied.
In the 76th minute, Butler broke through for the night’s first goal on a header from Sam Pitts-Eckersall.
With their backs against the wall, Evansville responded in the 80th minute. Shepherd started the chance with a long ball down to Ricker who found Zec on the right side. From there, Zec lofted a pass to Escudero near the penalty spot, where he took a touch off the left foot before beating the Butler keeper for the goal.
Less than six minutes later, the Aces struck again. Nacho Garcia (Zaragoza, Spain/UNIR) starting things this time, finding Pablo Calvete (Ponferrada, Spain/UNIR) at midfield. Calvete then delivered a beautiful through ball to a streaking Escudero, who took two touches to the top of the box before ripping a strike into the top left corner for the game-winning goal.
With Butler scrambling for the equalizer in the final minutes, Mroz made a game-saving stop for the second match in a row, leaping to the top left corner to get a hand on would-be goal to preserve the lead. From there, Evansville withstood two more Bulldogs’ shots to come out with their second win of the season.
Series History
Tuesday marks the 17th meeting between the Aces and Falcons. Evansville holds a commanding series lead at with 12 wins, including a 5-2 edge in Bowling Green. Since Bowling Green joined the MVC in 2023, UE holds a 2-1 advantage, winning both matches last season.
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green brings a 3-3-2 record into Friday’s match, having most recently defeated DePaul on Tuesday by a score of 2-1. The Falcons were picked second in the MVC Preseason Favorites poll, earning two first place votes.
