Defender Nacho Diaz-Caneja scored his first collegiate goal in the Purple Aces’ second road Missouri Valley Conference game of the season. Forward Kai Phillip continued his momentous offensive season with his seventh goal of the year and six shots to lead the team. Junior forward Jose Vivas also had a big offensive game with five shots and three on-goal, just shy of a career-high game.
Bowling Green opened the scoring early with two goals in the first 15 minutes of the match. Most of the first half was in the Falcons’ favor, but UE put more shots on goal in the first 45Â minutes with five opportunities. The Aces began to find their offensive momentum in the last 15 minutes of the half, forcing two saves from Bowling Green’s goalkeeper, including a penalty attempt for midfielder Carlos Barcia in the 27th minute.
Evansville carried its momentum into the second half with an early shot. But the Falcons found the net again with a header goal off a corner kick in the 57th minute. It didn’t take long for UE to respond as 50 seconds later Phillip broke the Aces shutout with a header of his own from Diaz-Caneja. The flurry of offense continued as Bowling Green scored its fourth goal in the first second of the 64th minute.
Evansville again found the net themselves in under a minute as Diaz-Caneja scored his first goal as an Ace. Freshman winger Auden Engen Vik also added his first collegiate point with an assist on the score. UE continued to press, outshooting the Falcons seven to four in the final 19 minutes of the match. In the last five minutes, Vivas kicked it into overdrive, putting two shots on goal and outletting a shot to Phillip for another on-target chance. But the Aces couldn’t quite crack Bowling Green’s goalkeeper again for the 4-2 loss.
UE returns to Arad McCutchan Stadium next week for a mid-afternoon matchup with Western Michigan. The Broncos have only had a loss on the season so far which came on the road. Kick-off from McCutchan Stadium is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7.Â
