Bowling Green State University junior Alberto Anaya (BGSU Athletics)
The Bowling Green State University men’s soccer team has been picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference race in the 2023 season.
The preseason poll, the result of voting by the conference’s nine head coaches, was released by the league office on Thursday morning.
The league office also announced the Preseason All-MVC Team, which included a pair of Falcons. Senior Brendan Graves and junior Alberto Anaya each were named to the team.
Missouri State, the defending MVC regular-season and tournament champion, was picked to win the league title in 2023. The Bears earned 78 points along with six of the nine first-place votes.
Western Michigan received the other three first-place votes and 75 total points, while the Falcons garnered 55 points.
Evansville was tabbed to finish fourth, with Belmont, UIC, Drake, Northern Illinois and Bradley rounding out the poll.
The Falcons return 11 letterwinners, including seven starters, from the 2022 team that went 6-5-5 overall and finished third in the Mid-American Conference with a 4-2-2 league ledger. Coach Eric Nichols and his staff have a whopping 14 newcomers on the 2023 roster.
Graves and the Falcons set a school record for fewest goals allowed in a season in 2022, surrendering just 10 in 16 matches. The team’s goals-against average of 0.63 was the second-lowest in school history, and the lowest since 1991. Graves played every second between the posts last season.
His GAA — 0.63, obviously — was the third lowest in the ‘modern’ era (since 1980). Graves was the MAC’s co-Goalkeeper of the Year and was named to the All-MAC First Team.
Anaya is the Falcons’ top returning scorer from a year ago. Despite missing four matches due to injury, he had 10 points on three goals and four assists. Anaya was named to the All-MAC Second Team in 2022.
The 2023 Falcons return six of last year’s top eight scorers, including Anaya, Andrew Shaffer, Josh Erlandson, Nathan Masters, Trace Terry and Kyle Cusimano. Other returning letterwinners include Graves, Eli Shope, Amer Dedic, Jake Bergin and Kyle Blasingame
Nichols and the Falcons begin the regular-season schedule next Thursday, Aug. 24, when Cleveland State comes to Cochrane Stadium for a 7 p.m. matchup.
