Men's Soccer

MVC Men's Soccer Weekly Notebook (Oct. 20)

Player of the Week: Vitor Geromel, Western Michigan
Defensive Player of the Week: Gus Peacock, Bowling Green
Goalkeeper of the Week: Jason Ball, Bowling Green

Western Michigan junior forward Vitor Geromel put together a historic offensive performance to earn MVC Men's Soccer Player of the Week honors. Geromel scored four goals in the Broncos' 6-0 victory over Holy Cross on Oct. 13, becoming the first Western Michigan player to score four goals in a match since Charlie Sharp in 2022. The four-goal performance tied the program record originally set by Hall of Famer Randy Wojtala in 1977. Geromel found the back of the net in the ninth, 74th, 78th and 89th minutes, finishing the match with nine points on 12 shots, including seven on goal. He followed that performance with another 90-minute effort against Drake on Oct. 17, recording one shot on goal in a scoreless draw. Geromel totaled four goals and an assist for nine points during the week.

Bowling Green senior defender Gus Peacock played a key role in the Falcons' continued success, helping lead the team to a 1-0 road victory over Evansville on Oct. 17. The win moved Bowling Green to 3-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play and extended the Falcons' winning streak to four consecutive matches. Peacock played all 90 minutes against the Purple Aces, helping the Falcons secure a shutout and an important conference victory. A consistent presence on the back line, Peacock has played every minute of Bowling Green's season to date, logging all 1,170 minutes through the team's latest match.

Bowling Green senior goalkeeper Jason Ball delivered a standout performance between the posts to earn MVC Men's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Week honors. Ball recorded seven saves and a shutout in the Falcons' 1-0 road win at Evansville on Oct. 17, including four saves in the final 10 minutes to preserve the victory. His performance helped Bowling Green improve to 3-1 in conference play and extend its winning streak to four matches. The shutout was Ball's second in six starts this season. He now has 31 saves on the year, along with a 0.67 goals-against average.

Conference News & Notes

  • With three weeks remaining in the regular season, Bowling Green sits atop The Valley standings with a 3-1-0 ledger and nine points. Belmont, who is undefeated in league play, is 2-0-1 with seven points, while Evansville is currently third in the standings with six points and a 2-1-0 record. UIC and Western Michigan are tied with five points apiece, while Drake (1) and Bradley (0) round out the MVC standings.
  • Bradley and Evansville each have a non-conference match against teams mentioned in the coaches’ poll this week, as the Braves travel to take on former Valley foe Missouri State, who is currently receiving votes, while the Purple Aces head north to face No. 13 Wisconsin. 
  • Evansville’s match against the Badgers marks the sixth non-conference match against a team in the Top 25, or receiving votes in the poll, this year. The Purple Aces will have one more non-conference match next Tuesday. 
  • Western Michigan (at DePaul) and Drake (at Omaha) each wrap up their non-conference slate tonight, while Bowling Green will travel to Oakland tonight and host Wilmington next week to conclude its non-conference schedule. 
  • Bowling Green continued its win streak with a 1-0 victory over Evansville on Saturday. The win marked head coach Eric Nichols’ 200th overall victory of his head coaching career. Sophomore Tyson McCoy provided the game-winning goal for the second-straight match, while goalie Jason Ball recorded his second shutout of the season. 
  • Western Michigan shut out Holy Cross, 6-0, last week, with four of the six goals coming from junior forward Vitor Geromel. Three of his four goals were registered in the final 12 minutes of the match, while the five of the six Broncos’ goals came in a 16-minute span. 
  • With his four goals against Holy Cross, Vitor Geromel jumped to the top of the Valley charts with 10 on the year, which are the eighth-most in Division I this season. 
  • The Broncos returned to Conference play over the weekend, playing to a 0-0 draw at Drake. The Bulldogs held the 8-6 advantage in shots, while keeper Tomas Butkovic made three saves for his fifth clean sheet of the season. 
  • With its 2-2 draw at Belmont on Saturday, UIC is unbeaten in seven of its last eight matches and remained unbeaten in its eight visits to E.S. Rose Park (6-0-2). Sebastian Khoury picked up a goal and an assist in the match, while senior defender Sota Nakazono notched his second goal of the season. 
  • Belmont remained unbeaten in league play with its draw against UIC. In the 64th minute of the match, John McDowell converted a PK to provide the equalizer, as the Bruins extended their unbeaten streak to five matches. 
  • Western Michigan’s Alex Lindewirth leads the MVC with 63 saves on the year, ranking seventh in Division I in the category. He’s one of two keepers in the league averaging over 4.00 stops per match, sitting at a Conference-best 4.85.