The Bowling Green Men's Rugby team (1-0) played its first MAC Conference home game of the season Saturday September 7, hosting University of Cincinnati (1-1). The match kicked off at 2 pm at the Roger Mazarella Rugby Field.
 
"Looking forward to the Cincinnati game. You know we had a tough game against them at the end of last year, so we definitely have to be on our guard" said Head Coach Tony Mazarella. "Certainly we will look to improve on things that we had some issues with against Michigan and hopefully have a little bit of a smoother time. Especially in the first half."
 
The Falcons begin their MAC campaign against the Bearcats who was BG's final conference game in the 2023 season and the opening opponent for the 2023 MAC Tournament. In both instances the Falcons prevailed, although they were well contested by the Bearcats. The 2023 MAC Semifinal was the more tightly contested match of the back to back matchups. This only saw the Falcons pull through with a 29-15 victory, only besting the Bearcats by two Tries.
 
"We are coming off a good weekend against Michigan. We won big there, however we also know that Cincinnati is coming off a big win over Xavier. So I think it'll be a good clash. Both squads will  really be able to test their strengths" said Captain Joey Apel. "I think it'd be a really good game. I know we have a lot of hope for our guys that we can continue to do what we did in the second half against Michigan. If we play our game, I see nothing but W's in our future."
 
Last Time on the Field
Last weekend the Falcons emerged victorious against Michigan in their 2024 Home Opener. In the match, both teams entered halftime with 12 points each. However, the Falcons brought it to the Wolverines and scored 35 unanswered points in the second half to win the game 47-12. Overall, it was a solid performance for the Falcons on opening weekend which had Tracey and Apel score 10 pts each as well as had five other Falcons earn their first try of the season.
 
Milestone Markers

• The Falcons look to extend their regular season MAC win streak to 8. The streak started with a forfeit from Pitt, however was followed up with a 64-8 win away at Dayton.
• Joey Apel and Phil Tracey will look to extend their joint lead at the top of the Falcons scoring list for the season.

About Cincinnati
Last season in the MAC the Bearcats finished 4th and qualified and the No. 4 seed for the MAC Tournament. Throughout last season, Cincinnati also finished 4th in the MAC for Points For (194), Points Against (211), and Points Differential (-17). At the 2023 MAC Tournament the Bearcats faced off against the 7-0 Falcons in the semi-finals and were defeated 29-15. The Bearcats would then face the No. 2 seed Western Michigan, losing 58-10 to place 4th at the 2023 MAC Tournament.
 
This season Cincinnati (1-1) have started out with a 5-14 away loss to Michigan on Friday, August 23rd. Cincinnati bounced back with a 55-5 win over Xavier on Saturday, August 31st.
 
UC lost in its last regular season match against BG 38-12.
 
Up Next
Bowling Green will play its second non-conference game against Notre Dame on Saturday, September 14 at 1 PM.
 
Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons Rugby team on social media for schedule updates and any information:

• Instagram: @rugbgofficial
• Facebook: BGSU Men's Rugby