Email coach
Eric Nichols
Eric Nichols enters his 15th season at the helm of the BGSU men's soccer program in the fall of 2023. Since being named the Falcons' mentor on Feb. 17, 2009, Nichols has built not just a winning team, but a successful program both on and off the pitch.
Nichols has changed the culture of the program, showing steady improvement each season since arriving in Northwest Ohio. He guided the Falcons to the NCAA Championships in two consecutive seasons -- in the same calendar year.
The Falcons' trip to the NCAAs in 2020 (actually the spring of 2021) was BG's first appearance since 1997, and the Brown and Orange returned to the national tourney in the fall of 2021.
BGSU went to Louisville for the first round of the 2021 NCAA Championships and came away with a 1-0 victory over the Cardinals, the program's first national tournament victory since that '97 season.
Nichols has been named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year twice, earning the honor in both 2016 and in the 2020-21 academic year.
In that '16 campaign, Nichols became only the second BGSU coach to win the MAC's C-O-Y award since the MAC began sponsoring men's soccer in 1993.
In the spring of 2021, Nichols and his assistants were named the United Soccer Coaches North Region Staff of the year.
Additionally, he has twice been named the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association (OCSA) Ohio Coach of the Year, earning that honor both in 2016 and in 2021.
Nichols familyEntering the 2023 season, BGSU has an overall record of 112-105-39 since Nichols assumed the helm. After going 3-12-3 in his initial season, Nichols' Falcons have a winning record over the last 13 years (109-93-36; .534) despite playing an arduous schedule each and every year.
Over the last four seasons, Nichols has guided the Falcons to a 37-23-10 mark, good for a .600 winning percentage.
BGSU went 6-5-5 overall in 2022, and the Falcons went 4-2-2 in MAC play to finish third in the standings in the league's final year. Nichols and the Falcons once again navigated an arduous non-league schedule, then went 4-2-1 in the final month of the season, outscoring opponents by a 16-4 count in those seven matches.
BGSU's final MAC game saw the Falcons blitz Northern Illinois, 6-0, at Cochrane Stadium. The goal total was the Falcons' highest in a MAC match in over a quarter century.
The 2022 Falcons set a school record for fewest goals allowed in a season, surrendering just 10 in 16 matches. BG's goals-against average of 0.63 was the second-lowest in school history. Brendan Graves played every second between the posts, and his individual GAA (0.63, obviously) was the lowest since 1995.
Graves was named the MAC's co-Goalkeeper of the Year in 2022, with Joey Akpunonu and Sergi Martinez joining him on the All-MAC First Team. Six players were named to the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District Team, with Akpunonu going on to be named an Academic All-American.
Akpunonu was named to the 2023 MLS Generation adidas class, and was a first-round pick (22nd overall) by FC Cincinnati in the MLS SuperDraft. Akpunonu became the first player in school history to be drafted in the first round.
Akpunonu was the fifth player chosen in the MLS draft in program history, with four of those five picks coming in Nichols Era.
The 2021 campaign saw the Falcons post an overall record of 11-6-3, and BGSU earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. Ten of BGSU's 20 matches on the season were played against teams that, like the Falcons, advanced to the national tournament. And, BG played 10 contests vs. teams in the top-50 of the final RPI rankings.
The Falcons went to Louisville and picked up a 1-0 win in the first round of the national tournament. The lone goal of the match came off of the boot of Nichols' son, Kale.
BGSU won six true road matches in 2021, the third time the Falcons had turned that trick in the Nichols Era. No BG team has won more true road contests since 1997.
BG ended the 2021 season ranked number 30 in the final College Soccer News poll for the second consecutive season, and the Falcons ended the year ranked 27th (second team listed among 'receiving votes') in the final United Soccer Coaches poll.
BG was well-represented when the 2021 end-of-season awards were handed out. Zach Buescher and Jacob Erlandson were named to the All-MAC First Team, while Alberto Anaya was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.
Erlandson went on to be invited to the MLS College Showcase, and was drafted by the Columbus Crew in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft.
Montemurri and Kale Nichols each were named to the Academic All-District Team, selected by CoSIDA, and Montemurri went on to earn Academic All-America honors.
Anaya was named to a pair of national all-freshman teams, being chosen to both the College Soccer News All-Freshman Second Team and the Top Drawer Soccer 'Freshman Best XI' Second Team.
Nichols and the Falcons had entered the 2021 season as the defending MAC champions for the first time in nearly two decades. BGSU captured the conference crown and advanced to the NCAA Championships in the spring of '21
The 2020(-21) team ended the season ranked No. 30 in the final College Soccer News poll. The Falcons finished third in the final United Soccer Coaches North Region poll, and Nichols and his staff, as mentioned, were named the North Region Staff of the Year.
The Falcons’ outright MAC regular-season title was the program’s first since 1996, and BGSU participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997. Nichols, the MAC Coach of the Year, saw a school-record six players named to the All-MAC Team.
The Falcons had a 3-0-1 record in home matches in the spring of 2021, allowing just one goal in those four matches. The final home contest of the season saw BG pick up a 2-1 overtime win over Northern Illinois to clinch a MAC title and a trip to the NCAAs.
The Falcons had an RPI of 184 in the 2008 season, the year before Nichols arrived. Four years later, BGSU finished with an RPI of 99. At the conclusion of the 2014 campaign, Nichols and the Falcons were ranked 64th in the nation in the end-of-season RPI.
Following the 2020(-21) campaign, the Falcons were ranked 27th of 207 teams in the RPI, as the MAC was the top-rated conference in the nation. And, BGSU ended the 2021 season ranked 40th in the RPI, and five of seven MAC teams -- including the Orange and Brown -- were selected to participate in the NCAA Championships. Four of those five teams advanced beyond the first round.
The 2019 season saw the Falcons win 13 contests, the highest total in five years and only the second double-digit victory total since 1998. The Brown and Orange kept 11 clean sheets, recording a double-figure shutout total for the first time since that '98 campaign.
BG advanced to the MAC Tournament's championship match for the first time in five years. Along the way, the Falcons downed NIU at home in the quarterfinal round, then defeated Akron on the Zips' home field in the semifinals. The latter match marked BGSU's first victory over the Zips since 2002, and was the program's first road win vs. UA since 1997.
The 2019 Falcons more than doubled the win total from the previous season. BG won four total matches vs. MAC foes in a season for the first time since 2003. The Falcons landed a school-record six players on the All-MAC Team in 2019 (a total that BGSU equaled in the spring of '21).
BGSU closed the 2018 season with an overall record of 6-7-4, and the Falcons posted a 2-1-2 mark in MAC play. The Falcons, picked to place fifth in the six-team conference, finished second and earned a first-round bye for the league tourney. The '18 campaign marked BGSU's second second-place finish in the last three seasons.
BG went 5-1-2 over the final eight contests of the 2018 regular season, including a six-match unbeaten streak, the program's longest since 1997.
Nichols guided the 2016 BGSU team to second place in the MAC regular-season standings, the program's highest finish since the 2002 campaign. BG was undefeated in conference play for the first time since 1996.
The Falcons were ranked among the Great Lakes Region top-10 teams in every week of the 2016 season, and finished the year ranked fifth in the region.
BGSU has been just as successful in the classroom. In addition to the more recent accolades listed above, both Pat Flynn and Joe Sullivan were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team in 2016. Flynn became the first three-time Academic All-American in BGSU men's soccer history, while Sullivan became just the third Falcon to earn Academic All-America honors twice.
BGSU had six CoSIDA Academic All-America Team honorees in a four-year span, as Flynn was named to the second team in 2014 while Brandon Silva earned second-team honors in 2013.
The 2015 team began the year with five consecutive wins, breaking into the national rankings for the first time since 1999. The Falcons were 24th in the country in the NSCAA poll released on Sept. 8.
Flynn was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List in 2015, while Ryan James was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award. Following the season, James was selected by Sporting Kansas City in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft.
Nichols and the Falcons, after losing 10 seniors off of the 2013 team,,were picked to finish fifth in the six-team MAC in the 2014 campaign. But, that '14 team put together one of the most successful seasons in the last few decades. The Falcons went 14-6-1 overall and tied for third in the MAC with a 2-2-1 league ledger.
In 2014, the Falcons finished with a winning record for the first time in 14 years, and the overall win total was the program's highest in 17 seasons. BGSU more than doubled the previous season's win total, and the Falcons advanced to the championship match of the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2003.
Nichols has worked tirelessly at making Cochrane Stadium an entertaining place to be for soccer fans, as well as a difficult place to play for the road team. BGSU's attendance numbers have steadily increased during his tenure, and the Falcons have had multiple crowds of over 2,000 fill the stadium over the last few seasons, including a gathering of nearly 3,000 fans (2,924) vs. Ohio State in the 2022 season.
Nichols also was instrumental in the Cochrane Stadium lights project, as the Falcons now play nearly all of their matches under the lights, enhancing an already-entertaining game-day atmosphere.
The Falcons posted a 6-7-6 overall record in 2013, going 2-2-2 in MAC play while again playing a strong non-league schedule. The '13 team scored the most goals (25) since 2003, and allowed the fewest goals (17) since the '01 campaign. The Falcons then proceeded to score a total of 38 goals in 2014.
The '12 campaign saw the Falcons post eight wins against another in a long line of tough schedules for Nichols-coached teams. BGSU's 8-9-3 overall mark represented the team's most wins and highest winning percentage since 2003. The Brown and Orange posted two wins and a tie against teams that advanced to the NCAA Championships.
BG went 3-3-1 in MAC play that fall, earning the fourth seed in the eight-team conference and a bid to the league tournament. The Falcons fell on the road to the nation's top-ranked team in the MAC Tournament's semifinal round.
The 2011 season saw the Falcons post a 7-8-3 overall record. The seven wins, the program's highest total since the 2003 season, included a season-opening victory over ninth-ranked U-M before a crowd of over 2,100 at Cochrane Field. The Brown and Orange went 4-2-1 at Cochrane, and BGSU's defense posted a total of seven shutouts on the year, the program's most in a decade.
In 2010, his second season at the helm, Nichols guided the Brown and Orange to an overall mark of 6-9-3 and a MAC ledger of 3-3-0. BGSU, after being picked to place sixth in the league in the preseason coaches poll, tied for third in the final regular-season standings and earned the third seed for the MAC Tournament. With just four seniors on the 26-man roster in 2010, Nichols and the Falcons doubled the team's overall win total from the previous fall.
That '10 roster featured 12 newcomers, including 11 true freshmen. At least nine of those 12 players started two or more matches. That young team was ranked 117th of 204 schools in the final NCAA RPI, after going five years without having a ranking better than 152.
That 2010 team came away with a result (a win or a tie) 50 percent of the time, after the Falcons did so in just 33.3% of the 2009 matches.
Nichols guided his initial Falcon team to a 3-12-3 mark and a 2-3-1 MAC record. That 2009 club narrowly missed out on a top-four conference finish and a berth in the league tournament.
Nichols came to Bowling Green after spending the 2008 season as assistant coach at Davidson College. He also served as recruiting coordinator under head coach Matt Spear.
Prior to his stint at Davidson, Nichols was the head men's soccer coach at Ohio Dominican University for four seasons (2004-07). Under his guidance, the Panthers recorded a 59-22-2 (.711) overall mark, including a final ranking of fourth in 2007. That team advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament.
Nichols guided his final ODU team to a 19-3-0 overall record and was named the NSCAA/NAIA Midwest Region Coach of the Year and Ohio Coach of the Year in 2007. He was named the American Mideast Conference South Division Coach of the Year in three of his four seasons with the Panthers.
Prior to heading to ODU, Nichols served as an assistant coach at Ohio Wesleyan University under Jay Martin. During Nichols' four years there, the Battling Bishops compiled a mark of 74-14-3, won four conference championships and advanced to a pair of NCAA Regional Championships and one Final Four.
Along with his collegiate coaching experience, Nichols was the head coach of the Columbus Crew's U18 U.S. Soccer Academy team for the 2007-08 season, and also has experience coaching state and region squads in the Olympic Development Program (ODP). He also has a NSCAA Premier Diploma and a U.S. Soccer "A" License.
Nichols played collegiately at Ohio State, and played five years of professional soccer for the Columbus Xoggz and Indiana Blast of the USISL and the Columbus Invaders of the NPSL.
He is only the fifth head coach in the storied history of the BGSU men’s soccer program, which will enter its 59th season in the fall of 2023. He joins Mickey Cochrane (1965-77), the late Gary Palmisano (1978-92, 1994), Mel Mahler (1993, 1995-2003) and Fred Thompson (2004-08) on that list.
Nichols earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from OSU in 2000. He has taken graduate courses at BGSU.
Nichols and his wife, Marianne, reside in Bowling Green and have three children, sons Kale and Braden and daughter Jordan. Kale earned five letters for the men's soccer Falcons.
show more