The Golden Hurricane men’s soccer team played a pair of home games this week, first against Missouri State and then against conference rival UConn.
The game against Missouri state was a defensive struggle, as each team vied to gain control for the majority of the game. As a result, the first half ended scoreless. It wasn’t until the second half the only goal of the game was scored. Kay Duit drew a penalty, which was taken by defender Zack Stavrou. He netted the shot, scoring his first career goal and giving Tulsa the 1-0 victory.
Their conference matchup against UConn also involved a lot of defense. The first half saw a lot of possession from the Huskies, as Tulsa struggled to find a rhythm. Half an hour into the game, Tulsa goalkeeper Jake McGuire made a nice diving save, but the rebound fell nicely for another Husky shot, and they got the only goal of the game.
Late in the second half, Tulsa drew a penalty, but when Rollie Rocha converted the kick, it was re-taken because a Tulsa player entered the goalbox too soon. On the second kick, the UConn goalkeeper guessed correctly, and managed to save the shot. Despite a lot of pressure in the second half, the Golden Hurricane couldn’t push through to score an equalizing goal.
Tulsa now is 5-3-2 (1-1 American Athletic Conference) on the season. The next face USF on Thursday at 6 p.m.
In women’s soccer this week, the Golden Hurricane faced off against No. 21 UConn in their first American Athletic Conference matchup of the season.
The game didn’t start out in Tulsa’s favor. Ten minutes in, the Huskies opened the scoring with a goal. The Golden Hurricane responded quickly, though. Within two minutes, they answered with a goal of their own. The tie didn’t last long, as UConn retook the lead ten minutes later, netting a second goal.
The second half played out similarly to the first half. UConn scored the first goal of the half, with Tulsa answering within two minutes. Again, UConn had an answer after the Tulsa goal, and this one put them ahead 4-2. Tulsa couldn’t come back from that deficit, and the final score remained at that.
In their second conference matchup, they faced the Temple Owls on the road. Tulsa again fell behind in this game, but not as soon. It took 40 minutes for the first goal to come in this game, and it gave Temple a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Shortly after halftime, Tulsa tied the game with their first goal. Then, they proceeded to take the lead halfway through the remainder of the game, and earned the 2-1 victory.
Tulsa is now 5–6–1 (1–1 American Athletic Conference) on the season. Up next is a matchup with Cincinnati at home, on Thursday at 7 p.m.
