Missouri State men fall to Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. – The Missouri State men’s soccer team (2-4-0) played the second-ranked Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6-0-0) tough for 107 minutes before losing 2-1 in Tulsa, Okla., Tuesday evening.

Missouri State senior goalkeeper Alex Riggs made seven saves in the match and helped direct a Bears defense that kept the potent Tulsa offense off the scoreboard until the 74th minute.

Missouri State took the lead when Edin Sabic took a free kick from near midfield in the 14th minute.  He sailed the long drive over the head on Tulsa’s goalkeeper and into the net.  The goal is Sabic’s first of this season.

The Bears would hold the lead until the 74th minute.  Tulsa’s Adrian Klammer picked up a loose ball after a pass into the box and put it past Riggs to tie the match.

Two minutes later, the Golden Hurricane got a free kick just outside the Missouri State box.  Ashley McInnes tried to catch the Bears sleeping with a quick restart, but his shot caromed off the crossbar and out of play.

Jordan Hoffman broke away in the final minute of play, but his shot was saved by a diving Ray Clark resulting in a corner kick in the final seconds of regulation.  A brief scramble in front of the Tulsa net was unsuccessful and the two sides went to overtime tied, 1-1.

The two teams would remain tied until the 107th minute.  Tulsa’s Austin Neil picked up a rebound off of a Riggs’ save and put in the game winner for the Golden Hurricane.

Missouri State was able to hang with Tulsa throughout the match despite giving up 15 corners and 17 shots to the Golden Hurricane.

Missouri State will begin conference play at Central Arkansas on Saturday, September 25, with a 4:00 p.m. kick off in Conway, Ark.  The Bears will then travel to Saint Louis next Tuesday for an NCAA Tournament rematch with the Billikens.