Second Half Goals Trip Up Golden Hurricane in 2-0 Loss to #4 SMU

Saturday, October 21

Hurricane Stadium

6:00 pm

Tulsa

4-7-2, 2-4-0

SMU

10-1-2, 5-0-1

SMU

Tulsa

Photo by: Dave Crenshaw

Second Half Goals Trip Up Golden Hurricane in 2-0 Loss to #4 SMU

10/21/2023 9:27:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Box Score (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. – The No. 4 SMU Mustangs scored a goal shortly after halftime and added a second midway through the half as the University of Tulsa men's soccer team fell 2-0 at Hurricane Soccer Stadium on Saturday evening.

The loss drops Tulsa to 4-7-2 on the season and 2-4-0 in conference play. The Mustangs pick up their 10th win and are now 10-1-2 this season, 5-0-1 in The American.

"I thought we didn't press as well as we should have in the second half," Tulsa head coach Tom McIntosh said. "We sat back and gave them too much room. And then they had two really good individual moments that turned the game.

"Overall, I'm proud of the guys' work ethic. I thought we created some good chances as a group and good opportunities on set pieces. But we couldn't find a way to score. Obviously not pleased with the result, but the guys worked, and they keep working. We just have to keep fighting."

Tulsa will go on the road for the final time in the regular season next week. The Golden Hurricane travels to Philadelphia, Pa. to face the Temple Owls on Oct. 27. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+.

How it Happened
The first half was rather back and forth with neither team getting a particularly strong look at goal. Yuki Sekiguchi had one of the better opportunities, shooting from just inside the left corner of the box and forcing the SMU goalkeeper to palm it away for a corner.

SMU broke the deadlock in the 54th minute thanks to an individual moment of skill from Harvey Castro. He drove into the box on the left side, blanketed by a pair of Tulsa defenders. The SMU forward spun to his left to create space and fired off a left-footed shot that beat Alex Lopez to the near post.

Tulsa came close to equalizing in the 57th minute off a free kick. The ball was played in for Camilo Vargas, who headed it home. However, the flag was up for offside as Vargas had started his run just a step too early.

Alexander Petraeus had a golden opportunity to double the Mustangs' lead in the 73rd minute, doing everything but finding the net. He received a through ball as he went in on goal, cut back at the goal box to beat a Tulsa defender and then a second before just missing the goal with a curling effort.

SMU got the insurance goal a minute later when Jose Ortiz received the ball on the left wing to start a counterattack for SMU. Vargas pulled up while chasing down the play, leaving a gap in the defense. Ortiz took a dribble into the box on the left side and SMU was again able to find success to the near post for a goal to go up 2-0, which would hold until the final whistle.

Game Notes

Tulsa and SMU each had 11 shots and four shots on goal.
The Golden Hurricane had a 6-2 advantage on corners.
The Hurricane now have a four-game losing streak.

Scoring Summary
Tulsa 0 0 - 0
SMU 0 2 - 2

Individual Scoring
Harvey Castro (SMU) at 53:43
Jose Ortiz (SMU) at 73:27

Goalkeeper Saves
Alex Lopez (Tulsa) – 2
Cole Johnson (SMU) – 3
TEAM (SMU) - 1