Vargas and Hovius Fire Tulsa Past Florida Atlantic

Friday, October 4

Tulsa, Okla.

7:00 PM

Tulsa

2-7-1, 1-2-0

Florida Atlantic

2-4-3, 0-2-1

Fla. Atlantic

Tulsa

Vargas and Hovius Fire Tulsa Past Florida Atlantic

10/4/2024 11:22:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa earned a penalty with only one minute remaining, and senior Camilo Vargas converted to lift the Hurricane to a 2-1 victory over Florida Atlantic on Friday night.

Tulsa improves to 2-7-1 on the season and 1-2 in The American play after snapping a six-game winless streak and four-game losing skid. FAU (2-4-3, 0-2-1) continues to search for its first win in league play and first victory over the Golden Hurricane ever.

After Tulsa took the lead early in the second half, the Owls returned serve to equalize in the 64^th. On Sunday, Tulsa was tied 1-1 before allowing two late goals. This time, the Hurricane kept the pressure on FAU, leading to the penalty and match winner.

"We didn't quit, we kept pushing for the goal," Tulsa head coach Tom McIntosh said. "I think this team has been through a lot of adversity, but like I told them today, we still have a ton of belief in them. They haven't pointed fingers. It's a tremendous group. I'm just happy for them – happy for them to get the win and to get three points. Then we got to move on to the next one."

Gijs Hovius scored his first Tulsa goal after returning from an injury that has left him on the sidelines for much of the season. It was the first time Tulsa has scored first this season. For Vargas, it was his third goal to lead the TU program.

"Gijs has been out all season, so it was great to get him back out in front of goal," McIntosh said. "We know he's a great goal scorer, so to get him back is fantastic. It was great to see him score and we're super happy for him. It was also good to see Camilo get another one. I'm just proud of our guys."

Alex Lopez played all 90 in goal for the Hurricane, coming through with five saves to assist the TU defense. Alex Cunningham and Bowen McCloud each had two shots on target Friday, the other four shots on goal for Tulsa.

It was a testy match with 11 yellow cards and a red card dished out, six in the first half and five with a red in the second 45. Tulsa was responsible for six of the cautions, while the Owls had the other five and the dismissal.

How it Happened
Florida Atlantic thought it had taken the lead inside 10 minutes after putting the ball in the net in the ninth minute, however the flag went up for offside, negating the early goal. After a VAR review, the call was upheld and TU could breathe a sigh of relief.

Lopez made all five of his saves in the opening half, keeping the Owls off the board. Tulsa challenged the FAU keeper twice, but neither team could break through.

Gijs Hovius gave Tulsa the advantage in the 51^st. Alvaro Torrijos caused a turnover in the middle of the field and quickly played it to Nils Orywol on the left wing. Orywol took it near the end line before crossing back toward the top of the box on the left side. Hovius twisted his body to get of a right-footed shot that beat the goalkeeper to the near post.

The lead lasted until the 64^th minute, when FAU equalized. Noah Kvifte played a perfectly weighted through ball to Mamadou Diarra, who flicked it with his right foot and lifted it over a charging Lopez to tie the game.

Instead of getting discouraged, Tulsa went back on the attack, pinning the Owls back for the majority of the remainder of the match. Aimar Membrila sent a pair of shots that flashed just wide of the posts. In the 86^th, freshman Alex Cunningham rifled a right-footed shot low and toward the left far corner, forcing a fantastic diving save from FAU goalkeeper Nacho Alfaro.

The teams look destined to split the points as the clock neared a minute. Lopez corralled an errant FAU pass and quickly rolled the ball to Luke Adams who played the ball long. Camilo Vargas challenged the defender for the header and Yuki Sekiguchi was the first to the ball on the left side. He brought it forward and tried to cross it in. An FAU defender knocked down the cross with his arm, giving Tulsa a late penalty.

After a lengthy review and a second yellow and subsequent red card to an FAU player on the bench, the call was upheld. Vargas stepped up and sent the TU crowd and bench into celebration with a goal, smashing it to the right side of the net.

Game Notes

TU improves to 2-7-1 on the season and 1-2 in The American.
Tulsa stays undefeated at 4-0 against the Owls.
FAU scored its first goal ever against Tulsa.
The Hurricane snapped a six-game winless streak and four-game losing streak.
Gijs Hovius scored his first goal of the season in only his second game after missing much of the season with an injury.
Camilo Vargas scored his team-leading third goal of the campaign.
Tulsa scored first for the first time this season.

Scoring Summary
FAU 0 1 - 1
Tulsa 0 2 - 2

Individual Scoring
Gijs Hovius (Tulsa) at 50:48 – Nils Orywol, Alvaro Torrijos
Mamadou Diarra (FAU) at 63:30 – Noah Kvifte, Oliver Moeller-Jensen
Camilo Vargas (Tulsa) at 88:59 – Penalty

Goalkeeper Saves
Nacho Alfaro (FAU) – 4
Alex Lopez (Tulsa) – 5