Tuesday, October 8
Tulsa, Okla.
7:00 PM
Tulsa
2-7-2, 1-2-0
1
vs
1
Central Arkansas
5-4-1, 2-1-0
1
2
F
Central Ark.
1
0
1
Tulsa
0
1
1
Cunningham’s Goal Helps Tulsa to 1-1 Draw with Central Arkansas
10/8/2024 10:40:00 PM | Men's Soccer
TULSA, Okla. – Freshman defender Alex Cunningham scored the first goal of his Tulsa career to help the Golden Hurricane tie Central Arkansas 1-1 Tuesday evening in the Hurricane Soccer Stadium.
Tulsa moves to 2-7-2 on the season, while Central Arkansas earns its first draw of the season and is 5-4-1.
"We dominated the first 20 to 25 minutes of the second half and had good control, so it was great to get the goal," Tulsa head coach Tom McIntosh said. "I thought we started well, too, but we kind of lost our momentum. We had two great chances in the first 20 minutes that we could've put away. Second part of the first half they got into it more and had some chances and then the goal where they got in behind.
"Second half we had more control, but I thought we were a bit panicked and maybe rushed it a little bit before getting our goal. But overall, I'm proud of the guys. I'm proud of their work and the effort they put in."
Central Arkansas took the lead with 47 seconds remaining in the opening half. Instead of letting it keep them down, Tulsa responded with a strong second 45 minutes.
The Hurricane pushed for an equalizer and broke through in the 63rd minute. Bowen McCloud played a long ball into the box and Cunningham got on the end of it before backheeling the ball past the goalkeeper into the bottom left corner.
"It was a great goal and good for him to be in that area," McIntosh said. "Alex has been very, very consistent every game for 90 minutes. It's great for him to get rewarded with a goal for all the work he puts in and for how well he defends. I'm happy for him."
Camilo Vargas and McCloud picked up assists on the goal. It was Vargas' second, tying him with Ian Belong for the team lead. McCloud grabbed his first of the season.
The teams were close to even in shots, with Tulsa having a slight edge 12-10. Both teams put only one shot on target, and those shots found the net. Tulsa had 5 corners to UCA's 3.
All six cautions were given to the Bears, five to players and one to an assistant coach.
How it Happened
Tulsa had all five of its corners in the first half and took seven shots, but none were on target. The Bears also had seven shots alongside a corner, but like Tulsa, struggled to put anything on net.
That changed in the 45th minute when Tajio James chased down a ball over the top on the left side. As he drove toward the left side of the box, he chopped onto his right foot, creating space for a curled effort to the far post as the Bears went ahead 1-0.
Tulsa didn't fold despite the letdown of a late first half goal. The persistence paid off in the 63rd minute. Camilo Vargas laid off a ball for Bowen McCloud about 25 yards outside the box. McCloud lifted that landed just inside the penalty mark as Alex Cunningham leaped to bring it down with his left thigh. As momentum turned his body, he with one touch backheeled the ball past the UCA goalkeeper for the equalizer.
The Hurricane thought it took the lead in 72nd minute as Alvaro Torrijos whipped in a free kick from the far side of the pitch. The ball took a deflection and Luke Adams was able to put it in the net, but unfortunately the ball had hit off his forearm and was disallowed.
That would be the greatest scoring chance for either team the remainder of the way as the teams settled for a 1-1 draw.
Game Notes
Scoring Summary
UCA 1 0 - 1
Tulsa 0 1 - 1
Individual Scoring
Tajio James (UCA) at 44:13 – Aby Gomez
Alex Cunningham (Tulsa) at 62:44 – Bowen McCloud, Camilo Vargas
Goalkeeper Saves
Javier Ramirez (UCA) – 0
Alex Lopez (Tulsa) – 0
Tulsa moves to 2-7-2 on the season, while Central Arkansas earns its first draw of the season and is 5-4-1.
"We dominated the first 20 to 25 minutes of the second half and had good control, so it was great to get the goal," Tulsa head coach Tom McIntosh said. "I thought we started well, too, but we kind of lost our momentum. We had two great chances in the first 20 minutes that we could've put away. Second part of the first half they got into it more and had some chances and then the goal where they got in behind.
"Second half we had more control, but I thought we were a bit panicked and maybe rushed it a little bit before getting our goal. But overall, I'm proud of the guys. I'm proud of their work and the effort they put in."
Central Arkansas took the lead with 47 seconds remaining in the opening half. Instead of letting it keep them down, Tulsa responded with a strong second 45 minutes.
The Hurricane pushed for an equalizer and broke through in the 63rd minute. Bowen McCloud played a long ball into the box and Cunningham got on the end of it before backheeling the ball past the goalkeeper into the bottom left corner.
"It was a great goal and good for him to be in that area," McIntosh said. "Alex has been very, very consistent every game for 90 minutes. It's great for him to get rewarded with a goal for all the work he puts in and for how well he defends. I'm happy for him."
Camilo Vargas and McCloud picked up assists on the goal. It was Vargas' second, tying him with Ian Belong for the team lead. McCloud grabbed his first of the season.
The teams were close to even in shots, with Tulsa having a slight edge 12-10. Both teams put only one shot on target, and those shots found the net. Tulsa had 5 corners to UCA's 3.
All six cautions were given to the Bears, five to players and one to an assistant coach.
How it Happened
Tulsa had all five of its corners in the first half and took seven shots, but none were on target. The Bears also had seven shots alongside a corner, but like Tulsa, struggled to put anything on net.
That changed in the 45th minute when Tajio James chased down a ball over the top on the left side. As he drove toward the left side of the box, he chopped onto his right foot, creating space for a curled effort to the far post as the Bears went ahead 1-0.
Tulsa didn't fold despite the letdown of a late first half goal. The persistence paid off in the 63rd minute. Camilo Vargas laid off a ball for Bowen McCloud about 25 yards outside the box. McCloud lifted that landed just inside the penalty mark as Alex Cunningham leaped to bring it down with his left thigh. As momentum turned his body, he with one touch backheeled the ball past the UCA goalkeeper for the equalizer.
The Hurricane thought it took the lead in 72nd minute as Alvaro Torrijos whipped in a free kick from the far side of the pitch. The ball took a deflection and Luke Adams was able to put it in the net, but unfortunately the ball had hit off his forearm and was disallowed.
That would be the greatest scoring chance for either team the remainder of the way as the teams settled for a 1-1 draw.
Game Notes
- TU moves to 2-7-2 on the season.
- Tulsa is now 1-0-1 against Central Arkansas.
- Opponents have scored first in 10 games this season and in nine matches have scored in the first half.
- Defender Alex Cunningham scored his first career goal.
- Midfielder Bowen McCloud got his first assist of the season.
- Midfielder Camilo Vargas notched his second assist of the year.
Scoring Summary
UCA 1 0 - 1
Tulsa 0 1 - 1
Individual Scoring
Tajio James (UCA) at 44:13 – Aby Gomez
Alex Cunningham (Tulsa) at 62:44 – Bowen McCloud, Camilo Vargas
Goalkeeper Saves
Javier Ramirez (UCA) – 0
Alex Lopez (Tulsa) – 0
Team Stats
UCA
TLS
Goals
1
1
Shots
10
12
Shots on Goal
1
1
Saves
0
0
Corners
3
5
Fouls
9
10
Scoring Plays
Tajio James (2)
Assisted By: Aby Gomez
GOAL by UCA James, Tajio Assist by Gomez, Aby.
44:13
Alex Cunningham (1)
Assisted By: Bowen McCloud , Camilo Vargas
GOAL by TLS Cunningham, Alex Assist by McCloud, Bowen and Vargas, Camilo.
62:44
Game Leaders
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
fwd
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's SoccerDefender
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Goalkeeper
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Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
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