Men's Soccer Drops Home Conference Opener to USF

Sunday, September 21

Tulsa, Okla.

7:00 p.m.

Tulsa

1-5-2, 0-2-0

South Florida

4-0-4, 2-0-0

South Fla.

Tulsa

Men's Soccer Drops Home Conference Opener to USF

9/21/2025 9:34:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa (1-5-2, 0-2-0) fell to South Florida (4-0-4, 2-0-0) in a 2-1 loss at Hurricane Soccer & Track Stadium on Sunday, as both teams exchanged first-half goals before South Florida secured the win with a second-half strike.

South Florida struck early in the first half with a goal by Fabio Bozesan in the 2nd minute, assisted by João Belmudes, to take a 1-0 lead. Tulsa responded with a series of offensive attempts, including a shot by Chris Nezianya, saved by Jahiem Wickham at 6:49, and another by Will Applegate at 7:05. Tulsa's persistence paid off when Gyuwon Chong, scoring his first goal of the season, equalized in the 21st minute with a goal assisted by Nezianya and Jareth Mejia, who both notched their first career assists in their first career starts. Both teams continued to exchange fouls and shots, but the half ended with the score level at 1-1.

The second half between the Golden Hurricane and South Florida began with both teams making strategic lineup adjustments. Tulsa's Gijs Hovius had an early shot saved at the 49:29 mark, setting an aggressive tone for the half. South Florida responded with a series of attempts, highlighted by Bozesan's shot that was saved by Tulsa's Carlito Saylon at 54:09, followed by another shot that hit the right woodwork. The decisive moment came at the 80:03 mark when Nicolas Pietrantonio scored for South Florida, assisted by Marcelo Mondragon, to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. Despite Tulsa's multiple shots and corner kicks, including a late attempt by Danny Stevens at 82:26, USF maintained their advantage until the end of the half. Notably, all of Tulsa's points came from their starters, and Alex Cunningham matched his career high in shots with three.

Looking ahead, Tulsa will travel to Memphis, Tenn., to face Memphis on Sept. 27, with the match set to begin at 7 p.m next Saturday.

Tulsa Top Performers

Saylon, Carlito
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- Two saves
- Nine shots faced
- 90 minutes played

Chong, Gyuwon
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- One goal
- Two shots

Mejia, Jareth
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- One assist

Nezianya, Chris
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- One assist
- Two shots
- One shot on goal

Game Notes
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- Tulsa had nine different players take shots, while South Florida had only four.