(October 4, 2022) Mena, Arkansas – After nearly a week off, the men of Bucks Soccer returned to the field looking to get back on track in the second half of region play. With only 4 region games remaining, each one is extremely important in determining if the Bucks will be heading to Enid, OK for the Region II Tournament at the end of the month. The Bucks faced off against the Aggies from Murray State College this afternoon at Aubrey D. Tapley Park. Entering the match, the Bucks are 2-3-1 in the region, while the Aggies are 4-3-0. Last month, the Bucks beat the Aggies 2-1 in Tishomingo.
The first time was highly contested by both teams. Both the Bucks and the Aggies made runs at the goal, flipped the field at times, and had opportunities after fouls on their respective offensive ends. However, the match was tied at 0-0 at the half.
After the second half kickoff, the Bucks got a shot off on goal that was saved by the Aggie keeper, but Murray State countered and flipped the field. A save by the Bucks keeper was rebounded and put in the back of the goal to make it 1-0 in favor of the Aggies. Up until the mid-way point water break, the match went back and forth in the midfield. After the break, the Aggies maintained possession for most of the rest of the match. The Aggies had a penalty kick attempt in the 84th minute, but Connor Wachtel (Grapevine, TX) made a great save to keep the match at 1-0. In the 89th minute, the Bucks tied the match on an own goal after a corner kick by Josh Dhillon (Warrington, England). The goal sent the match into overtime.
In overtime, the Bucks took the kickoff and got a foul. Josh Dhillon took the free kick and found Jan Lloveras Freixas (Platja d'Adro, Spain) inside the 6-yard box for the golden goal in the 94th minute of the match to give the Bucks the 2-1 win over the Aggies.
The Bucks play again on Friday, October 7th, at Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, OK. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 pm.
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