(August 27, 2023) Tishomingo, Oklahoma - Coming off a draw with Mountain View on Friday, the Bucks were still in search of their first win of the season. The men were on the road for an early start and to kickoff their region schedule against Murray State College. The Bucks and Aggies split on the season last year, each winning a game at their home fields.
Murray State got off to a very fast start when in the 4th minute of the game a long ball was played over the UARM back line and wide. The resulting cross was met in the middle by a Murray State striker and his effort was goal bound until Mohammed Sadiki (Casablanca, Morocco) made a last ditch clearance off the line. The game was played in very hot conditions, and the large numbers the bench for Murray played a significant role in the contest. UARM just couldn't keep a high intensity because of the conditions which Murray took full advantage of their bench. The tiredness began to show in the 20th minute when Murray State scored from a corner which. The second goal was scored in the 32nd minute when Murray State took advantage of having Kondrad Maciejak (Armadale, Scotland) down on the floor injured after a strong challenge. The ball was played into the space where he would usually be found and Murray State converted the cross into the box. After an Aggie red card, UARM came very close to scoring in the last 2 minutes of the half but the luck was with Murray State as the ball would bounce just wide of the post on both occasions.
The second half was a very slow methodical half of soccer due to the heat and Murray State being down a player. UARM pressed for a goal but came undone when the ball was given away in the 60th minute to allow Murray to counter attack to goal for an easy tap in. The game fizzled out as a contest as UARM pushed to get into the game but couldn't generate enough offense to turn the momentum in the game.
After the loss, Coach Sherry stated, "Murray State deserved the win. They were bigger, fast and stronger than us on the day, and we look to put this one behind us as soon as possible. The second half was better then the first half and we hope we can take this good feeling into our next game."
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