October 29, 2021 (Enid, Oklahoma) – Looking to return to the Region 2 Championship for the third season in a row, the 3rd seeded Bucks would face off against the 2nd seeded Murray State Aggies in the Region Semi-Finals at D. Bruce Selby Stadium.
In the first half, the Bucks would start off sluggish and looked to find their groove. They did just that late into the first half, but only managed 3 shots in the half. Keeper, Edward Garcia (De Queen, AR), was busy holding off the Aggies attacked and recorded 6 saves in the half.
Looking to pick up where they left off in the first half, the Bucks were on the attack to start the second half. The Bucks played much better defense and got off 5 shots in the half, but the match would be tied at 0-0 after 90 minutes of play.
In 20 minutes of overtime, the Bucks got off 2 shots, but were unsuccessful. Edward Garcia recorded 2 saves in the overtimes that helped send the game into penalty kicks.
In penalty kicks, the Aggies were successful on their first attempt, but Antonio Galarzo (Spain) knotted it at 1-1 with a successful try. On the next Aggie attempt, Edward Garcia was in true form and blocked the kick to give the Bucks the edge. Cedrick Price (Wichita, KS) then put the Bucks ahead 2-1, but the Aggies tied it again. Jan Lloveras Freixas (Spain) knotted the match back at 2-2. The next Aggie attempt was over the goal, and the Bucks just needed a successful goal to advance in the match. Matt Sturgeon (England) did just that with a shot that pounded the back of the net.
With the advancement, the Bucks advance for the 3rd straight season to the Region 2 Championship. The Bucks will face off against NOC-Tonkawa tomorrow afternoon at 1 pm in Enid, OK.
#GOBUCKS