Jimmy Hampton handed off the women’s soccer program to Niall Crick and decided to focus on the men’s program. Hampton began his 25th season with USAO’s program with an early afternoon game against the Louisiana State University of Alexandria (LSUA) Generals at his home field in triple degree heat.
USAO put up eight shots on goal (SOG) throughout their 90 minutes of play, ending in one goal. The Generals maintained consistency throughout the game by scoring two goals off two SOG. The referees had a busy afternoon keeping up with the physical game, in total 31 fouls were called; USAO was tagged with 23 fouls, compared to LSUA’s eight.
The Generals struck in the 4th minute of the game with a goal by Daniel Torrenegra, with a double assist by Rhys Fuller and Manuel Concetti. The remaining 41 minutes of the first half remained quiet as the Drovers attempted to get onto the board and LSUA tried to increase their lead. The next goal came in the 54th minute from USAO’s Henry Lynch, a freshman midfielder, off an assist from Dani Suarez, a senior forward.
With a game tied 1-1, fans were on the edge of their seats to see who would end up victorious. The players kept the tensions high until LSUA’s Concetti scored an unassisted goal in the 84th minute, which effectively ended the game 2-1 in favor of the Generals.
The Drovers will look to improve their record Tuesday, Aug. 22 with a 7 p.m. game at McLaughlin Field against Bethel College.
Emily Loughridge is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
