Oklahoma City, Okla. – The Central Christian College men's soccer team made the three hour trip south to Oklahoma City for the second time in four days, this time taking on the Oklahoma City University Stars.
The Tigers were coming off a 3-0 loss to nationally ranked MACU on Saturday evening, and were hoping to bounce back and pick up their first SAC win against at Stars side that came into the match with a 9-2 overall record.
The loss drops the Tigers to 5-2-3 overall, and 0-1-1 in the SAC. They will head back down to OKC on Tuesday for a 7:00 pm matchup with the Oklahoma City University Stars.
Defensively, the Tigers were solid, limiting the Stars' attack, and holding them to a pair of goals. Offensively, however, they were unable to crack OCU's defense, and were held scoreless for the third game in a row. The Tigers' game plan was to absorb the OCU pressure, bending but not breaking and then look to counter offensively if the opportunity presented itself.
The Tigers were within striking distance of the Stars at the halftime intermission, trailing 1-0 after giving up a goal on a set piece late in the half. The score remained the same for much of the second half but Stars gave themselves a cushion, finding the back of the net again in the 82nd minute.
The Stars had the advantage in shots, and shots on goal out shooting the Tigers 10 to 4 and 5 to 2 in shots on frame. Sebastian Herrera collared the loss finishing with three saves.
Coach Hoxie commented on his team's performance saying, "Frustrating evening to say the least. I will take responsibility for the match. I did not do well and we were poor as a result. While we had moments where we executed the game plan, it wasn't enough. I need to set us up better. I need to get back to my roots, and sort it out. This is on me. As for the players, each of them must assess for themselves. Will they blame someone else? Or will they take responsibility for themselves? This is the challenge. Of course things are hard right now. No one said this conference was easy. Three games in six days, against top teams, plus travel, that's a load to carry. At this point, it's as mental as it is physical. We've got to man up, look inward, and get better this week."
The loss drops the Tigers to 5-2-3 overall, and 0-2-1 in the SAC. Next up is a homecoming match up on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm against the OPSU Aggies.
