HOUSTON, Texas — The Chicago State men's soccer team (2-13-3, 0-9-2 WAC) fell, 1-0, in double overtime against the Houston Baptist University Huskies Saturday night.
"This was a tough match tonight which we fought all the way to the last second, literally," head coach Trevor Banks said. "We pushed throughout the whole match. in which we created opportunities but just couldn't find the back of the net. When you leave an athletic fast team like that in a match, they are bound to find a chance, which they did in the final seconds."
In the first half of the match, the Huskies came out pressing the Cougars, which forced a lot of turnovers that led to chances for the Huskies. The Huskies shot eight times to the Cougars zero.
However, with a few timely saves by Joe Bowles and persistent defending by the Cougars as a whole, the game remained scoreless, which meant a stalemate at halftime 0-0.
In the second half of the match, both teams once again went all out at each other with this time the Cougars getting seven shots and the Huskies only three.
Nonetheless, another amazing defensive performance by both teams and a stellar save by Bowles kept the game scoreless, forcing an overtime period, the Cougars' seventh overtime period this season.
It wasn't until the second overtime period that the Huskies would finally score and seal the victory with a finish by Nathan Karmbor at the 109th minute.
The loss ended the Cougars' 2021 season, the first full season of Chicago State men's soccer in three decades.
"I'm proud of my group," Banks said. "This first season has had a lot of rocky roads both on and off the field. My seniors. Gaye Diadie, Joe Bowles, Manny Apau and Rashawn Kellman, lead and pushed this team to be better day in and day out and I thank them for that.
"This first season created our foundation, now we use this offseason to build off of what was created and move forward as we continue to grow as a program. I, along with my staff and the team, am excited for what's to come."
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title and made an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet.
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