UHV holds out for draw against University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma | Advosports
[ad_1]
After the first 20 minutes of their match against the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, UHV knew they needed to improve their play to keep up with the Drovers.
“The (Drovers) came out flying in the first half,” said UHV head coach Adrian Rigby. “They kind of took it to us for the first 15-20 minutes.”
However, Rigby was able to motivate his players at halftime after being down 1-0, and the Jaguars ended in a 1-1 draw with the Drovers at The Cage.
“It was gritty,” Rigby said. “We hung around, and just kind of battled back until we got our legs underneath us.”
The Drovers’ (5-2-1) goal came in the 29th minute, from junior midfielder Justin Croke.
They ended the match attempting 18 shots, 8 of them being on goal, while UHV (3-2-1) was only able to get off 7 shots, 2 of them on goal.
The Jaguars’ lone goal came from the leg of midfielder James Clark, who put the powerful strike past Drover’s goalkeeper, Nathan Fitch, in the 64th minute.
“I just saw the opening, the (defender) was off of his line a little bit, and I thought I was just going to put my foot through it and hope for the best, and luckily it went in,” Clark said.
“James is a workhorse, and he showed a little bit of finesse on that goal that I didn’t know he had in him,” Rigby added. “It was a really nice, timely finish.”
For the next 20 minutes, the Jaguars’ defense held strong against the Drovers.
“The defense was great,” Clark said. “They kept us in the game at the end of the second half, they were just tightening.”
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
Philip Kueck (13) clears a free kick out of UHV’s box during a non-conference match against the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma at The Cage on Saturday.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV’s James Clark winds up to volley the ball for the Jaguars’ only goal in a 1-1 tie with the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma at The Cage on Saturday.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV’s Mathew Albury (4) fights to win a header during Saturday’s non-conference match against the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma at The Cage on Saturday.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV goalkeeper Tyler Kappeli plucks the ball out of the air during a non-conference match with the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma at The Cage on Saturday.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV’s Irakunda Bosco (23) runs to join James Clark (5) and Dawson Palomar after Clark’s goal in a non-conference match with the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma at The Cage on Saturday.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV’s Mathew Albury (4) tries to head a corner kick past the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma goalkeeper during a non-conference match on Saturday at The Cage.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV’s Kyi Nicholson (35) sprints between two University of Science and Arts Oklahoma defenders during a non-conference match at The Cage on Saturday.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV’s Adam Thompson winds up to cross the ball into the box during a non-conference match against the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma on Saturday.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV’s Luke Mills takes a throw in during Saturday’s non-conference match against the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma at The Cage.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV’s Dawson Palomar fights off a University of Science and Arts Oklahoma defender to play the ball into the box during Saturday’s non-conference match at The Cage.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV’s Danny Nunez prepares to play the ball into the box during Saturday’s non-conference match against the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma at The Cage.
UHV men’s soccer vs. University of Science and Arts Oklahoma
UHV’s James Clark (5) fights for possession with two University of Science and Arts Oklahoma players during a non-conference match at The Cage.
However, within the final five minutes of the match, the Drovers were starting to put pressure on the Jaguars’ back line, which allowed freshman goalkeeper Tyler Kappeli the opportunity to come up with three key saves to hold out for the draw.
“I wasn’t happy with my (performance) in the first half to be honest, it’s never nice to concede a goal, but in the second half I definitely am proud of my performance,” Kappeli said. “I was just happy overall to help the team get one point, and just get them all ready for conference.”
Kappeli, who ended the match with seven saves, thinks that his team needs to play better from the start of the game if they want to succeed later on in the season.
“We need to make sure that we’re ready from the get go, from the beginning on we need to be ready, and we don’t need to get warm, we need to be ready when the whistle blows.”
[ad_2]
Source link
