📆 September 14, 2024
⏰ 7 pm
🏟️ Case Soccer Complex – Tulsa, Oklahoma
📺 Summit League Network
📈 LIVE STATS
TULSA, Oklahoma – Houston Christian University completes it four-match trek away from home on Saturday night when it takes on long-time rival Oral Roberts University. Kick off is set for 7 pm from the Case Soccer Complex in the 15th meeting all-time between the two schools.
HCU earned a hard-nosed draw with Omaha on Monday in its most recent outing. After falling behind 2-0 at the break, the Huskies put two on the board in the second half, including an 85th minute penalty equalizer from
D'Alessandro Herrera. The level snapped a hard-luck two-game losing skid on the trip for HCU, who fell in a 2-1 decision at Gonzaga and a 1-0 defeat at Drake. All four of HCU's losses thus far have each come by a single goal.
Herrera's equalizer came on the heels of a magnificent strike from
Ricardo Garcia in the 59th minute from just outside the penalty arc on a sweet drop off dime from
Kaone Kolagano. The blast pulled HCU to within 2-1 and the pressure offensively continued until the
Ron Pressler was dragged down in the box, leading to the tying slot from junior Herrera.
Ferguson picked up his third assist in the match, tying him for the top spot in the OVC. Herrera and
Ethan Giwa-McNeil are tied for fourth in the league with two goals apiece, while Ferguson also ranks fifth in the conference in points.
After missing the first two matches,
Alex Aitken is on the verge of qualifying for league leaderboards, as he would lead the league in save percentage and his 4.5 saves per game would rank second in the OVC. He is currently 10 saves away from tying Christopher Dodd for third place on the all-time HCU leaderboard.
HCU and Oral Roberts have shared the pitch 15 times over the past 15 seasons. The all-time series leans to ORU 6-5-3, which each team enjoying a long run of success in the series. HCU won five of the first six meetings, while ORU has taken five of the last seven. The Golden Eagles scored in the 84th minute to escape with a 1-1 draw in the most recent meeting last season at Sorrels Field.
ORU is currently 2-2-2 on the season after Wednesday night's draw with cross-town rival University of Tulsa. The Golden Eagles boast a win over then #24 UC-Santa Barbara, and draws with then #10 SMU and former #22 University of Kentucky.
Junior forward Omar Mora paces the offensive attack having scored five of the teams eight goals on the campaign. Senior forward Luis Flores, who had 15 goals in 2023 including the equalizer that draw with HCU, has two goals and is one of four players with an assist. Senior goalkeeper Joao Mesquita has started four of the six matches thus far with a 2-2-1 record while making 25 saves in five matches played.
Following the match with ORU, the Huskies will return home to Fondren Road for a four-match homestand over the next three weeks. The stretch at Sorrels Field starts with a Wednesday night matchup against UTRGV on September 18. HCU will then break for 10 days prior to the OVC conference slate kicking off on September 28.
#DawgsUp
