After getting off to an early lead, the Seattle University men's soccer team was unable to hang on as they fell 3-1 to No. 5 Tulsa in their opening game of the SMU Classic. Scoring the lone goal for the Redhawks was sophomore Tyler Hanson (Federal Way, Wash.), who controlled a loose ball inside the box and slid it past the Golden Hurricane goalkeeper in 17th minute.
"I'm proud of the guys and it was a great effort today," said head coach Brad Agoos. "In the second half we showed a little bit of our youth and didn't make some plays, which Tulsa was able to take advantage of. They are a very good team and we are going to be able to improve as a group by playing these kinds of caliber teams."
In the first half the Redhawk offense was led by Hanson's only shot, which resulted in an early 1-0 lead that SU carried into halftime. On the other end of the field, senior goalkeeper Ivan Dizdar (Croatia) helped orchestrate the Seattle U backline. UT fired off seven shots in the period, including one on net, but the SU 'keeper was able to get his hands on it and prevent the Golden Hurricane from evening the score going into intermission. He would go onto tally six saves in the contest.
The ranked Tulsa offense returned to action in the second half and began to bombard the Redhawk box. They took 16 of their 23 shots in the game in the second period and the UT offensive surge led to a defensive breakdown on the SU end. Tulsa's Neil Austin put a lot of pressure on the Redhawk goal, firing off five shots, including four on goal. He was responsible for all three Golden Hurricane goals scored during a 12 minute span midway through the second half.
Senior Ed Walugembe (Kampala, Uganda) worked to ignite the Redhawk offense in the final half, as he sent in four shots, including one on net. SU tallied eight shots in the second half, including one from freshman Nico De la Cruz (Port Orchard, Wash.). The Redhawk newcomer had a solid all-around game in the midfield and he made his Seattle U debut in the starting lineup.
The Redhawks will return to action on Monday, Sept. 6, when they close out action at the tournament. Seattle U will square off with classic host Southern Methodist (1-0) in a 12:30 p.m. PT contest. The Mustangs open the tournament with Lipscomb, prior to playing SU.