Late Goals Haunt USF at No. 13 Fort Hays State

FORT HAYS, KS -- The University of Sioux Falls men's soccer team played to tie with No. 13 Fort Hays State before allowing two late goals in the final 18 minutes of the game to fall 3-1 Friday night in Fort Hays, Kan. Sophomore forward Mark Tollefsrud tallied the Cougars lone goal.

USF drops to 0-2-0, while Fort Hays moves to 3-0 on the season.

The Cougars struggled to find offense in the first half, but solid defense and stellar play in net kept them in the contest.

A USF foul in the 20th minute led to the first score of the game. FHSU's Diego Cabral took advantage on a Tiger penalty kick to go up 1-0. Despite being outshot 12-2, the Cougars went into the break trailing just 1-0.

Six minutes into the second period, senior forward Brice Holiday found Tollefsrud to knot it up at 1-1. Junior goalkeeper Kyle Simons continued to keep USF alive in the second half, where he face 13 shots, but Daniel Peralta found a crease in the Cougar defense to give the Tigers a 2-1 advantage on a FHSU free kick.

Michael Cole would secure a third straight win for FHSU with an insurance goal in the 79th minute to post the final score, 3-1.

USF was outshot 25-6, which included a 16-4 shot on goal advantage by the Tigers.
Simons recorded a season-high 13 saves in a losing effort. The loss brings him to 0-2 in net for USF this season.

The Cougars look to bounce back in day two of the Days Inn Classic Sunday, when they face No. 20 Northeastern State. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m.

Courtesy:  University of Sioux Falls