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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The No. 15-ranked Northeastern State men's soccer team was upset 3-2 by Ouachita Baptist Wednesday evening at DeLoache Field.
 
The RiverHawks (8-3) saw their six-match win streak snapped, while the Tigers (5-5-1) improved to 2-10 against NSU since 2000.
 
The Tigers struck first, when a pair of goals 1:30 apart early in the match put the visitors up 2-0. Leading scorer Tinashe Chigede put home a rebound in the 16th minute following a Gideon Onguti header that was saved. A header by Logan Hampton in the 17th minute that chipped the keeper gave OBU the two-goal cushion. Hampton was assisted by Chigede.
 
Senior forward Juan Peralta cut the lead in half five minutes before halftime when he buried a pass from junior midfielder Crosby Lee.
 
Chigede would not be denied the victory, however, as his header off a corner put OBU back up by two in the 57th minute. The RiverHawks could only muster a penalty kick from senior forward Jordan Schmoker in the 80th minute as the Tigers would hold on to their one-goal advantage.
 
NSU outshot OBU 27-11 and led in corner kicks 7-4. The Tigers led in fouls, 14-9.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Jackson Biles (7-3) was tagged with the loss after conceding the two first-half goals. Junior goalkeeper Eric Shephard played the final 45 minutes and gave up the game-winning marker. David Henley (5-5-1) earned the victory by making eight saves and conceding two goals.
 
Northeastern State returns to the pitch at 4 p.m. Oct. 11 in a home match against Upper Iowa. The RiverHawks are currently leading the MIAA with a 6-0 mark, while the Peacocks are tied for second at 3-2.

NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH ROB CZLONKA
Opening Statement…
"Tonight was a very tough loss. Ouachita Baptist played extremely hard. It's difficult to win a match when you give up three goals. Two teams went out there and played hard, unfortunately the ball didn't bounce our way every chance. That's why you play the game. We want to win every game, and it's tough losing to a regional opponent."
 
On key factors in the loss…
"This is our third game in six days and our guys look tired. That's a huge issue. We weren't sharp on a bunch of details, and that's another issue. I don't think our tactics were bad. We had our opportunities and we didn't capitalize. I think getting our guys rest before our next match is probably the biggest thing we will need to do in order to get back on track. We're going to watch the film and try to learn from what happened."
 
On positives to take away…
"I'm happy with the majority of how guys played. (Juan) Peralta got a goal, and Jordan (Schmoker) got a goal. Those are good things for us to have happen. I thought other guys played fairly well. Chris Mendez had a very good outing for the most part. The same with Julius James when he got in. I thought he did well. Hayden (Rasmussen) did very well. It's just unfortunate that were not able to find the back of the net."
 
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