Bulldogs Take Down 17th-ranked Tigers

Box Score | Season Stats

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - Tony Luedecke hammered home a penalty kick in the 85^th minute to push the Truman men's soccer team past 17^th-ranked Fort Hays (Kan.) State 2-1 on Thursday afternoon at the Bulldog Soccer Pitch.

The Bulldogs (7-4-1, 4-1-1 MIAA) drew a penalty kick after FHSU (8-4-1, 4-2 MIAA) was whistled for taking down forward Andy Chapman (St. Louis, Mo., Fort Zumwalt South) in the box with 5:09 left on the clock. Luedecke (O'Fallon, Mo., John F. Kennedy) stepped up and, after having his initial attempt waved off due to a late time call by Tiger keeper Kent Freund, buried his second try to give the Bulldogs their second- and final – lead of the day.

Truman wasted no time getting the action going, as in just the second minute, Nick Franta (Ballwin, Mo., Parkway West) headed in Charlie Backus' corner kick to put the 'Dogs on top 1-0. The goal marked Franta's second of the season, while Backus (St. Louis, Mo., CBC) moved to just one behind the NCAA Div. II leader with his MIAA-leading 10^th assist.

However, the Tigers stormed back in a hurry, taking less than four minutes to find the equalizer, as Diego Cabral stole the ball from a Bulldog back and scored with his left foot in the game's fifth minute.

The teams would play back and forth from there, with Hays eventually out-shooting Truman 20-14 for the match (10-6 on goal). A key moment came in the 64^th minute when a foul was whistled on Truman in the box, giving Cabral a penalty shot. However, Truman keeper Drew Garrone (Chesterfield, Mo., Lafayette) was up to the task, stopping Cabral's attempt and tallying one of his nine saves on the afternoon.

The Tigers kept constant pressure on the Bulldog defense in the second half, earning 11 corner kicks, but failed to convert, opening the door for Luedecke's late match heroics. It was the fourth goal of the season for the sophomore, who helped the Bulldogs jump in front of FHSU in the conference standings by one point.

Truman returns to action on Saturday afternoon at 2pm, hosting Southern Nazarene at the Bulldog Soccer Pitch. The Crimson Storm dropped a 1-0 decision at Upper Iowa on Thursday, falling to 1-13 (1-5 MIAA) on the season.

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