Men's Soccer | 10/1/2019 10:07:00 PM

 
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -  Sophomore Allen Gamboa netted the first two goals of his career with Oklahoma Panhandle State University men's soccer, leading his team to a 2-1 victory over Oklahoma City University at Brian Harvey Field. The win by the Aggies (4-2-1, 1-1 SAC) over the Stars (5-5, 1-1 SAC) was the first-ever conference win for OPSU in its inaugural season of competition.
 
Panhandle's win was made even sweeter by the fact that leading scorer Cheslon Carollisen had to sit out the match after receiving a red card versus Wayland Baptist last week.
 
"It feels great to get the first conference win," Panhandle State Head Coach Brandon Misuraca said. "Take nothing away from OCU; they were a good side that gave us some headaches. Our boys found a way to come through. I was especially happy to see Allen (Gamboa) step up and fill the void left by Ches' (Carollisen) absence tonight."
 
OCU took the lead before fans even had a chance to warm up their seats. The Stars' Andrew Flores converted a shot from 14 yards out, just 2:01 into the match, to make it 1-0 in favor of the host team.
 
Then in the 44th minute of action, Gamboa netted his first goal as an Aggie. Gamboa had a one-on-one versus the Stars' Andre Salvador and beat the OCU net-minder by slamming the ball to the back of the net from 12-yards away, 1-1. The contest stayed knotted until halftime.
 
Panhandle State wrested the lead in the early moments of the second half, 2-1. And once again it was Gamboa doing the honors. Taking a pass from teammate Luke Watson-Read, Gamboa took the rebounded ball and tapped it past Salvador, who had moved off his line to field Watson-Read's ball.
 
Gamboa – a native of Heredia, Costa Rica - finished the match with a team-best three shot attempts, all of which were on goal. While OCU out-shot Panhandle by a 23-8 margin, overall, it was the Aggies that netted the ones that meant the most.
 
The OPSU defensive side – anchored by Tayze Ellington and Nick Terry – helped keep an aggressive Stars squad off the scoreboard the rest of the night. The OPSU defenders also made the Stars' leading goal scorer, Ljubisa Palic (5 goals), a non-factor by holding him scoreless.
 
And while the players in front of him befuddled OCU the final 78 minutes or so, Aggie goalkeeper Cristhofer Monje was an absolute wall after getting beat on the early goal by the Stars. Monje finished the match with six, most-spectacular, saves to help preserve the win.
 
Misuraca also pointed out two other important facts from his team's win. The first being a test of his side's resolve after last weekend's tough loss at Wayland Baptist. "It was important for us to bounce back from a loss. I think it showed that our team is growing and maturing together."
 
The second takeaway from the evening was showing the Aggies can compete versus SAC upper-echelon teams.
 
"People forget we've only been together for two months," Misuraca reminded. "To compete versus a SAC top-tier team that is coached by a living legend (Brian Harvey, OCU's only coach since it began in 1986), means a lot to our program."
 
Panhandle State will next be in action on Friday (Oct. 4) at home versus Texas Wesleyan University. Kickoff is set for 7