NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — The Oklahoma Panhandle State men's soccer team (0-1-0) had two quality looks at the equalizer in the waning seconds of Tuesday evening's season opener at Bethel College (1-0-0), but it could not convert in a 3-2 defeat.
 
Freshman Til Vaupel scored his first collegiate goal to get the Aggies on the board, with junior transfer Calum Murphy recording the assist in his own OPSU debut.
 
Ayoup Bader tallied a highlight-reel goal in the match, good for the fourth score of his career and 10th total point.
 
Despite OPSU controlling possession early, the first half was scoreless much of the way through until the Threshers tallied consecutive goals in the 37th and 39th minutes of action.
 
Trailing 2-0, the Aggies got within one in the 65th minute when Murphy played the ball ahead 30 yards to Vaupel, who dribbled once and snuck a shot over the oncoming BC 'keeper for the goal.
 
Bethel pushed its advantage to 3-1 in the 77th minute, but OPSU responded a moment later with a highlight from Bader. The senior skillfully controlled a ball that was popped up near the endline to the left of the goal, where he tapped it from the toughest of angles past the sliding goalie and into the net just inside the right post.
 
The score held at 3-2 into the 90th minute when an Aggie shot was inches away from tying the match but ricocheted off the left post. A final opportunity came in the closing seconds on an accurate OPSU corner kick that was headed in the box wide left.
 
Despite the tough result to open first-year head coach Gabriel Gonzalez' tenure, the Aggies produced 16 shots compared to the Threshers' 12. 
 
What's up next: Panhandle State continues nonconference action on the road at Randall University on Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 3 p.m.