GREAT FALLS, Mont. - A penalty kick goal from Oregon Tech in the 53rd minute lit a fire under the University of Great Falls men's soccer team. After falling behind 1-0 in the 53rd minute, UGF scored the next three goals with three different players to beat OIT 3-1.
 
The first half was mainly controlled by the Argos, with UGF outshooting the Owls 10-2 in the first 35 minutes, but only one of those 12 total shots ended up on goal. Then, in the final ten minutes of the half, UGF began to look dangerous, forcing the OIT keeper to make three saves in the final six minutes to keep the score at 0-0 going into the half.  
 
The second half started out a bit more even but UGF still looked like the stronger side.
 
That changed in 53rd minute, when an OIT attacker broke free down the right line and just as he entered the corner of the penalty box, UGF senior Lewis Derrett made a lunging slide tackle and took down the player without much ball.
 
Oregon Tech's Daniel Blessinger drove home the penalty kick to make the score 1-0 Owls but that's when the Argo attack found its finishing touch.
 
"I thought we controlled the match from start to finish, but we played very slow. After we gave up the goal our guys responded and really picked up the tempo," UGF Head Coach Joseph Yeisley said. "This is a resilient bunch and they don't quit, so I knew we would fight back after the goal."
 
The fighting back started almost immediately with senior forward Ian Ooko evening the score just one minute later. Ooko, who started the second half after coming off the bench in the first half, got a foot on a pass from sophomore Adrian Gomez, flicking the ball over the oncoming keeper from just outside the penalty box.
 
That score only further fueled UGF's intensity and it didn't take long for the Argos to score the game winner. That goal came 60th minute and this time it was an unassisted shot from forward Christopher Chavez who found his way onto a loose ball inside the OIT penalty box, scoring from 8 yards out.
 
The Argo defense only let up one shot over the next ten minutes, giving the offense enough to set up for an insurance goal.
 
In the 70th minute, senior forward Mohamed Oulare timed his run into the penalty box perfectly with a through ball from senior midfielder Christian Esparza and shot across the face of the net and into the lower left corner to make the score 3-1.
 
Controlling the ball for a majority of the game, meant limited chances for the Owls, and those were limited still more by a strong Argo defense. The UGF backline only allowed 8 total shots in the game, with just 3 making all the way to the goalkeeper.
 
The win moves UGF into 5th place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings with a record of 7-6 (6-4). Next for the Argos will be the team just ahead of them in the standings, Southern Oregon University. Those two teams will play on Argo Field at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 22.
 
"This was a big three points for us at this point in the season, but tomorrow is even bigger now," Yeisley said. "Southern Oregon is playing really well and is great on the counter attack. We need to be even better in transition tomorrow than we were today."