Beavers’ season comes to an end after upset loss to the University of Portland

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Seth Bagasani

Mouhometh Thiam stands in Paul Lorenz Field on Sunday. Mouhometh Thiam, a junior at OSU, specializes as a midfielder.

The Oregon State men’s soccer team suffered a stunning 2-0 defeat at the hands of the unranked Portland Pilots on Sunday night at Paul Lorenz Field, ending the Beavers’ season.  

Early on in the match, the eighth-ranked Beavers seemed to be on the front foot. Oregon State outshot the Pilots 6-1 in the first forty-five minutes and was in control of the possession game.  

The second half also started with promise for the home side. Just minutes after the break, Oregon State came inches away from an opening goal, when freshman forward Clarence Awoudar’s shot took a deflection and ricocheted off the crossbar.  

From there on, the tide started to turn. The Pilots’ offensive found their momentum and delivered a couple of shots on goal over the next twenty minutes.  

After Portland was able to keep the pressure on, a mistake in defense proved costly for the eighth-seeded Beavers. In the 78th minute, sophomore Brandon Cambride’s cross was mishandled by Oregon State senior defender Gael Gilbert. The ball bounced right into the lap of forward Jacob Babalai, who delivered with a convincing finish to put the Pilots in front 1-0.  

The Beavers were unable to find an equalizer in the following ten minutes, and in the 89th minute, freshman midfielder Muslim Umar scored a counter-attack goal to seal the game away for Portland.

While both sides ended the match with eight shot opportunities, the Pilots outshot the Beavers 7-2 in the second half. Portland finished with a total of four shots on goal, while Oregon State had just one.  

Two Oregon State midfielders, sophomore midfielder Joran Gerbet and junior midfielder Mouhameth Thiam played the full ninety minutes of the match. Sophomore forward Ellis Spikner led Oregon State in shot attempts with two, while sophomore midfielder Dante Williams had the Beavers’ lone shot on goal.  

With the result, Oregon State’s postseason run comes to a close. The Portland Pilots will take on Western Michigan in the round of 16.

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