The Cougars clinched a last-minute victory, scoring a goal in the last 3 minutes of a 10-minute overtime, securing the first home win of the season.
SIUE men’s football played against the US Air Force on September 3 at Korte Stadium. SIUE dropped two points for most of the first half, before graduate student striker Alex Segura scored SIUE’s first goal of the game.
Cale Wassermann, the men’s football head coach, said the game got off to a bad start.
“I think we were a little too conservative, which led to defending for longer periods than we would have liked, and a little too aggressive in our attack. It was a very, very good response from our guys who came back and won three to two, ”said Wassermann.
Alex Segura drove the ball into the back of the net on the right, just around the 40-minute mark. Segura is new to the squad this year, having arrived in the United States from Spain just a few months ago. He said it was great to score throughout the game and to help the team.
“[To] the score was excellent and not just for me, for the whole team, ”said Segura.
Wassermann said it was important for Segura to play throughout the game as it helped build his confidence and that of his teammate. Segura who didn’t play much in SIUE’s first two games was up to the challenge against the Air Force.
“[F]or an upcoming freshman and [make] Two huge goals for us was a really big, really big boost, you know, and a really big confidence boost for him, but also just helped us with the game, ”said Wassermann.
In the second half of the game, SIUE scored another goal around 49 minutes into the game. Max Broughton, a red shirt defenseman, scored the goal, unassisted.
The SIUE Cougars maintained an aggressive attack against the Falcons, with the two teams tied at the end of the second half. The Cougars barely beat the Falcons with a last-minute overtime goal.
Steven Bibas, a junior midfielder, returns to the squad this year after a difficult year with an injury. He said teamwork and the change of energy on the pitch can transform a game.
“I think the players who came off the bench kind of gave us a spark and a little bit of energy and crashed into a few tackles including me, and I think the energy kind of shifted and we were able to come back and tie the game, ”said Bibas.
The Cougars held on and scored their third goal with less than three minutes left in overtime. Segura also scored that goal to secure a victory for Cougar. Bibas said Segura played a vital role in the victory.
“He’s an extremely talented player and very smart with the ball, very technical, and he’s going to help us along the way and score very timely goals and be a very good offensive player for us throughout the year.” , said Bibas.
SIUE will play against St. Louis University at 7 pm tonight in St. Louis.
