The loss dropped the Hilltoppers to 5-6 on the season, and 1-2 in the MVC, while Tulsa improved to 5-3-2 and 1-1-1 in league play. The win was only the second for the Golden Hurricane over the Hilltoppers, and snapped a four-match WKU win streak between the two schools.
The Hilltoppers wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Alex Sheikh scored in just the third minute of play to give WKU a quick 1-0 advantage. The lead was short-lived, however, as Pore scored his first goal of the night in the 19th minute, evening things up at 1-1. The defenses took charge the remainder of the half as the teams went into intermission tied.
Pore gave Tulsa its first lead of the night in the 57th minute, then capped off the night with his third goal just three minutes later to open up a 3-1 Tulsa lead. Western was unable to rebound, and Daniel Wasson added an insurance goal in the 76th minute to give the Golden Hurricane the 4-1 victory.
Tulsa outshot the Hilltoppers 31-11 in the match, and put 12 shots on goal as compared to just four for WKU. Pore led all players with 11 shots, while Jacob Isenhour, Brandon Bailey and Trey Alexander posted two shots each for Western. Freshman Kyle Schroeder played all 90 minutes in goal for the Hilltoppers, posting eight saves.
The Hilltoppers will look to end their two-match losing skid on Sunday as the travel to SMU for 1 p.m. (CDT) match with the Mustangs.
