Republic and Ozark traded blows in a tight soccer match Tuesday night, with Ozark landing the final punch for a 3-2 victory.
Ozark struck first when Jesse Lepant found the net with 37:12 left in the first half. Republic’s Will Pinnell countered quickly, breaking free for a goal at the 30:55 mark. Pinnell wasn’t done, connecting again with 28:19 remaining off an assist from Caleb Miclea to put Republic up 2-1 at halftime.
Ozark knotted the score early in the second half on a penalty kick with 38:29 to play. As the match wore on, Republic keeper Koal Williams stonewalled two Ozark attempts around the 13-minute mark to preserve the tie.
The deadlock held until Lepant broke through with his second goal of the night, finding the net with just 2:36 remaining to seal Ozark’s win.
Ozark improves to 7-2. The loss drops Republic to 5-5 on the season. They’ll look to bounce back Thursday when they visit Nixa.
