Oregon State midfielder Alex Eckerson scored in the 86th minute to halt Sac State’s comeback hopes and give the Beavers a 4-3 win at Sac State on Sunday.

Hornets forward Chris Bettencourt lead the near-comeback after the Hornets fell behind 3-1 early in the second half. Bettencourt fired a rocket shot from a free kick into the far post in the 73rd minute and scored again in the 84th.

“It felt good, gave us momentum,” Bettencourt said. “Once it hit my foot I knew I connected well. It was bittersweet.”

He equalized 10 minutes later when he got his foot on a long cross inside the box, but the tie didn’t last long as the Beavers took the lead just a minute later.

Three minutes into the game, forward Colin Mitchell gave Oregon State the lead. Four minutes later, Sac State defender Matt Linenberger tied it up as he rose high over the defender to head it in the near post past the goalkeeper.

The Sac State defense had a rough time trying to contain the Oregon State attack. The Hornets’ defense gave up an early goal in each half.

Coach Michael Linenberger said he felt their defense was not up to par today and felt they could have done better.

“Defensively we were average, not clean with ball,” he said. “Too many turnovers. That really hurt us.”

Bettencourt said it was a good test for the team to play a Pac-12 division team.

“They were a tough team, good way to test our competition,” he said.

Midway through the second half, play was stopped for a momentarily as the central referee went down with an injury after colliding with a Sac State player. The referee received a standing ovation as he got to his feet to jog off the injury. He continued to ref the game.