BETHANY, Okla. — Rogers State men's soccer (8-1-2, 4-1-0 GAC/MIAA) secured its first win in Bethany since 2021 with a 3-1 victory over Southern Nazarene (4-5-2, 2-3-1 GAC/MIAA) on Saturday at the Wanda Rhodes Soccer Complex.
The first half began with the Hillcats setting the pace early on, with several offensive attempts that challenged the Crimson Storm's defense.
Oliver Hemlin took a shot in the second minute, followed by attempts from
Noah Preston-Watkins and
Lawson Ford, all saved by goalkeeper Aimar Aramendia. RSU continued to press, earning multiple corner kicks before breaking through in the 23rd minute when
Hayden Parker scored his second goal of the season in the 23rd minute, assisted by Ford, giving the Hillcats a 1-0 lead.
SNU responded with a shot by Kaden Slaven shortly after, but it was saved by
Jaxon Kendall, maintaining RSU's advantage. Additional shots from
Brandon O'Rourke kept the pressure on, though they did not find the net. The half closed with RSU holding a 1-0 lead, having controlled much of the play and capitalized on their best scoring opportunity.
RSU began the second half with momentum, quickly capitalizing on a corner kick as
Alex Laing scored his first goal of the season in the 47th minute, extending their lead to 2-0. The Crimson Storm responded with a series of attempts but failed to find the net as Kendall made crucial saves to maintain the advantage.
The Hillcats continued to assert their offensive dominance when
Grayson Horsley (3) added another goal in the 71st minute to extend the lead to three. Despite SNU's late goal in the 89th minute by Slaven, the Hillcats secured a 3-1 victory at the end of regulation.
O'Rourke led RSU with five shots, putting one on goal in the match. Ford contributed an assist and managed to put his only shot on target. Horsley found the net once. Laing scored the game-winning goal and recorded one shot on goal.
Kendall (8-1-2) collected his eighth win of the season with three saves. The Hillcat defense held the Crimson Storm to just four shots on goal.
RSU will return to action at home on Wednesday against Northeastern State. Kickoff from Soldier Field is slated for 7 p.m.
