CLAREMORE, Okla. - The Rogers State men's soccer team ended a hard-fought battle in the worst way as Oklahoma Baptist University found the back of the net with 44 seconds to play, giving the Bison a 1-0 win at Soldier Field on Saturday evening.
The Hillcats were unable to clear the ball out of the box and it landed at the feet of Bison sophomore Tito Silva on the backside. Silva snuck the ball past the RSU goalkeeper Jeremy Swift for the win.
RSU had 16 shots in the match and fired nine on frame. The Hillcat hit the crossbar and it the post in the contest.
RSU pounded the goal in the opening half. The Hillcats first good opportunity came in the 23rd minutes as Gary Arauz threaded the ball through the OBU defense to Griffin Kane who missed just wide. Minutes later, Justin Friesen fired a shot from the top of the box, forcing OBU goalkeeper Marcus Oliveira to make a diving save.
The Hillcats took 12 corner kicks in the game, nine of which came in the first half.
Freshman Mohammed Shaban had a one on one opportunity with the keeper in the 81st minute but once again, Oliveira got a hand on the ball to keep the game scoreless. Friesen had the Hillcats final opportunity with 11 seconds remaining but the shot fell right to Oliverira's hands.
Swift was tagged with the loss in goal for the Hillcats as he made seven saves and allowed one goal. Oliveira earned the shutout victory as he register nine saves.
With the loss, the Hillcats move into a four-way tie for fifth place with OBU, Wayland Baptist, and Southern Nazarene with one game to play in Sooner Athletic Conference action.
The RSU soccer program honored six senior in their final match at Soldier Field. Seniors Marko Bukva, Ryan Coffman, Griffin Kane, T.J. Martin, Henrique Sousa, and Chase Walker were honored prior to the game for their dedication to RSU and the soccer program.
Rogers State (9-7-1, 4-4-1) will round out the regular season slate on Tuesday as they travel to John Brown University. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
