CLAREMORE, Okla.- Freshman Mohammed Shaban scored a pair of first half goals and added an assist in the second half to lead the Rogers State men's soccer team to a 6-0 victory over Bacone at Soldier Field on Thursday evening.
Shaban, a Tulsa, Okla. native, leads the Hillcats in scoring with five goals on the year. He took three shots on the night and they were all on goal. He gave the Hillcats a 1-0 advantage in the 24th minute as senior Henrique Sousa slotted the ball into the box to Shaban who drilled it past the keeper.
Minutes later, Sousa had a chance to increase the Hillcats lead as he fired a shot from 25 yards out that hit the crossbar and went out of bounds.
With less than five minutes to play in the opening half, Shaban struck again to give the Cats a 2-0 cushion. Junior Gary Arauz crossed a corner kick into the box and Justin Friesen headed it towards the goal. Bacone goalkeeper Zack Huels got a hand on the ball but it fell to Shaban who blasted into the back of the net.
Junior Bryan Jones registered his first goal of the season in the 69th minute of play. Arauz crossed the ball to the far side of the goal to Jones who headed it out of the goalkeepers reach, on the backside of the goal in the top corner.
The Hillcats tacked on another goal in the 78th minute of play. Shaban darted down the flank and crossed the ball to the penalty spot for Arauz who slid past the defender and beat the goalie on the near post.
With five minutes to play, freshman Nathan Garcia recorded his first collegiate goal. There was a scramble in the box and senior Ryan Coffman dished the ball to Garcia at the top of the18 yard box. The Waxahachie, Texas native blasted the ball in the net to give the Cats a 5-0 lead.
The Hillcats put the final nail in the coffin with less than 30 seconds to play. Senior Marko Bukva won the ball on defense and served it over the Bacone back line to freshman Devon Williams who was running onto it. Warrior goalie Hank Hill tried to clear the ball but missed it and Williams dribbled the ball into the net for the 6-0 win.
Defending Sooner Athletic Conference Defender of the Week, Nathan Inger earned his second shutout, making one save. Huels was tagged with the loss as he allowed five goals and made six saves.
Rogers State (3-1) returns to the pitch on Tuesday as they host Southwestern Christian (Okla.) at Soldier Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
