CLAREMORE, Okla. - The No. 8 ranked Rogers State men's soccer team welcomes Northeastern State to Soldier Field for the Spring 2021 GAC/MIAA Men's Soccer Tournament Championship game Friday evening. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
For the first time in Rogers State Athletic Department history, a Hillcat team will play at home in a conference championship game. Rogers State will also be looking to defend its 2019 GAC/MIAA Tournament Championship, as the Hillcats aim to claim back-to-back titles and sweep both the regular season and tournament championships for the first time in school history.
Rogers State reached the GAC/MIAA Tournament Championship game for the second-straight season after defeating Southern Nazarene 1-0 in the semifinal last Saturday.
Grant King scored the game-winning goal in the 65th minute, while keeper
Dillon Dean recorded his 10th career cleansheet to help push the Hillcats through to the title game.
The Hillcats completed an undefeated regular season, and following the win over Southern Nazarene in the GAC/MIAA semifinal, will take an undefeated run of nine games (6-0-3) into the matchup with the RiverHawks.
Earlier this season, the Hillcats claimed the largest win in the series when the then ranked No. 22 Hillcats beat then ranked No. 22 Northeastern State 4-1 at Soldier Field.
Three seed Northeastern State enters Friday night's championship game after an upset victory over two seed Fort Hays State 1-0 in Hays, Kansas last Saturday. Northeastern State finished the regular season at 4-2 and third in the GAC/MIAA Standings.
Despite Soldier Field and DeLoache Field being separated by just 58 miles, Rogers State and Northeastern State will meet for just the eighth time in series history. In a rivalry series that was originally favored by NSU, the Hillcats hold the series advantage with a record of 4-2-1, as the Hillcats have claimed each of the last four meetings.
Friday's championship game will be the first meeting between the two teams with a title on the line. Last year RSU beat the RiverHawks 2-0 in the GAC/MIAA semifinals.
During the Hillcats' 2019 title run, Rogers State defeated Northeastern State three times, starting with a 2-0 win in Tahlequah. At Soldier Field, the Hillcats won 1-0 in double overtime on senior night. RSU then picked up a 2-0 win in the GAC/MIAA semifinal.
Last week, head coach
Derek Larkin and senior defender
Michael Turner headline the GAC/MIAA postseason award winners for Rogers State. Larkin was named the GAC/MIAA Coach of the Year, while Turner was named the GAC/MIAA Defensive Player of the Year.
Turner was also one of three Hillcats to earn All-GAC/MIAA First Team honors, as he was joined by fellow seniors
Callum Hubble and
Jordan Watson.
Sebastian Hernandez,
Jaxon Pitt,
Luke Morgan, and
Dillon Dean also received conference honors, being named to the All-GAC/MIAA Second Team.
Eight different Hillcat have contributed to the scoring this season in an attack that has seen goals come from all over the pitch. RSU has just four goalscorers with multiple goals this season, led by Watson with three. Pitt, King and
Jesus Ramirez all have two goals each. The backline has even contributed to the goal scoring, as four defenders on the roster have scored this season.
Pitt and Watson both sit in the top 10 on the all-time scoring list at Rogers State. Pitt's game winner at Ouachita earlier this season moved him into a tie for eighth with 14 career goals. Watson sits one goal back, in a tie for 10th, after scoring the regular season championship clinching goal in the regular season finale against Fort Hays State. Pitt is also currently tied with Desmond Fitzgerald (2007-10) for the most game-winning goals in Rogers State history, sitting on eight.
Rogers State is wrapping up a truncated GAC/MIAA conference season in the Spring of 2021, which replaced the Fall 2020 season that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams played a six-game conference schedule, playing every team once, with the top four going to the conference tournament that crowns the GAC/MIAA Tournament Champions for the 2020-21 academic year. The season will not include a national tournament, which was canceled by the NCAA.
Friday night's championship game is open to the public with free admission. The game will be broadcast on the GAC Sports Network. Joey McWilliams and RSU alum Josh Haley will have the call on the GAC Sports Network.
For the latest information on the Rogers State men's soccer team, as well as all RSU athletic programs, be sure to visit rsuhillcats.com or @RSUhillcats on social media.
