BETHANY, Okla. – No. 22 Rogers State men's soccer (7-3-2, 4-2 MIAA) couldn't find an answer for a late goal that put No. 17 Southern Nazarene (8-2-2, 6-0 MIAA) on top 2-1 in a tightly contested, top 25 matchup on the road on Thursday.
 
Marcos Vasallo scored RSU's lone goal, his league-leading ninth of the season, with Matthew Sweetman earning the assist. Declan Viljoen (6-3) made nine saves while allowing two goals.
 
The match got off to a fast start as both offenses found success early. The Crimson Storm broke the ice in the eighth minute with a goal to go up 1-0. However, just five minutes later Sweetman fired in a cross from the right edge of the field that Vasallo redirected with a header into the goal to level to score at 1-1. Things settled in for the remainder of the half with SNU narrowly outshooting the Hillcats 8-6 with four goals on target compared to three.
 
The second half continued the tough defensive struggle between the two sides. Again, the Crimson Strom edged out RSU in shots at 11-7, with seven on goal to four. SNU ended stalemate in the 74th minute to take the 2-1 win. The Hillcats had opportunities to equalize, but couldn't get anything to fall.
 
The Hillcats will need a short memory as they travel to Hays, Kan. on Saturday, Oct. 14 to face off against Fort Hays State. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.