CLAREMORE, Okla. — Seven different Hillcats scored as RSU Men's Soccer (6-3-1, 2-2-0 GAC/MIAA) bounced back against the Harding Bisons (0-10-0, 0-4-0 GAC/MIAA) 7-0 on Thursday night at Soldier Field.
This marked the Hillcats' highest margin of victory since Oct. 14, 2023, when they knocked off Fort Hays State 7-0 in Hays. RSU improved to 11-2-2 all-time against HU with the win.
RSU controlled the attacking numbers, finishing with 42 shots, 19 on goal and 18 corner kicks while holding the Bisons to five shots and two on goal. The Hillcats scored three times in the first half and added four goals after halftime. They also controlled possession time 72 to 28, and the defense completed its fourth shutout of the season, with
Tristan Miller (6-3-1) making two saves.
The Hillcats controlled the first half with three goals and sustained pressure, holding the Bisons scoreless while generating repeated chances.
Jamie Kennedy (3) opened the scoring in the fifth minute off an assist from
Conor Mills after RSU had already earned three corners and recorded multiple shots.
Brandon O'Rourke (3) made it 2-0 in the 15th minute from
Alex Laing, and the Hillcats continued to press with saves forced by
Matthew Reed,
Louis Bassett and
Tom Dixon in the following minutes. Laing (3) added the third goal in the 28th minute with Mills recording his second assist, and RSU finished the half with a 3-0 lead.
The Hillcats added four goals in the second half, with Dixon (1), Mills (1),
Gian Filizzola (2) and
Carson Copenhaver (1) each scoring after the break. Earlier, RSU created five corners and six shots from 46:38 through 57:14, including saved attempts by Reed and O'Rourke, before Dixon scored off Bassett's assist in the 64th minute to make it 4-0. The Bisons produced a stretch with a shot, a corner and two saved shots, but Miller stopped both attempts on goal, and the Hillcats answered when Mills scored his first goal as a Hillcat in the 70th minute from
Sam Ryder and O'Rourke for a 5-0 lead. Filizzola converted
Lawson Ford's assist in the 77th minute, and RSU generated three corners and three shots in the final minutes before Copenhaver finished
Jake Mangan's assist in the 89th minute for his first career goal to close the scoring in a 7-0 win.
Rogers State will return to action this Saturday in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, at 2:30 p.m. against the Ouachita Baptist Tigers.
