TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — No. 25 Rogers State Men's Soccer (9-4-3, 5-3-2 GAC/MIAA) avenged its loss to Northeastern State (5-9-1, 4-5-1 GAC/MIAA) with a 1-0 Saturday win at DeLoache Field on Saturday night.
Gian Filizzola (1) supplied the match-winner off an assist from
Brandon O'Rourke. The RiverHawks finished with 12 shots to the Hillcats' 11, but RSU put eight attempts on goal, and
Tristan Miller (9-4-3) made six saves to earn his sixth shutout of the season.
The Hillcats opened the first half with three shots on goal in the first seven minutes, with Filizzola,
Alex Laing and
Conor Mills each forcing saves. The RiverHawks answered with sustained pressure from 8:13 to 18:29, but Miller made four saves during that stretch to keep the half scoreless. RSU continued to create looks after that, including an
Oliver Hemlin shot saved in the 19th minute and another Filizzola attempt saved in the 25th.
Louis Bassett added a late shot before the Cats earned a corner kick in the 39th minute, and the half ended without a goal.
Filizzola put RSU in front in the 50th minute, finishing
Brandon O'Rourke's assist for a 1-0 lead. The RiverHawks pressed back from 53:04 to 61:51 with four corners and three shots, but the Hillcats kept the score unchanged with a team save, a Miller stop on Carter Adams and another shot pushed wide. RSU created chances of its own as O'Rourke had shots saved in the 66th and 90th minutes, with Laing also putting an attempt high in the 74th. The half grew physical late with multiple fouls and cards on both sides, but the Hillcats carried the 1-0 scoreline through the final whistle.
With a win over Harding next Thursday at 7 p.m. in Searcy, RSU will punch its ticket to the GAC/MIAA Tournament, hosted by regular season champion No. 13 Fort Hays State in Hays, Kansas, on November 5-7. The conference tournament winner will earn an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament.
