Bison Claim Senior Night Victory

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SHAWNEE – It came down to the wire, but Oklahoma Baptist Men's Soccer claimed a thrilling 4-3 Senior Night victory over the visitors from the University of Mary on Saturday night at the OBU Soccer Complex.
 
After Luis Romero put the Bison up, 1-0, in the 22nd minute off a long, arcing pass from Jesus Andrade, Oklahoma Baptist found themselves down 2-1 heading into the break. However, the Bison were determined to close out the regular season with another win coming out of the interval.
 
Three goals for OBU in the second stanza proved enough to give the Bison triumph over the Marauders in a match that got more tense and physical as time wore on. Thiago Dos Santos levelled affairs quickly after the restart in the 50th minute, dribbling through a multitude of UM defenders on the right wing before finishing far post to jumpstart the Bison attack in the second half.
 
Jared Hill followed that up in the 80th minute with nearly his first touch of the match after coming on for Romero. The junior cut in front of his defender, rising highest to meet Andrade's tantalizing cross before directing into the back of the net to give OBU their first lead since the 29th minute of action at 3-2.
 
Not two minutes later, in the 82nd minute, an OBU player was dragged down in the box, earning UM's Marc Carreras a card, and setting up a penalty kick for the Bison. Senior Vicente Castillo, who was a perfect 4-for-4 on attempts from the spot prior to tonight's match, coolly sent it over the head of Ludvig Rhodin to give OBU a comfortable 4-2 cushion.
 
Despite a goal two minutes later by the Marauders, the previous two-goal margin would ultimately prove insurmountable for UM as the Bison closed out the final six minutes of play with a rugged defensive display for their 11th win of the season.
 
Oklahoma Baptist enjoyed a 20-to-14 advantage in shots, including a 10-to-6 edge in shots on goal. Castillo and Dos Santos led the side with five shots each, while Romero recorded four shots.
 
Colin Spencer got the start in goal, posting three saves for his fifth win of the season; it's his third win in the last four matches for the Bison.
 
Prior to the match, OBU honored its six graduating seniors: Castillo, Alex Cordero, Pablo Garcia, Matthew Giudice, Sam Smith and Andrew Thomsen.
 
Oklahoma Baptist (11-6-1, 5-1 GAC) now set their sights to hosting the Great American Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed and their meeting with No. 4 Southern Nazarene on Friday, Nov. 4. The time for kickoff has not yet been determined.