Conover’s Hat Trick Fuels No. 15 Baker to Season-Opening Victory over McPherson
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
McPherson (0-1-0, 0-0-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Baker (KS) (1-0-0, 0-0-0) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
BALDWIN CITY - Noah Conover delivered a stellar performance in his debut match for the Wildcats, scoring all three goals of No. 15 Baker men's soccer's 3-0 victory over McPherson in the first match of 2025 season here Thursday night at Hartley Field.
As a juco transfer from Kansas City Kansas CC, Conover notched a goal in the final minutes of the first half to give Baker a 1-0 lead at the break and quickly spotted the 'Cats another goal after scoring in the opening minute of the second half.
Conover added his third and final goal in the 84th minute to close out the season-opening victory and come away with a hat trick in his first match as a Wildcat.
Coming off of an NAIA postseason appearance from last year, Baker controlled the match for most of the night, finishing with a 12-4 advantage in shots and totaling 10 corner kicks on the night, while holding the Bulldogs to zero corners.
Fellow transfer Chafik El Idrissi and returner Evans Osei Amankwah each contributed to Conover's scoring with El Idrissi finding Conover on BU's seventh corner kick of the first half to put them on the scoreboard.
Then, less than a minute into the restart, Osei Amankwah slipped a nice through ball to the streaking Conover, who buried his second goal of the night and garnished it with an impressive back flip celebration, as the Wildcats found themselves with a two-goal advantage early in the second half.
Conover tacked on his final goal after coming up with a steal in the Bulldogs' box and deking past the keeper to deliver the final blow and seal a 3-0 victory for BU.
Baker starting keeper Maxot Arystanov also had a noteworthy outing in his first match in a BU kit, earning the clean sheet with one save in his 90 minutes of action. Arystanov is a freshman goalie from Uralsk, Kazakhstan.
The Wildcats return to Hartley on Sunday, Aug. 24 to take on Oklahoma City at 10 a.m. in the second of five straight home matches to start the year for BU.
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