Early Penalty Kick Helps No. 15 Baker Edge Past No. 16 OCU, 1-0

BALDWIN CITY - In just their second match of the season, the No. 15 Baker men's soccer team continued its strong start with a 1-0 victory over No. 16 Oklahoma City in a top-20 matchup here Sunday morning at Hartley Field.

The Wildcats, who opened the year with a 3-0 win over McPherson on Thursday, secured their second straight shutout while knocking off a ranked opponent for the first time this fall. Last season, Baker claimed three wins in seven regular-season matches against a top-25 team.

BU struck early when returning all-conference midfielder Akira Itadani calmly converted a penalty kick in the 8th minute. It was Itadani's first goal of the season and his first career PK attempt, giving Baker all the offense it needed against a Stars squad that boasted one of the NAIA's best defenses last year with just 17 goals allowed in all of 2024.

The penalty opportunity was created by forward Noah Conover, who recorded a hat trick in his Baker debut on Thursday. Conover chased down a long ball from the BU defensive third and was tripped up inside the OCU box, setting up Itadani to bury what proved to be the game-winner.

From there, the Wildcats leaned on a disciplined defensive effort and limited the Stars attack to just a few scoring chances throughout the contest. Baker held Oklahoma City without a shot on goal, limiting them to just three total attempts. The Wildcats finished with a 5-3 edge in shots and a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks.

Despite a couple of injuries, BU's seasoned back line was able to weather the adversity and, along with some key contributions from its bench, helped keep the Stars from generating any dangerous opportunities. Defenders Dominik Foldesi and Iwan Roberts played the full 90 minutes, while fellow starter Marco Salgado (85 mins) was only subbed out for a brief spell late in the game.

BU goalkeeper Maxot Arystanov, in his first season at Baker, recorded his second consecutive shutout to open the year.

Baker finishes off its opening week of the 2025 season with back-to-back victories and will be back at home next weekend to host its annual Labor Day Classic tournament out at Hartley Field.

The Wildcats will first square off against No. 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan on Saturday, August 30 at 8:30 p.m. before closing the holiday weekend out with a matchup against Rocky Mountain on September 1 at 10:00 a.m.

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