No. 13 Baker Falls to No. 3 MNU, 1-0 in Heart Game of the Week

BALDWIN CITY - Saturday night's Heart Game of the Week lived up to its billing, but the No. 13 Baker men's soccer came up just short in their conference opener, falling 1-0 to No. 3 MidAmerica Nazarene at Hartley Field.

The decisive moment came in the 31st minute when MNU's Antonio Mugica slipped a ball into space for Vladimir Buljan, who drove a shot that nicked off the hands of BU keeper Maxot Arystanov before spinning across the line. It stood as the only goal of the match.

Baker put together plenty of chances in the second half, outshooting the Pioneers 9-6 over the final 45 minutes and finishing with a 12-11 edge overall. Noah Conover and Akira Itadani each tallied three shots for the Wildcats as they pushed for an equalizer late.

The result snapped Baker's recent run of success in the rivalry. The Wildcats swept the Pioneers last fall, including a 1-0 victory in the Heart Tournament quarterfinals. It also marked the first time BU has been shut out this season with the Wildcats scoring at least two or more goals in three of their previous four matches coming into tonight.

It was BU's third time playing against a ranked opponent this season with three of its first five matches coming against teams ranked in the top-16 of the NAIA poll. The Wildcats defeated Oklahoma City, who was No. 16 at the time, 1-0 in the second game of the regular season before falling to No. 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan last weekend and the third-ranked Pioneers tonight.

Up next, Baker will play in its first road match of the season with a matchup at conference newcomer William Woods on Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Fulton, Mo. The Wildcats play only six of their 18 regular-season matches away from Baldwin City.

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