Wildcats Blank Clarke, 3-0, Earn Second Straight Shutout

BALDWIN CITY - (RV) Baker men's soccer overcame the weather conditions and a feisty Clarke Pride side on Saturday afternoon, rolling to a 3-0 victory in a cold and drizzly matchup at Hartley Field.

With the win, the Wildcats pushed their unbeaten run to eight straight matches and three consecutive victories, now more than five weeks removed from their last loss, a 4-2 result at William Penn back on Sept. 20.

Baker wasted little time taking control and never looked back, building a two-goal advantage in the opening 15 minutes and capitalizing on another brace from Chafik El Idrissi to cruise to its second straight shutout.

Iwan Roberts opened the scoring just four minutes into the match when he converted a header off a corner from Akira Itadani, marking his first goal of the season and third of his BU career. The early strike set the tone for a dominant first half in possession and territory, as Baker outshot Clarke and dictated the tempo throughout the opening frame.

Just over ten minutes later, the Wildcats doubled their lead when El Idrissi continued his hot streak with an impressive finish. A long ball sent from the back line by Dominik Foldesi found El Idrissi making a perfectly timed, curled run behind the defense. The ball took one bounce in front of him, and El Idrissi deftly popped it up and over the onrushing keeper to make it 2-0.

In the 87th minute, El Idrissi put the match away by converting from the penalty spot for his second goal of the afternoon and team-leading sixth of the season. It was his first penalty attempt of the year and capped a strong offensive outing for the Wildcats, who finished with a 10-8 edge in shots and a decisive 10-3 margin in corner kicks.

El Idrissi accounted for five of Baker's 10 shots and now ranks ninth in the Heart of America Athletic Conference in goals and tenth in total points (16).

Defensively, goalkeeper Maxot Arystanov continued his steady form, recording two saves to earn his fifth solo clean sheet of the season and second straight. The Wildcats' back line remained organized as the match turned physical down the stretch, with Clarke seeing two players sent off in the final seven minutes.

With a 7-3-1 record, the Wildcats have earned their most conference wins in a season since 2019, when the team finished with seven and eventually made it to the NAIA Round of 16.

Up next, Baker will wrap up its regular-season road slate with a tough matchup at (RV) Central Methodist on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Fayette, Mo.

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