Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY — For the first time in program history, the Wayland Baptist men's soccer team finished the Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season with the top seed following a 4-0 shutout over Oklahoma City University here Saturday night.
The Pioneers (11-4-2, 7-1-1 SAC), ranked the equivalent of 27th in the NAIA, clinched home-field advantage in all of its SAC Conference Tournament matches with the win, holding a tie-breaker over No.18 John Brown 12-2-2, 7-1-1) as a result of defeating the Golden Eagles earlier this season in a double-overtime thriller, 4-3. WBU and JBU ended the regular-season with identical 7-1-1 conference records.
"I think the guys deserve all the credit," said WBU Coach
Cristhian Ospina on the Pioneers' historic season. "They worked for this and this is all because of them. I'm really happy for them.
"I feel really good. The work that Coach (Jamath) Shoffner and Shermon (Gardner) started when I was player finally paid off. I think the program deserves this because we've always worked hard and now we have this to confirm it. This is a big win for the program."
Against OCU, which is ranked the equivalent of 37th, Wayland did most of its damage against the Stars (11-5-1, 5-3-1) in the first half when the Pioneers went up 3-0.
The first of the three goals came in the second minute from
Guillermo Deal and was assisted by
Taval Whittaker. It was Deal's ninth goal of the season. In the 14th minute,
Emmanuel Emmas notched his sixth goal of the year and was also assisted by Whittaker.
Less than three minutes later, Whittaker reached the net (16th minute) and was assisted by
James Quinn. Whittaker is the Pioneers' all-time leader for goals and assists in a career (20 goals and 16 assists).
WBU took a 3-0 lead into intermission.
Not to be left out, Quinn (57th minute) tacked on the last goal of the match. It was Quinn's third goal of the season and it was assisted by Deal.
"I don't think we could've played any better," Ospina said. "Thank God we got the win today."
Goalkeeper Joao Souza, after sitting out three matches with an injury, returned to the lineup and secured his sixth shutout of the season, improving his record to 8-3-2.
The SAC tournament will begin for the Pioneers on Nov. 5 against the eighth-seeded Southwestern Assemblies of God.
"We have to stay humble because the real deal is coming," Ospina said. "Winners keep going and losers go home, and that's what we'll play for. We have to win everything from now on."
