Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 3, 2016) – After a frustrating loss in the season opener against one big rival, Oklahoma Christian responded in a positive way on Saturday night to earn a measure of revenge against another rival.
Seth Brown scored a pair of goals and Oklahoma Christian came up with all the right answers to beat Southern Nazarene 4-2 in OC's home opener at the Eagle Soccer Field.
Besides being a win over OC's most long-standing rival – the Eagles and SNU have played 55 times and met in every season but one since OC began its program in 1986 – the win was satisfying in other key ways. OC (1-1) finished 8-9-1 last season and lost a late-season game to a SNU team that finished 3-15, a frustrating result that cost the Eagles a winning record.
More immediately, the Eagles were happy to put together a winning performance after a 4-2 loss at Oklahoma Baptist in the season opener on Thursday in Shawnee, a game in which they twice blew a lead.
"It was good to get back out so quick," OC coach
David Scott said. "It was good for the guys to have some success tonight to get back on track."
OC seized control against the Crimson Storm with a pair of goals 57 seconds apart. In the 12th minute, goalkeeper
Evan Helker sent a long punt downfield that fell at Brown's feet. Brown took one touch and beat SNU goalkeeper Colton Hadlock to put the Eagles ahead. Helker's assist was the first by an OC goalkeeper since Tim Spencer recorded one against St. Mary's (Texas) in 2012.
In the 13th minute, senior
Cole Rinke – who had just entered the game as a substitute – scored from 15 yards out to make it 2-0.
"It was nice to get those goals back-to-back," Scott said. "A lot of it came from the intensity that we started the game with, that we were able to carry through."
Just when it looked like it would be a runaway, SNU answered in the 38th minute, as Jared Rangel sent a free kick from just outside the penalty box over OC's defensive wall and past Helker. But in the final minute of the first half, Brown extended OC's lead to 3-1, heading home a corner kick by
Cody Cook. It was Brown's third goal of the young season.
SNU rallied again, pulling within 3-2 in the 58th minute on Matthew Lawrence's blast from 12 yards out on an assist from Freddy DiNang. But in the 60th minute,
Cody McLemore crossed the ball to
Clay Collier, whose shot from eight yards restored OC's two-goal lead.
The Eagles mostly controlled the action after that, forcing the Crimson Storm to play defense as the clock wound down. OC finished with a 23-17 advantage in shots.
"The other night, when we got the second goal, we kind of went into a shell and never found our way back in," Scott said. "Tonight the guys really responded well and we kind of got back on track quickly."
Helker finished with four saves, while Hadlock had eight saves for the Crimson Storm.
OC will continue a five-game homestand next week, hosting Southwest Baptist (Mo.) on Thursday and Harding (Ark.) on Saturday in a pair of nonconference matches.
David Scott discusses the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oZsIwdNzik&feature=youtu.be .
