Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 8, 2016) – Through one half, Southwest Baptist (Mo.) – a men's soccer team that hadn't won a game since 2012 – had outplayed OC so much that the Eagles were fortunate not be behind.

OC coach David Scott challenged the Eagles at halftime, and they came out in the second half looking like a completely different team. Ante Susic had two goals and an assist and Cody Cook added another score – all in a three-minute span – as OC pulled away for a 3-1 win over the visiting Bearcats, who now have lost 39 in a row and are on a 57-game winless streak.

OC (2-1) outshot the Bearcats 14-12, but 11 of the Eagles' shots came after halftime. In the first half, Southwest Baptist (0-3) outshot OC 6-3 and easily had the best scoring chance, as OC goalkeeper Evan Helker had to leap to deflect a shot by Southwest Baptist's Gabriel Gaviolli off the crossbar in the 34th minute.

"I thought we just came out really flat," Scott said. "I really don't know why. But I thought some of our freshmen gave us a lift and played with good energy when they got in and helped us turn things around."

With a couple of regular OC starters – forward Anthony Buchanan and defender Clay Collier – sitting out for some much-needed rest, five freshmen saw playing time. Defender Jackson Bojanowski earned his first collegiate start and Matthew Tedford, Jake McKinnon, Chandler Parrish and Jeremy Martinez all entered as substitutes.

After Scott's halftime talk, the Eagles began creating chances and it seemed a matter of time before they'd break through. They did so in the 68th minute, when Susic converted a penalty kick awarded after Southwest Baptist's Brady Niswonger was called for a handball in the penalty box.

The goals then came fast and furious. Cook's laser from 30 yards out beat Southwest Baptist goalkeeper Lajos Zadravecz in the 70th minute, and less than a minute later, Susic (who had assisted on Cook's goal) scored on another shot from outside the penalty box, with Parrish and Helker assisting on the play.

It was the second assist of the season for Helker from his goalkeeper position, in only three games. During the last 10 seasons for which records are available, only one other OC goalkeeper has had as many as one assist in a season (Tim Spencer in 2012).

With a 3-0 lead, the Eagles had the game in firm control. The Bearcats did score in the 87th minute, as Isaac McCay headed home a corner kick by Jesus Lopez.

"We're disappointed not to get the shutout," Scott said. "We gave up the goal there at the end due to a little bit of loose marking on the corner. But overall, I'm happy with the second-half performance. The first half, we can forget about."

Helker finished with six saves, while Zadravecz had four. Susic, a senior from Bosnia and Herzegovina, recorded the second two-goal game of his career. As a sophomore in 2014, he scored twice in a win over Ouachita Baptist (Ark.).

OC will host sister Church of Christ school Harding (Ark.) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. It will be the third game between the teams in as many years. Harding and OC tied in 2014 in Oklahoma City and OC won at Searcy, Ark., last season.