OKLAHOMA CITY (Aug. 30, 2018) – The temptation playing against a team that entered having won only one of its previous 89 soccer games was to relax, but instead, Oklahoma Christian took care of business on Thursday against Southwest Baptist (Mo.).

Garrett Blume and Matheus Mantovani teamed up on a world-class free-kick-and-header in the first half and Diego Vazquez sealed the win in the final minute as the Eagles opened their season with a 2-0 win on a hot night, with the game-time temperature at 93 degrees.

OC (1-0) posted a decisive 18-5 advantage in shots over Southwest Baptist (0-1) and could have won by a larger margin if not for the outstanding play of goalkeeper Will vanHoornbeek, who made six saves, several of the spectacular variety to keep the Bearcats close.

Southwest Baptist, which last season snapped a 79-game winless streak, managed only a couple of decent scoring chances and new OC goalkeeper Anthony Trabichet was up to the task both times. The freshman from Thonon-les-Bains, France, made two saves to record a clean sheet in his collegiate debut.

"It's nice to get the first one of out of the way and get a good result in it," OC coach David Scott said. "Preseason is a long grind for the players and we had a couple of scrimmages, but it's not the same as actually stepping on the field in a game."

The Bearcats set up deep defensively and it took time for OC to figure out a way to break through. The solution? Go over the top. A Southwest Baptist foul about 45 yards away from the goal gave OC a free kick, which Mantovani boomed into the penalty box. There, it found the head of Blume, who directed it past vanHoornbeek to put the Eagles ahead in the 33rd minute.

"That's something that we're going to be able to take advantage of this year – the delivery on set pieces and having some big boys to attack it," Scott said. "It's nice that we created the opportunity and got a goal off of it."

OC rode that goal nearly all the way, and thanks to Trabichet avoided a couple of scares, before clinching the win in the final minute. Vanja Hodovic sent a cross into the box from the left side and Vazquez, a transfer from San Jacinto (Texas) College, scored from about 10 yards out.

Next up for the Eagles is an annual game against sister school Harding (Ark.) that has turned into a bit of a rivalry. OC is 2-1-1 against Harding since the series began in 2014, but has yet to beat the Bisons in Oklahoma City. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday.

"It's been a competitive matchup," Scott said. "It's always a good game. It's fun getting on the field against them and it's always a tough game. I'm excited to see how the guys played tonight and one thing we always stress is improving from one game to the next. I think we've done that to this point and we're definitely going to have to do that to get a result Saturday."

David Scott discusses the game: https://youtu.be/nRVxhYbWMSo