BETHANY, Okla. - After clinching a spot in the GAC Tournament last weekend, Southern Nazarene added another highlight to their season after defeating Ouachita Baptist 5-1 in Bethany Thursday evening.
The Storm (9-5-3, 7-2-2) had a slow start to the match, settling for a scoreless tie with the Tigers (1-12-4, 1-8-2) at halftime. SNU exploded in the second half, firing 11 shots on goal that earned them five goals to seal the win.
SNU dominated the offensive end right from the opening kick, putting up a total of seven shots to Ouachita's one. The Storm kept the ball on their end of the field for the majority of the first half, but no shots found the back of the net. The Tigers were unable to get much either and both teams settled for a 0-0 draw going into halftime.
Out of the break, neither team gained any momentum for the majority of the second half. At the 68th minute, SNU went rampant, starting with two back-to-back goals from Bruno Ferreira, who was assisted by Shun Kushima, and Unaiz Shajani to give the Storm a quick 2-0 lead.
Ouachita Baptist quickly cut the deficit seconds after with a goal of their own, now trailing the Storm 2-1.
Within a minute of the Tigers' score, Shajani punched in another goal, tallying his second and the Storms' third to quickly grow to a 3-1 lead.
Ferreira caused more trouble for the Tigers minutes later as he fired his second goal of the evening to take SNU's lead to 4-1 with just under 20 minutes remaining in the match.
Just past the 80th minute, Nathaniel Mederos darted down the field to find Alex Da Silva for another Storm score, now leading Ouachita Baptist 5-1.
The Tigers had no answers, and SNU walked away with the dominant 5-1 victory.
Ferreira was all over the Tigers, finishing with four shots on goal to add to his two goals.
SNU will face its last regular season match Saturday, October 29th against Northeastern State. SNU defeated the Riverhawks 3-2 in Tahlequah earlier this season when the Riverhawks were ranked 22nd in the nation. The Storm will also celebrate Senior Day before the match, honoring seniors Bence Mocsari, Federico Anzoletti, Daniel Trojman, Alessandro Alfaro, Alex Da Silva, Nathaniel Mederos, Harei Maeda, and Eric Romero. Game time Saturday is at 7:30 p.m.
