Hurla’s Game-Winner Seals Wildcats’ 1-0 Victory over No. 10 MNU

BALDWIN CITY - With Parker Hurla's game-winner in the second half and a brilliant defensive performance, Baker men's soccer knocked off No. 10 MidAmerica Nazarene, 1-0 in a thrilling conference battle here Wednesday night at Hartley Field.

Following a free kick deep in MNU territory in the 66th minute, a mad scramble for an initial blocked header from Ian Waindim resulted in Utah Hester striking a ball that deflected off the boot of Hurla and into the net for the only score of the midweek showdown.

Keeper Christian Villegas and the BU backline secured their second shutout of the season after stonewalling a Pioneers attack that came into the night averaging 2.5 goals in their previous five matches.

Villegas finished with four saves, while center backs Falco Dijkhuis and Iwan Roberts played the full-90 and covered up MNU's returning All-American forward Rick Hovinga, who had five shots in the match, but only had one land on goal.

The two teams matched each other with 10 shots in the game with the Pioneers sending five in each half, while the Wildcats put up seven of their shots in the second period. Reilly Marlow-Jones tallied a team-high three shots for BU.

The first 45 minutes of the match featured more of a chess-match style to it with both sides being patient, while looking for their opportunities to strike. Despite eight combined shots, neither club was able to earn a corner kick in the first half as they went into the break in a scoreless deadlock.

Things picked up quickly out of halftime though with each team registering two shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half, while MNU earned the game's first two corners during that stretch.

After drawing the foul that led to his game-winner, Hurla found himself in the right spot on the ensuing free kick to poke in his first goal of the season. Hurla, a sophomore from Eudora, Kan., is in his first year at Baker after transferring from Newman.

In their fourth match against a ranked opponent this season, the Wildcats came away with their second top-25 win of 2024 with tonight's result joining BU's 2-0 victory over No. 23 Union in the season opener. It was their first win against a top-10 team since 2021 when they defeated No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan in Baker's Labor Day tournament.

With wins in five of its last six matches, Baker continues with its September homestand with a matchup against Culver-Stockton on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Hartley Field as a part of Homecoming weekend for BU.

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