Wildcats Blank Mustangs in 2-0 Shutout at Home

BALDWIN CITY - After taking down (RV) Benedictine on Wednesday, No. 23 Baker men's soccer came away with another big conference win on Saturday, defeating Mount Mercy, 2-0 at Hartley Field.

The Wildcats scored both goals in the first half with Parker Hurla netting the first one in the 24th minute and then Abdul Rahman Jalloh scoring right before halftime to make it a two-goal advantage.

The BU defense pitched its fourth shutout of the season, relying on two goalkeepers to secure the clean sheet after starter Maxot Arystanov went down with an injury at halftime and was replaced by Camden Wiseman.

With limited scoring opportunities for each side, Baker finished with a 9-4 advantage in shots and took four corner kicks, while holding the Mustangs just one corner, which came early in the second half.

It was a quiet start to the match until a miscue in the MMU defense led to Hurla's game-opening goal. A lackadaisical free kick taken by the Mustangs keeper ended up being easily intercepted by Chafik El Idrissi, who was able to slip a pass over to Hurla and the junior forward connected on his second goal of the season.

Then, in the final two minutes of the half, a thru ball from Isaiah Mesa found Jalloh on his long run and Jalloh deked a defender before firing in his first goal of the fall to give Baker a 2-0 lead on the halftime doorstep.

Baker continued to pressure in the second half despite the lead, while containing a Mustangs offense that averages just under two goals per game and boasts the NAIA's leading goal scorer in Pablo Ortega Herreros, who was held without a goal for just the third time this year.

Winning back-to-back matches, the Wildcats moved to 5-4-1 overall and earned their third conference win of the season. They will be back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 30 to face Mission in a non-conference matchup at Hartley Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

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