No. 20 Men's Soccer Builds Early Lead in Win Over Baker

Marshall, Mo., (Oct. 7, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's soccer teams welcomed in Baker (Kan.) for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  The No. 23 women's soccer team built up a lead early in the first half and finished a 3-0 victory.  The No. 20 men's team scored a pair of early goals and came away with a 3-1 win.

Missouri Valley held the majority of possession at the start of the men's game.  The first shot on goal came with just over nine minutes played, as Junior Midfielder Yoshiki Igarashi (Tokyo, Japan) and Junior Forward Sam Green (Bromley, England) worked together near the Baker box.  Igarashi sent a cross towards goal, and Freshman Forward Kerim Akpinar (Bremen, Germany) flicked a shot past the Wildcat keeper and put MVC ahead, 1-0.  Just over three minutes later, Akpinar scored again, this time on a close-range shot after a corner kick to extend the lead out to 2-0.  The Vikings continued to pressure the BU defense, as Green and Junior Midfielder Malik Hasanovikj (Skopje, North Macedonia) each had shots on goal over the next seven minutes, but each attempt was saved.  The remaining time in the first half featured the two teams trading possession, with neither team able to put a shot on goal.  Missouri Valley went into halftime holding a 2-0 advantage.

The second half started with Baker taking advantage of early possession, and working into the MVC box.  A foul was called on a Viking defender in the penalty box, which awarded the Wildcats with a penalty kick just over three minutes after the restart.  The penalty taker scored on his chance, and Baker cut its deficit down to 2-1.  The Wildcats tried to tie the game moments after the ensuing kickoff, but Sophomore Goalkeeper Vicente Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) made the save.  With nearly nine minutes played, BU came close again to tying the score, with Benitez Delgado earning another save.  Green countered back with a chance, but the Wildcat keeper kept his shot out of goal.  The two teams traded chances over the next several minutes.  Junior Forward Luka Perendija (Obrenovac, Serbia) and Sophomore Midfielder Julius Kruger (Berlin, Germany) each had shots through the 68-minute mark, while Benitez Delgado needed to make one save during the stretch of play.  With 17 minutes remaining in the contest, Benitez Delgado kept another BU shot out of goal, and Missouri Valley followed with a counter-attack.  Green worked down the left side of the field, and connected with Akpinar who took a shot from 10 yards out that beat the keeper and extended the advantage out to 3-1.  Baker was held to without another quality chance over the final minutes of play, and the Vikings finished out a 3-1 victory.

Akpinar recorded the first hat-trick of his career, and the first since Green registered a hat-trick against Graceland (Iowa), back on Oct. 18, 2022.  Akpinar now has three goals and one game-winning goal this season.  Green finished with two assists, and now has a team-high four assists and 16 points on the season.  Igarashi added his first assist this season.  Benitez Delgado made four saves.  The Vikings held a 13-7 advantage in shots and an 8-3 edge in corner kicks.

Missouri Valley improves to 7-3 on the season and 6-0 in the conference.  Baker drops to 7-3-3 overall and 3-2-1 in the Heart.

Up next, the Viking soccer teams travel to Fayette, Mo., Wednesday, for a doubleheader with Central Methodist (Mo.).  The women's team takes on the No. 6 Eagles at 5 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.