Bolivar, Mo. - The Southwest Baptist men's soccer team took on Missouri S&T this Sunday on their home field at 2:30pm. After a long battle against their opponents, with neither team scoring in the first half, the Bearcats emerged victorious, ending the game with a final score of 1-0. This ended the Bearcat's historic season record at 7-9-2 (4-8-2 GLVC), finishing with 14 points in the GLVC standings, most in program history.
 
SBU started the game strong with over five shots in the first thirty minutes. Graduate student Victor Valero had three shots in the first half working hard to keep pressure on the opponent's defense. Not only did the Bearcats display great offense in the first period, but they also showed strong defense, keeping the Miners off the scoreboard.
 
Though the Bearcats started the second half tied at 0, they exhibited constant determination throughout the game. Their persistence paid off as sophomore Edgar Piña Alvarez assisted graduate student Luis Sanchez-Barbudo Cruz for the team's first goal. The Bearcats were able to hold off their opponents from scoring in the second half, ending the game with a 1-0 win.
 
This was the Bearcats third shutout of the season, tying the second most shutouts by an SBU team. Largely credited to the SBU firm back line of Nadir Souak and Victor Valero. It's also credited to goalkeeper Jan-Henry Schäfer who finished the season with a 1.39 goals against average good for an SBU single season record.
 
Before the game, the Bearcats got to honor seven seniors on the day and their incredible effort put into the program during their time at SBU. These include Dawson Sozio, Fisher Hudak, Giovanni Cascone, Victor Valero, Iker Lorenzo, Sibusiso Mokoena, and Alvin Shivere. 
 
This win marked an incredible moment for four of these seniors as they have spent four years together getting to witness a program turnaround. Sozio, Cascone, Valero, and Lorenzo have been teammates since 2022 and got to finish their career together in spectacular fashion. 

The SBU men's soccer team were able to end their historic season with an exciting note as they look to build for future seasons. To stay up to date with Bearcat's athletics visit sbubearcats.com or follow our Instagram (@sbubearcats).