Golden Eagles blank Western Illinois

MACOMB, Ill. — The No. 26 Oral Roberts University men’s soccer team scored four goals in the final 10 minutes last Saturday to claim an 8-0 win at Western Illinois to open Summit League play.

Luis Flores got things going for ORU (5-2-1 overall, 1-0-0 in Summit League play) early in the 19th minute giving the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead. Flores’ goal was ultimately the game winner and it was his sixth goal of the season.

In the 26th minute, Haruki Yamazaki recorded his second goal of the season that was assisted by Schinieder Mimy and Reed Berry to make it a 2-0 game. ORU held the 2-0 going in to halftime after managing nine total shots with six on goal. The defense kept WIU to only two total shots, which neither were on goal.

In the second half, Flores earned his second goal of the match, and seventh of the season, in the 56th minute to make it a 3-0 ORU lead. His goal was assisted by Francisco Lopez. The Golden Eagles then went up 4-0 in the 65th minute when Thiago Patto scored his second goal of the season with an assist by Brandon O’Rourke, the first of his career.

The Golden Eagles kept control and went on a score fest in the final 10 minutes of play. In the 81st minute, Shane Anderson took a penalty kick and scored his first goal of the season to lift ORU up 5-0.

Senior leader Reed Berry followed up with his second goal of the season in the 83rd minute to make it a 6-0 match. Berry’s goal was assisted by O’Rourke for his second of his career and match.

Anderson earned another goal in the 86th minute to give ORU a 7-0 lead. Goalkeeper Jakub Grzesiak was credited with the assist, his first of the season.

With 35 seconds to play, Damani Harris scored the eighth goal for the Golden Eagles with an assist by Jack Bratcher, the first of his career.

ORU had 15 second half shots with eight being on goal. The Golden Eagles’ backline only allowed one shot on goal in the match and held the Leathernecks to three total shots in the second half.

ORU will close out its six-match road swing with a trip to Denver to face the No. 19 Denver Pioneers at 8 p.m. this Saturday.