The men’s soccer team extended its winning streak to five games after a 2-0 win over Goshen and a 3-2 victory in overtime over Holy Cross on Saturday. The team played both games in Goshen, Indiana.

The Wildcats began their scoring on Saturday in the 32nd minute against Goshen with a goal from junior Keaton Anchors. Anchors is very pleased with how the team is playing as of late.

“It feels great starting 5-0, even more so because of the fact that we had the complete opposite start at this time last season,” Anchors said.

The second goal from Baker came from freshman Austin Halsey in the 42nd minute. This marked his second goal on the year, which is tied for the team lead.

“Our recent success has come from us being such a deep team,” Halsey said. “We have a strong group of guys, everyone of us being able to log big minutes.”

This is the strongest start Baker has seen in a while. Anchors compared this team to the past teams he has seen here at Baker.

“This is the best and deepest team I have ever been a part of,” Anchors said. “We are strong in every position. For each position there are two or three players that can come in and make an impact.

Anchors believes that the presence of so many seniors and juniors is why this team has started off with so much success.

“Most of the team is made up of upperclassmen which help carry the younger players and hold them to a high standard,” Anchors said.

The second game against Holy Cross presented the first time this Baker team had been tested. A clutch goal from junior Julian Sansano in the 86th minute forced the game to overtime.

“In the last game we showed a lot of character being able to come back in the last few minutes,” Sansano said. “I think the team is in a great place as a whole and our record proves that.”

The Holy Cross game ended with a goal from Amer Didic assisted from a corner kick pass from Jordan Thacker.

Didic has proven that he is a talented player this year for the Wildcats and his teammates have taken notice.

“Our two captains, Amer and Bob (Robert Hoeven), have been key to our success so far this season,” Sansano said. “Their timely goals and leadership have really steered the ship for us as a team. Spencer (Atkin) and Kyle (Young) have also been rock solid for us in terms of consistency and just pure talent.”

Looking forward, the Wildcats have a tough schedule that will truly test them. Baker plays one more road game before its first home game on Sept. 11 against Doane. That game will be followed by three more road games before finally coming home for a conference game against Evangel on Sept. 23.

“For us, every game is a big game. We started out not in the top 25, but we like being the underdogs,” Anchors said. “There is no pressure on us right now.”

Baker’s next game will be against Park University at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Parkville, Missouri.