Ninety minutes couldn’t crown a champion Tuesday night as Baker faced MidAmerica Nazarene in the Heart of America Conference Championship. The game was still a stalemate after two 10-minute overtime periods, where Baker ultimately fell during the penalty shootout.
Road to the Championship – After etching their names in the National Tournament by being the Heart of America regular season champs (14-4-2), the Wildcats entered the conference tournament as the top seed.
“We just needed to keep doing what we’re doing. We hit a really good form at a good time of the season,” says Baker Senior Iwan Roberts.
Baker University snuck past (#8) William Woods (W 2-1) with a 77th minute goal in the first round, and coasted past (#4) William Penn (W 3-1) in the semifinals to secure a spot in the championship game. MidAmerica Nazarene picked up a win against (#7) Missouri Valley then shutout (#3) Grand View to meet Baker on November 11.
Championship Game – Claiming a National Tournament berth before the post-season started MidAmerica Nazarene’s Jeremie Pelade netted the first goal after 6 short minutes of play and fans had to wait 78 minutes until the next. Ian Waindim’s 84th minute goal sent a sigh of relief to the Wildcat supporters as Baker came closer to capturing both the regular season title and conference championship trophy. Baker kept a high energy for the final 6 minutes of regulation time but at full time, the match was tied 1-1. Both teams managed to get shots off during the first 10 minute period but zero shots in the second OT meant the championship was headed to penalty kicks.
Penalties – With Baker missing their first and MNU missing their 3rd, extra penalties were necessary. MNU’s Ferdi Hagen capitalized on the 6th penalty while BU’s attempt missed high, ending the Wildcats’ pursuit of the championship.
As the tournament selection show rounded up, Baker received the 14th seed and an exemption from the first round. Four Heart of America teams are on the road to Orange Beach; MNU and Baker were exempt, while William Penn and Grandview received At-Large bids.
The Wildcats’ first opponent, Indiana Tech, is the Wolverine-Hoosier Conference Champions (16-4-1). For reference, Indiana Tech got a road win against William Penn (2-1) back in late August. Head Coach Nick Aguilar is familiar with Indiana Tech Head Coach Keelan Barker. “He’s very good at building good teams and coaching successful teams. He’s had a successful program even on the national level,” he said.
Aguilar has seen the Warriors play a few games from league play to their tournament. “They are gonna be a good side for sure.” Indiana Tech has gone 7-1 against Top 25 ranked opponents and will be making the trip to Baker on Saturday, November 22. The game kicks off at 5:00 PM.
