The No. 18 Baker University men’s soccer team continues to impress as the team pushed its record to 4-0 over the weekend with two more 1-0 victories over Park University and Columbia College.<br/>

Baker has now recorded 1-0 shutouts in all four of its matches this season.

Head coach Nate Houser is excited about his players fully buying in.

“I think our guys have bought into organization,” Houser said. “It’s one thing to be, you know, athletic and be a good soccer player, but the piece that I think every team needs is to be organized and to work together.”

Defense has been a huge key to the success for the ’Cats. With four shutouts in four games, Houser can’t ask for much more.<br/>

“We defend as a team,” Houser said. “It starts from the guys up front … the other teams really can’t handle our defensive third.”<br/>

The Wildcats defensive performances have not gone unnoticed.

Sophomore Matt Bickley was named the HAAC Player of the Week for recording his second and third shutouts of the season as goalkeeper.

The offense has done enough to win each game, but both players and coaches alike can see more opportunities to capitalize on.

“(Offense has) had plenty of chances, (but) we just haven’t been finishing them,” senior Steven Stewart said. “It’s the beginning of the season. That’s kind of just how it works sometimes. I think once the season goes on, we’ll start clicking.”

Stewart’s optimism about the Wildcats’ offense is shared by junior Odaine Sinclair.

“I think these first four games are going to be the toughest of our season, like with the guys gelling and everything,” Sinclair said. “I feel like we’re going to start scoring more goals … it was like that last year. We didn’t have, like, one guy scoring all the time. We had a lot of guys. We had, like, 10 guys scoring.”

The drive is there for the offense, especially with players like Sinclair, who says he wants to be a go-to guy that his teammates can rely on.

“I want to lead the team from (the) front,” Sinclair said. “My job is to get goals, so I want to get a goal during the first 15 minutes. (I want to) try to get an early goal so I can take the pressure off my defense.”

The ultimate goal for the team is to bring home the championship.

“The aim this season for me and the other guys is to get to nationals,” Sinclair said. “At this point in the season we’re taking one thing at a time.”

The Wildcats will take on John Brown University at 4 p.m. Friday and Oklahoma City University at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Both games will be played in Siloam Springs, Ark.