The Baker University men’s soccer team battled through the cold and wind to claim a 2-0 win against Oklahoma Wesleyan University in the first round of the NAIA tournament.

The Wildcats dominated the match, as they took 25 shots to just eight for Oklahoma Wesleyan. Junior Donny George got the scoring started for the ’Cats, with a header off a corner kick from senior Tom Lowndes in the 24th minute of play.

George, primarily a defender, gave all the credit for his goal to his teammates.

“I thank the boys who put the ball in the box,” George said. “Tom Lowndes put a great ball in, I tagged the ball, and it went in.”

The Wildcats kept the pressure on and were finally rewarded in the 75th minute. Junior Odaine Sinclair put the nail in the coffin with the second and final goal of the match off a throw in from senior Sean McAlister.

“It was a (throw in) and it came across,” Sinclair said. “A little fumbling in the box, and that was it.”

Out of the 17 players on the active roster, only six did not record a shot.

Matt Bickley was only required to make one save in the game. Out of the eight shots taken by Oklahoma Wesleyan, only one was on goal.

“We just were us,” Sinclair said. “Hopefully we can take this and go forward into the tournament like every game like this, being us.”

Head coach Nate Houser was pleased with what he saw out of his team’s effort and composure throughout the game.

“A lot of passion, and emotion, and heart, but more than any of that our brains,” Houser said. “We used our heads, we worked in the right part of the field and we were rewarded for that, I think, tonight.”

Houser was not surprised about the level of physicality in the game.

“Whoever walks away from these, their season is done and no one is going to walk away quietly,” Houser said. “It’s about expecting a little bit of a fight and knowing how to deal with it. It’s part of the learning to win cycle and I think we’re doing a decent job.”

The Wildcats have one thing on their minds and that is to continue this success through the tournament.

“(We just have to) keep on being us,” Sinclair said. “Being us.”

Baker will play again at 5 p.m. Nov. 28 in Orange Beach, Ala. against Huston-Tillotson University, in the field of 16.