ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – For the third consecutive season the Ouachita Tigers men's soccer team has started the season without a loss. The Tigers tied Dallas Baptist on Thursday night and on Saturday afternoon Ouachita defeated Rogers State 2-0.

2014 was the last time Ouachita (1-0-1, 0-0-0 GAC) did not win or tie the first two games of the season. This is the first time since the 2016 season that the Tigers first two matches of the year were on the road.

On a hot and humid night in Dallas, Texas, Ouachita was the first team to put a goal on the board. Senior forward Joey Zerbo (Frisco, Texas) took a pass from Hector Duron (Frisco, Texas) and scored in the 30^th minute of the game. Senior goalkeeper Matt Gutierrez (Houston, Texas) came up with a trio of saves to keep the match a 1-0 advantage for the Tigers heading into the halftime break.

Dallas Baptist (0-0-1) came out firing in the second half as the Ouachita defense held strong for most of the match. Out of 11 total shots faced the Tigers allowed just one shot to find the back of the net. Karl Pitkin split a pair of Ouachita defenders and a through pass from Austin Soles gave Pitkin a point blank goal opportunity that he converted on.

At the end of regulation, the game remained tied at 1-1. Ouachita became the aggressor in the overtime periods outshooting Dallas Baptist 5-2. The Tigers even earned a corner kick that they were unable to convert.  The match ended in a 1-1 tie, it was the first time in series history that Ouachita did not come away with the outright win.

Gutierrez ended the game with 7 saves, Tyler Smith (El Dorado, Ark.) led the Tigers offense with 4 shots and Zerbo ended the night being the lone goal scorer for Ouachita.
For the second consecutive game the Tigers were outshot by the opponent, 22-10. Ouachita midfielder Abraham Lazo (Irving, Texas) did not wait long as he shot the ball from the right side of the six-yard box and the ball curved into the left post to score the opening goal.

Rogers State then took control of the ball and worked their offense down the field and Gutierrez came away with his second save of the match just nine minutes into the game. Gutierrez came up big for the Tigers when they needed him most. Rogers State had three corner kick opportunities in a span of four minutes and each time Gutierrez or the defense was able to come away with a stop to clear the ball away.

The Ouachita offense was unable to get much offense in the first half outside of the early goal. The Tigers went nearly 28 minutes without a shot in the opening half. Going into half the Tigers were holding on to a 1-0 advantage.

The Tiger offense came out hungry in the opening moments of the second half. The Tigers unleashed a barrage of shots against the Rogers State defense. Then in the 56^th minute of action Colten Clark (Coppell, Texas) and the Ouachita attack had three-on-three opportunity. Clark took the shot down the right side of the field and he found the back of the net, giving the Tigers a decisive 2-0 lead early in the half.

In the 79^th minute of action Rogers State appeared to be in prime position to score with their 10^th corner kick of the match. The Tigers defense held off three consecutive shot attempts by Rogers State. A save in the 87^th minute by Gutierrez all but sealed the deal against Rogers State as Ouachita came away with the victory.

Ouachita will host Delta State in their home opener on Friday evening at 4 p.m. Ouachita has won their last three home openers coming into the 2018 season. For more details on the Ouachita men's soccer team go online to www.obutigers.com or follow the official social media accounts.