OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City men's soccer enters the postseason this week as the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season champion and top seed of the SAC Tournament.
 
The Stars earned the right to host every match they play, starting with Tuesday when OCU hosts Oklahoma Panhandle State at 7 p.m.
 
OCU Notebook
Tournament Time: Oklahoma City is the top seed in the tournament and plays eighth-seeded Panhandle State in tonight's opener. The other first round games have No. 2 seed John Brown hosting Texas Wesleyan, No. 3 seed Mid-America Christian hosting Southwestern Christian and No. 4 seed Wayland Baptist hosting Nelson. An OCU win on Tuesday pits the Stars against WBU or Nelson on Friday. The championship game is Monday, Nov. 10.
 
Defending Tournament Champs: The Stars won the tournament crown last season, beating Southwestern Christian 3-0 in the first round, getting a penalty kick win at John Brown and a 1-0 victory at Mid-America Christian. Ruben Fahiya had two goals in the SAC Tournament last season, including the game-winner in the championship game.
 
Recapping the OPSU Match: Nathan Fergeson scored two goals and Thomas Brulay buried a corner kick to give Oklahoma City a 3-2 Sooner Athletic Conference men's soccer victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State in September. Trailing 1-0 after a goal by Simon Echeverry in the 11^th minute, Fergeson executed a bicycle kick off a feed from Ryan Moon in the 43^rd minute. Fergeson headed home a nicely placed assist from Sage Trevino in the 57^th minute for a 2-1 OCU lead. The Aggies knotted the game at 2-2 with a goal from Ayoup Bader in the 63^rd minute. On OCU's 11^th corner kick of the day, Brulay bent his corner into the opposite upper corner for the game-winner in the 77^th minute.
 
The Clincher: Oklahoma City wrapped up the regular-season Sooner Athletic Conference championship with a 4-1 win at Central Christian on Friday. Ethan Taylor got the game-winner, using an assist from Matheus Ambrozio in the 15^th minute for the 1-0 lead. Six minutes later, Francisco Miquel set up Harrison Knight for a goal and the 2-0 lead. Miquel scored on his own in the 33^rd minute for a 3-0 advantage. Juan Erazo scored in the 49^th minute to give OCU its lone second-half goal and a 4-0 lead.
 
Shutouts: Through 18 games, the Stars have allowed 13 goals. The Stars' defense has allowed just 8.4 shots per game and only 3.6 shots on goal per match. The result has been nine shutouts for the Stars.
 
OCU at Home: The Stars are 6-1-2 at home this season and outscoring opponents 19-8. That's an average score of 2.11 to 0.89. Harrison Knight and Ruben Fahiya have three goals each in home games.
 
Half and Half: The Stars have outscored opponents by a 35-13 margin this season, allowing five first- and eight second-half goals. OCU has 21 first-half goals and 14 second-half goals. 
 
Three-Game Trend: OCU owns a 1-0-2 record over the last three games and has outscored opponents 7-4. Bernard Duarte has two goals over that three-game span.
 
The Goals: Bernardo Duarte leads the Stars and is third in the Sooner Athletic Conference with eight goals this season. OCU has 35 goals on the season. Harrison Knight has five goals this season, followed by Francisco Miquel with four. Thirteen Stars have scored goals this season.
 
On the Assist: Fourteen Stars have combined for 25 assists this season. Harrison Knight and Thomas Brulay lead the team with four apiece.
 
History with OPSU: The Stars have won the last three meetings, including the 3-2 win at Brian Harvey Field earlier this season.
 
Scouting the Aggies: Panhandle is 6-5-5 overall and 2-4-3 in the Sooner Athletic Conference after a 1-0 loss at Wayland Baptist on Tuesday. Ayoup Bader leads the Aggies with six goals this season. OPSU qualified for the tournament when OCU defeated Central Christian on Friday.
 
Coach Billy Martin: Coach Martin is 58-31-14 since taking the helm at OCU in 2020. His 14-win season in 2024 was his best so far.
 
Keeper of the Week: Oklahoma City goalkeeper Alexis Bertrand's two clean sheets on the road earned him Sooner Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 2. Bertrand had three saves in those two wins. 
 
Hat Trick for Fahiya: Star Ruben Fahiya had a hat trick against Jarvis Christian. Those were the first goals of the season for Fahiya. Kenz Toms and Ethan Zeinalpor also had their first goals of the season in the 5-0 win, with Toms getting the game-winner.