After enjoying a deserved break following a stretch of three games in eight days, Ottawa University men's soccer returns to the pitch to close out the road portion of its non-conference schedule on Saturday night. The no. 18-t Braves head north to Baldwin City, Kan., to take on (RV) Baker University in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. NAIA Defensive Player of the Week Alex Neri looks to help Ottawa bounce back from a tough 2-1 loss at Benedictine.

The Matchup

Baker has been a bit of a troublesome opponent for Ottawa over the years, as Ottawa has only recorded three wins in 19 meetings, with one of those wins dating back to November 15, 1965. The last meeting between the teams came during the 2024 season, with Ottawa dropping a 4-1 result to the Wildcats. On the positive side of the ledger however, the last time the Braves visited Baldwin City, they were 4-0 winners, with Cale Scott (1 g, 1 a) and Jevan Purcell-Jackson both earning spots on the scoresheet.

Last Time Out

Despite outshooting Benedictine 15-11 on the afternoon (including a 6-5 edge in shots on goal), Ottawa wasn't able to find an equalizer for a 45th-minute goal by Juan Piratova, falling 2-1 to the Ravens. Antonio Natalucci had the lone tally for the Braves, heading home a cross from Alvaro Soriano Borras in the 66th minute.

About Baker

After starting the season ranked no. 21 in the NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll, Baker stumbled in a pair of 1-0 road losses to unranked Oklahoma City University and no. 9 Oklahoma Wesleyan, bringing a 1-2 record into Saturday's match. With the losses, the Wildcats dropped out of the top 25 but are still receiving votes.

Offensively, the Wildcats have seen production from a trio of players, as sophomore David Reid, junior Ian Waindim and senior Dylan Traudt each scored a goal in Baker's 3-1 season-opening win over McPherson. Defensively, Maxot Arystanov has been in goal for all 270 minutes this season, with a goals-against average of 1.00 and a save percentage of .786 on the year.
 

In The Polls

Following an outstanding finish to the 2025 season, Ottawa debuted at no. 16 in the NAIA Men's Soccer Preseason Top 25 for 2026. The Braves were one of two KCAC squads in the top 25, joining no. 9-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan. Despite a 1-0 upset over no. 3 MidAmerica Nazarene, Ottawa slid two spots in the first regular-season edition of the poll, landing tied for 18th. Joining the Braves in the no. 18 spot is free-falling LSU-Shreveport, which dropped 6 spots despite a 2-1 record.

2026 STADIONIC NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll
Preseason - No. 16
Week 1 - No. 18-tie
 

NAIA Defensive Player of the Week

For the first time since 2022, Ottawa saw a familiar name among the cascade of Tuesday emails from the national office, as Alex Neri was recognized as the NAIA Defensive Player of the Week for week 1. Neri was rock solid for the Black and Gold in Ottawa's 1-0 upset over no. 3 MidAmerica Nazarene, securing five saves including a game-changer in the 89th minute.

2026 NAIA Players of the Week
Week 1 - Alex Neri (Defensive)

2026 KCAC Players of the Week
Week 1 - Alex Neri (Defensive)