BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — No. 9 Oklahoma Wesleyan University Men's Soccer opened the 2026 season in impressive fashion Wednesday night, rolling to a 9-0 victory over Avila University at the OKWU Soccer Complex.

The Eagles wasted little time establishing control, with Eguzki Hashimoto opening the scoring just 4:57 into the match off an assist from Tylor Guerrero. From there, the OKWU attack took over.

Nasreddine Benbella doubled the advantage in the 21st minute off an assist from Ryunsokue Masuzuka, before Marcos Vidan made it 3-0 less than three minutes later. Benbella provided the assist on Vidan's goal.

Guerrero moved the lead to 4-0 in the 29th minute, finishing a chance created by Hashimoto. Carter Ligi added the fifth goal in the 36th minute following an assist from Niko Vasileiou, and Mateja Bozic closed out a dominant opening half with a goal at 41:40.

The Eagles entered halftime with a commanding 6-0 advantage. OKWU continued to apply pressure after the break.

Masuzuka scored in the 54th minute with Chafik El Idrissi providing the assist. Guerrero added his second goal of the night at 60:20 before Bozic matched him with his second goal in the 75th minute to complete the scoring.

The nine goals came from seven different Eagles, with Guerrero and Bozic each recording a brace. Masuzuka finished with a goal and two assists, while Hashimoto and Benbella each contributed a goal and an assist.

The performance was equally dominant statistically. Oklahoma Wesleyan held a 35-4 advantage in shots, including a 24-3 edge in shots on goal. The Eagles also earned all nine corner kicks in the match while holding Avila without one.

Defensively, OKWU kept the Eagles of Avila off the scoreboard and limited the visitors to just one shot in the second half to secure the clean sheet. 

The victory gives the Eagles momentum heading into a much-anticipated early-season Top 25 match up.

No. 9 Oklahoma Wesleyan returns to the OKWU Soccer Complex on Saturday, August 29, when the Eagles host No. 21 Baker University. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.