The Rockhurst University men's soccer team closed out its 2026 regular season with a 3-1 loss to Southwest Baptist on Tuesday (Oct. 27) at SBU Soccer Field in Bolivar, Missouri. Despite taking an early lead and outshooting the Bearcats, the Hawks were unable to hold off a second-half surge as they now turn their attention to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
Rockhurst finishes the regular season with a 6-7-4 overall record and a 5-5-4 mark in GLVC play. Following McKendree's loss to top-seeded Lincoln on Tuesday, the Hawks secured the No. 8 seed in the GLVC Tournament and will travel to Jefferson City, Missouri, this weekend to face No. 1 seed Lincoln, which finished their season unbeaten at 12-0-4.
The Hawks wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, striking in the sixth minute to take an early 1-0 advantage. Blake Barrick found the back of the net off an assist from Sam McIntosh, giving Rockhurst an early boost in its final regular-season contest. The goal marked Barrick's second consecutive match with a goal after recording a goal and an assist in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Illinois Springfield.
Southwest Baptist responded in the 28th minute when Derrick Londono scored the equalizer, sending the teams into halftime tied at 1-1.
The Hawks came out aggressively to begin the second half, creating several scoring chances in the opening minutes. Nick Marchetti and Tommaso Silanos each put shots on goal in the 51st minute, but Schafer turned away both attempts to preserve the tie. Rockhurst nearly regained the lead in the 63rd minute when Rhys Laws struck the right post, narrowly missing an opportunity to put the Hawks back in front.
Southwest Baptist eventually broke through in the 68th minute as Thomas Ladetto Spuches scored off assists from Luis Sanchez-Barbudo Cruz and Londono to give the Bearcats a 2-1 advantage. Rockhurst continued searching for an equalizer, with Connor Gaarder recording a shot on goal in the 84th minute, but the Hawks were unable to capitalize. Sanchez-Barbudo Cruz added an insurance goal in the 90th minute to secure the 3-1 victory for Southwest Baptist.
Rockhurst finished with a 15-13 advantage in total shots, including a 7-6 edge in shots on goal. The Hawks also held a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks. Gaarder led Rockhurst with three shots, while Barrick, McGill, Marchetti, Silanos and Lor each recorded two. Goalkeeper Luke Strueby played all 90 minutes and finished with three saves.
The loss snapped a two-match winning streak for the Hawks, who entered Tuesday's contest following back-to-back conference victories over William Jewell and Illinois Springfield.
Rockhurst will now shift its focus to the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals, where the eighth-seeded Hawks will face top-seeded Lincoln in Jefferson City this weekend. The Blue Tigers claimed the GLVC regular-season championship, setting up a postseason matchup between the conference's top seed and a Rockhurst squad looking to extend its season.
The GLVC Tournament quarterfinals are scheduled for Oct. 31–Nov. 1, with the official kickoff time to be announced.
