Strong defense has been a key quality for Southwest Men's Soccer thus far this season. And on Saturday at Arkansas-Cossatot, it showed once again as the Bears pitched a shutout against the Colts, walking away with a 4-0 win.
 
"We had a good amount of focus and intensity," Southwest head coach Zach Mills said. "We are trying to cultivate that into a championship mentality, no matter who we play. I think everyone was up for it today and it is obviously a hard thing to do after a six-hour road trip."
 
While the defense of the Bears (2-1) was on full display, the offense followed suit, and it showed relatively early in the match. Around the 20:00 mark, Justin Ruiz got a pass from Jack Boyd before finding the back of the net and putting Southwest on the board.
 
About 16:00 later it was Boyd's turn to score as he was on the receiving end of a pass from Raul Alegre before sending the ball past the Colt goalkeeper.
 
Ruiz once again played a big role in the offensive success, this time in the second half. In the 63^rd minute, he assisted in the form of a corner kick as Nico Fischer scored, making it a 3-0 game.
 
Ruiz scored his second and final goal of the afternoon in the 80^th minute on another assist from Alegre giving the Bears the four-goal advantage.
 
Ruiz had two goals and an assist in the contest while Alegre finished with two assists.
 
The Bears will be back on the road during their next contest as they will face Oxford of Emory on Monday at 3 p.m. in Birmingham, AL.