Tweet #theGAC  SEARCY, Ark. – Ouachita’s Tinashe Chigede, the Great American Conference’s Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Year registered a hat trick, including the game winner in the second overtime, as the Tigers defeated Oklahoma Baptist, 4-3, in Friday’s opening semifinal contest from Harding’s Stevens Soccer Complex.
 
Chigede’s third goal completed a come-from-behind effort for the Tigers (8-7-1). The Bison (7-9) held a 3-1 lead until the final minute of the first half when Chigede netted his first goal of the game, a free kick from just outside the box. His second goal of the contest knotted the score, 3-3, when he put away a header in the 61st minute. He became the second player in GAC Championship history to score three goals in a game.
 
The Bison built their advantage thanks to first-half goals by Thiago Dos Santo, Luis Romero and Martin Romero. Ouachita’s Blaine Hickman’s goal in the 12th minute temporarily tied the game at one.
 
Tiger goalkeeper Edward Pacheco, the GAC Goalkeeper of the Year, made five saves. The Tigers became the first team to win a GAC Championship game after trailing at halftime.
 
The Tigers earned their second trip to the finals GAC Championships. They won on their home soil in 2015. They will face the winner of the Harding-Southern Nazarene contest at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The GAC Sports Network will stream the contest.