OKLAHOMA CITY – The fans in attendance at Mid-America Christian University's men's soccer match on Wednesday afternoon were not even settled into their seats when the Evangels seized control of their NCCAA Central Regional Semifinal. The Evangels struck first, and once they did, they never let up.
MACU (13-5-2) scored just 1:48 into the match, and they out-shot McMurry University (8-6-3) 20-2 in the match, taking the 2-0 win to advance to the regional championship match on Friday afternoon.
Brad Bennions broke the ice just 108 seconds after the kickoff. Caleb Roldan chipped a ball past War Hawks' goalkeeper Alex Chavez to the right wing, and Bennions ran onto the ball to finish his second goal in the last three matches, putting MACU on top 1-0 early. The Evangels did not let up from there, despite playing into the wind, as MACU allowed only one shot in the half while peppering Chavez with 10 shots including seven on goal, but at intermission, the margin remained 1-0.
McMurry began to apply some territorial pressure early in the second half, but they generated only one shot, and the Evangels soon wrestled control back. MACU again outshot McMurry 10-1 in the second half, and in the 84th minute, Yannis Krouk provided the Evangels with some much needed insurance. Dominik Tajak used his chest to control a loose ball, and he headed a pass to Krouk who ripped a shot into the goal off the inside of the right goalpost to double the Evangels' lead. In the final moments, MACU continued to control the play, and the Evangels took the win, 2-0.
Jakob O'Meara-Gill (12-3-2) did not need to make a save in earning his eighth shutout of the season. Chavez (8-5-3) took the loss, despite making 10 saves on 12 shots faced.
The Evangels now advance to the NCCAA Central Regional championship match, which will take place on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. MACU will have to head to nearby Bethany, Oklahoma where they will battle the top-seeded Southwestern Christian University Eagles (17-5) for the right to advance to the NCCAA Division I Men's Soccer National Championships in Kissimmee, Florida.
