CHICKASHA, Okla. – The Mid-America Christian University faced a daunting task on Thursday night in the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinal. The Evangels had to go on the road to Chickasha, Oklahoma to take on the University of Science & Arts (Okla.) Drovers less than a week after the Evangels handed the Drovers a close loss in Oklahoma City. Despite the challenges presented by the conditions and a very tough USAO side, the Evangels were able to put away the Drovers in a penalty shootout.
MACU (12-4-2) and USAO (12-5-2) played to a 1-1 draw through 110 minutes of regulation and overtime, heading to the first penalty kick shootout in series history, and goal keeper Jacob O'Meara Gill made two huge saves in the shootout to help MACU advance on PKs, 4-2.
Playing into a stiff breeze in the first half, Mid-America generated several early chances, but USAO goalkeeper George Connolly was up to each task. The Drovers, meanwhile, put five shots on frame in the first half, but they were unable to solve O'Meara Gill, and in the 34th minute, the Evangels got on the board. Brad Bennions took the ball from the right wing toward the top of the box, then stopped on a dime and rifled a left –footed shot beyond the outstretched finger tips of Connolly into the lower right-hand corner of the net to give MACU the 1-0 lead, which they carried into halftime.
In the second half, the Evangels had the wind, but it was the Drovers who controlled the play, and with 30 minutes to go, USAO drew level on a broken play. O'Meara-Gill came out to play the ball with his hands, and there was contact in the box. The center official judged the contact to be incidental, and when Juan Lucas gathered in the rebound, he fired it home to square the match at 1-1.
The teams traded chances in the final half-hour of regulation, but both goalkeepers were able to turn away every shot they faced, preserving the tie and sending the match to overtime. USAO recorded four of the five shots in the first overtime, including the only two shots on goal, but they were unable to put the ball in the goal, and as a result, the match headed into double overtime. MACU played better in the second overtime session, but they were unable to put a shot on frame, and when the 110th minute ended, nothing had been decided, so the match went to a penalty kick shootout.
MACU shot first in the shootout, with Djibril Fofana opening the scoring with his successful PK. Lucas then stepped up for the Drovers and leveled the shootout at 1 with a shot into the lower right side of the goal. Oliver May and Owen Connelly traded rockets just under the cross bar, and Sergio Ribero stepped up and fired a shot through the hands of Connolly for the Evangels third goal, and that brought USAO's Butch Hampton to the penalty spot. Hampton tried to go to the low left corner of the goal, but O'Meara-Gill was ready for it, making the save and giving the Evangels the advantage. Next for MACU was Dominik Tajak, who stepped up and buried a shot in the low corner of the net to put MACU up 4-2 in the shootout with two shooters remaining for USAO. Llewellyn Evans was called upon for the Drovers' fourth shot, and he was looking for redemption after he had a penalty stopped by O'Meara-Gill during the run of play on October 27. Evans also took aim at the low left corner of the goal, but again, O'Meara-Gill was there to make the save, ending the shootout and sending MACU to the SAC Semifinal round.
Awaiting the Evangels in the SAC semis is #21 Wayland Baptist University (15-2-1), who defeated Central Christian College 5-0 in their SAC quarterfinal. The match will be played on Monday, November 6 in Plainview, Texas, but kickoff time has not yet been announced.
