PLAINVIEW, Texas – The Mid-America Christian University men's soccer team hit the road on Monday for their first ever Sooner Athletic Conference semifinal, but the Evangels faced a tough test in the top-seeded Pioneers of Wayland Baptist University. The Evangels were making their second trip of the season to WBU, and unfortunately for the Evangels, the result from this trip mirrored that of the first.
MACU (12-5-2) fell behind early, and they never recovered, as WBU (16-2-1) scored twice in each half, taking the win from the Evangels 4-1 to advance to the SAC Championship Final.
Wayland Baptist struck first on a free kick in the fifth minute, when Ricardo Ramos fired a shot into the upper right hand corner of the goal to put the Pioneers up 1-0. In the 34th minute, Alex Castillo cashed in a rebound to double the Pioneers' advantage, and at the break, WBU led 2-0. Ferderico Ucar headed home a pass from Lochlan Reus to push the lead to 3-0, and Raheem Fleming added WBU's final tally in the 75th minute.
The Evangels did get on the board in the final minute of play, when Andres Ochoa scored his third goal of the season, providing the final margin of 4-1.
Jakob O'Meara-Gill (11-3-2) made six saves in 90 minutes of action in the loss, and Ziggy Camejo (12-1-1) made four saves and allowed one goal in the win.
MACU's SAC Tournament run may be over, but the Evangels' season will go on. The Evangels will take to the field at the NCCAA Central Regional Tournament at Southwestern Christian University. The tournament will run from November 15-17, with times and matchups still to be announced.
