OKLAHOMA CITY – For the Mid-America Christian University women's soccer team, the feeling at the end of 2016 was an unfamiliar one. The Lady Evangels missed out on reaching for .500 plateau in the regular season for the first time in seven years, missing the NCCAA Regional Tournament for just the second time in program history as a result.
"I am eager to get started on a new year," remarked Head Coach Zach Bice. "We are looking to be an improved team over a year ago. We really feel we have something to prove. There is a buzz about the team."
The Lady Evangels return nine players from the 2016 squad, with only one senior in the mix. The returning field players combined to score 18 of the Lady Evangels' 22 goals in 2016, led by Brittney Stephens who netted 10 tallies, including five game winners. Angelica Ceballos totaled nine points (3 G, 3 A), Keanni Barnes added three goals, and Jasmine Chacon-Diaz and Pyper Steinweiss each tallied once for MACU. In goal, Madison Donihoo returns after starting 17 matches as a freshman, posting a 7-7-1 record, a 1.23 Goals Against Average, and a Save Percentage of .845. Veronica Lopez Cordero also transfers in from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, but she did not play and is still a freshman athletically.
Speaking of Stephens, Donihoo, and Janko; Coach Bice said, "All of them had strong years and they will have some young players along with a couple of transfers that are going to be big impact players for this year."
"It will also be good to get Jasmin Chacon Diaz back off of injury," Bice continued. "Keanni will be improved for us in the middle and Amaris will be our lone senior who will bring a good energy to the team. Blankenship is a player that we are also getting back that is very versatile and brings a lot of grit to our team. Pyper is also a player that has worked very hard over the summer and is much improved."
Thirteen new faces join the Lady Evangels in 2017, with six players transferring in from other places, and eight freshmen joining the ranks. Jess Austin and Kiera Morgan join the Lady Evangels from Lassen Community College, where Austin appeared in 15 matches for the Cougars in two seasons, and Morgan netted eight goals and tallied three assists in two years. Alissa Tapp was an All-Conference performer at Rose State College in 2016, tallying 15 goals and adding seven helpers in 19 matches, Daniela Caranza scored once and tallied two assists in 2016 at Paul Quinn College, and Ana Luiza Rodrigues scored on her only shot on goal for Barton College as a freshman last season.
"The transfers are a key piece for us," Bice noted. "Kierra is a dynamic player in the middle that will be a creative and impactful player. Dani is a solid central midfielder who is very techinical and creative. Tapp brings pace and athelticism that will give us a goal scoring threat from the outside. Jess is a solid player in the back. Ana Luiza and Veronica are creative players for us in the middle."
Of the seven freshmen also join the Lady Evangels for 2016, most of them hail from near the MACU campus in Oklahoma City. Jennifer Starwalt from Moore, Oklahoma will join Donihoo in the goalkeeper rotation this season after leading her team to the state playoffs four years in a row. Her high school teammate, Casey Riley, also joins the Lady Evangels this season, coming off an All-State performance as a senior in 2016. Aubrey Robins of Harrah, Oklahoma joins the MACU team after helping the Harrah Panthers win the 2016 girls' Class 4A State title. Alex White, Allyson Pamplin, Makayla Lein, and Rachel Leach are also new to the MACU program this season.
Bice said of the freshmen, "I am expecting them to come in and make a huge contribution right away. We get talent in every level of play from the keeper position to the striker postion. They bring a competitiveness and high level of play early on. Casey Riley is very strong in the back. Aubrey is a hard working central midfield player. Pamplin will bring an immediate threat up front. Alex White is a hard working player that we can use in the back or the middle of the field. Starwalt is an exceptional freshman keeper. Makayla and Rachel are players we are excited to have join the program as well."
MACU is predicted to finish fifth in the Sooner Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll, which was released last week. The Lady Evangels amassed 67 points in the voting, which tabbed John Brown University (110 pts.) as the preseason favorites. The University of Science and Arts (96 pts.), Texas Wesleyan University (93 pts.), and Oklahoma City University (85 pts.) were also picked ahead of MACU. Wayland Baptist University (57 pts.), Southwestern Assemblies of God University (51 pts.), Southwestern Christian University (47 pts.), St. Gregory's University (45 pts.), Central Christian College (43 pts.), and Bacone College (21 pts.) round out the poll.
The regular season schedule gets underway at home on August 29th, when the Lady Evangels welcome the Manhattan Christian University Thunder to Oklahoma City for a 4 p.m. kick-off. The Thunder are the only team MACU is scheduled to face twice in the regular season, as the Lady Evangels will return the trip to Manhattan, Kansas on September 18. MACU will also face Southwestern College (Kan.), Paul Quinn College (Texas), the University of Houston-Victoria (Texas), and Sterling College (Kan.) in non-conference play.
The SAC schedule kicks off on the road at Wayland Baptist on September 26th, with the ladies slated for a 4 p.m. kick-off against the Flying Queens. MACU also draws road matches against John Brown (Oct. 7), Central Christian (Oct. 14). Oklahoma City (Oct. 17), and Southwestern Christian (Oct. 21). The Lady Evangels' home SAC opener is set for October 3 at 2 p.m. against St. Gregory's University. MACU will take on Bacone at home on October 10, and they will wrap up the regular season with three straight home matches against SAGU (Oct. 24), USAO (Oct. 27), and Texas Wesleyan (Oct. 31).
"We would love to host a conference tournament match," Bice said. "That would put us in the top four. It is always the goal. The conference has really improved over the past couple of years. I am excited about conference play. I think we have an opportunity to make some noise."
The SAC postseason tournament will determine the SAC's automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, and it will take place on Campus sites, with the higher seed hosting each match. The quarterfinals will be on November 3, the semifinals on November 6, and the Championship match on November 9.
"This team is a little different than the teams that we have had the past couple of years," Bice concluded. "We have some strong leadership and some different types of players. We have the potential to be good going forward. We lose a couple of players out of the back, but I think we are still going to be in a good place there. I am really looking forward to getting the season started and to see where we can go! We are going to be a very fun team to watch this year."
