OKLAHOMA CITY – The Sooner Athletic Conference released their preseason poll for the 2018 men's soccer season on Friday afternoon, and the Mid-America Christian University team finds itself picked to finish sixth in the league.
"We are excited about the upcoming season," remarked co-head coach Evan Dresel. "Preseason rankings are always fun to look at, but they don't really mean much. With the 6th-place rating, we feel it gives us something to prove and it will drive us to work even harder in training."
The Evangels slot in sixth in the rating despite a successful 2017 campaign that saw them advance to the SAC quarterfinal for the first time in program history. MACU garnered 40 points in the poll, finishing behind the defending NAIA National Champion Wayland Baptist University, the University of Science & Arts, Southwestern Christian University, John Brown University, and Oklahoma City University. WBU (8) and SCU (1) received all of the 1st-place votes in the poll, and the Pioneers earned 13 more points than anyone else in the poll. MACU finished ahead of Central Christian College, Texas Wesleyan University, Bacone College, and Southwestern Assemblies of God University.
The Evangels will play five of their nine SAC matches at home this season, hosting four of the five teams who finished ahead of them in the poll. The Evangels will open their 2018 campaign on August 25th at Bethel College (Kan.) at 7:30 p.m. with the home opener slated for 4 p.m. on September 14 against Paul Quinn College.
