OKLAHOMA CITY – Coming off a pair of stellar home wins, the Mid-America Christian women's soccer team is preparing for a crucial Sooner Athletic Conference road contest at Southwestern Christian at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
LAST TIME OUT
In its return to SAC competition, Mid-America Christian (7-3-1, 2-1-1 SAC) put together a stellar performance against Southwestern Assemblies of God, shutting out the Lady Lions 4-0 on Saturday. Four different Evangels scored in the contest as Paola Camacho, Kyleigh Gibson, Kelsey Henry and Liz Lozano each netted goals while MACU's stellar defense limited SAGU to just two off-target shots in 90 minutes of regulation.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Southwestern Christian enters Tuesday with a 4-6 overall record and are just one spot ahead of the Evangels in the SAC with a 3-2 record in conference play. Last week, the Eagles picked up a 4-0 victory over Central Christian on Oct. 9 before receiving a forfeit win over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Saturday.
The SCU attack is led by a trio of players with four or more goals this season as junior forward Megan Deshazo tops the team with five goals and three assists for 13 points. Junior forward Melonie Baca and sophomore forward Piper Woodard have been the only other multi-goal scorers for the Eagles this season with four apiece.
On the defensive end, the Eagles have split time between Ashlynn Haylett and Jordan Howle at goalkeeper this season. Hayett has appeared in the most matches for SCU, playing in seven matches and making five starts while giving up 22 goals and making 18 saves for a .500 save percentage. However, Howle has been the more effective of the Eagles keepers this season, conceding just nine goals and converting 18 saves for a .667 save percentage in six outings and four starts.
HISTORY WITH THE EAGLES
Mid-America Christian has fared well against Southwestern Christian, winning all nine matchups since their first meeting on Sept. 10, 2010 in Bethany, Okla. The Evangels have picked up four wins on SCU's turf, with the last coming in a 2-1 win on Oct. 21, 2017. In last season's meeting on Oct. 23, the Evangels dominated the Eagles in a decisive 5-2 victory. Brittney Stephens recorded a hat trick for MACU with three goals while Lozano chipped in a goal as well.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
Since giving up three goals to Central Christian two weeks ago, the Evangels have really clamped down on the defensive end of the field. In last week's contests combined, the MACU defense gave up just three shots with one shot being on-target. Brooklyn Fink, along with a backline consisting of Kelsey Janko, Aubrey Robins and Jayce Fallon were instrumental in shutting down both the Bacone and SAGU attacks.
MACU RECEIVING "MOORE" AWARDS
The Mid-America Christian women's soccer team continued to rack up the awards this week as pair of Moore, Okla. products were award recipients. Brooklyn Fink was named the Sooner Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week while Kyleigh Gibson took home the NCCAA Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week honor.
A freshman out of Westmoore High School, Fink logged 88 minutes in the Evangels' 4-0 victory over Southwestern Assemblies of God, not only continuing to play an intricate role in the Evangels back line, but also a vital role in the attack on throw-ins and free kicks.
A redshirt freshman who played at Community Christian before joining the Evangels in 2018, Gibson has been no stranger to receiving awards this season as she earned her third weekly award of 2019. It is the second time this year that Gibson was honored with the NCCAA Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week after receiving the award back on Sept. 9. Between the Bacone and SAGU matches, Gibson notched a pair of goals and three assists in just 114 minutes of action, adding to her team-leading 10 goals and 24 points.
