OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 20 Mid-America Christian men's soccer team will be looking to bounce back from its first conference loss last week as the Evangels will head uptown tomorrow night to take on Oklahoma City for a 7 p.m. match at Brian Harvey Field.
LAST TIME OUT
Mid-America Christian (11-2, 4-1 Sooner Athletic Conference) suffered its second heartbreaking loss in double overtime at Southwestern Christian last week when SCU scored the golden goal in the 104th minute. Despite outshooting the Eagles by a 23-10 margin in the contest, the Evangels struggled to place shots on-target in the windy conditions against a stingy SCU defense as MACU held just an 8-4 edge in shots on-goal. Stephen Nganga helped rally the troops in the second half with his sixth goal of the season in the 48th minute, but Mid-America Christian could not muster a decisive second goal.
SCOUTING THE STARS
Oklahoma City has struggled through the first half of Sooner Athletic Conference play as the Stars hold a 1-5 record against conference foes and a 6-8 overall mark. The Stars managed to snap a five-match losing streak at home on Saturday against Southwestern Assemblies of God by coming away with a 3-nil victory.
The Stars have struggled mightily in the attack, only pushing across 15 goals in their first 14 matches. Forward Ljubisa Palic has been the only OCU player to eclipse the 10-point mark, scoring a team-high six goals to go with one assist for 13 points.
Andre Salvador will likely make his 15th start in goal against the Evangels as the keeper is giving up a 1.43 goals against average while making 76 saves for a .785 save percentage.
HISTORY WITH THE STARS
Mid-America Christian will be looking to establish its first win streak over Oklahoma City on Tuesday as the Stars hold an 11-2-1 edge in the all-time series dating back to 2007. The Evangels snapped a six match winless streak against the Stars in last season's SAC Tournament Quarterfinal, as Allan Sorato scored a pair of goals to propel the Evangels to a 2-nil victory.
CASHING IN ON OPPORTUNITIES
Since setting multiple program records against Bacone back on Oct. 8, the Evangels have struggled to find the back of the net in the last two matches. In the last two matches combined, MACU has taken 41 shots and have placed 15 on-goal, but have only two goals to show for it. In the previous 11 matches, Mid-America Christian scored 60 goals off 132 on-target shots. The Evangels will be looking to get back on-track against Stars, but Oklahoma City has been stout on the defensive end, giving up the fourth-best goals allowed average in the SAC at 1.43.
