OKLAHOMA CITY – After completing the most successful season in program history that included the first NCCAA National Championship win in program history and a NCCAA Central Region Championship, the Mid-America Christian men's soccer team had six student-athletes named to the NCCAA All-Central Region Team.
The Evangels had four members receive First Team honors, including sophomore forward Rodrigo Albuquerque, junior defender Dejue Johnson, senior midfielder Stephen Nganga and freshman midfielder Fabian Forisch. Two Evangels were named to Second Team in senior forward Allan Sorato and sophomore goalkeeper Austen Parker.
A 5-8 forward from Recife, Brazil, Albuquerque wrapped up the 2019 season with 15 goals, tying the second-most goals scored in a single season program history while tallying the fifth-most points with 34. Albuquerque adds another honor to an already successful first season with the Evangels, earning All-Sooner Athletic Conference Second Team honors as well as being named the NCCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after leading MACU to a 5-0 victory over Grace College (Ind.) in the NCCAA National Championship game on Dec. 7.
A 5-11 defender from Linstead, Jamaica, Johnson was an enormous presence in an elite Evangels backline. Johnson helped spearhead a defense that conceded a program-best 0.9 goals per game on just 8.6 shots per game and 3.8 shots on-goal per game. Johnson was tabbed as the SAC Defensive Player of the Year as well as being named to the All-SAC First Team while logging the second-most minutes on the team with 1963.
In his lone season with the Evangels, Nganga was an impactful presence in the midfield both offensively and defensively. The 5-11 senior from Nairobi, Kenya finished third on the team with seven assists and scored the fourth-most goals with seven while logging 1712 minutes, the fifth-most on the team. After the completion of the regular season, Nganga was tabbed as an All-SAC Second Team honoree as well as named to the NCCAA All-Tournament Team after the completion of the NCCAA National Championships.
Another newcomer that made his presence felt on the MACU backline was Forisch. A 5-10 freshman from Erlangen, Germany, Forisch was one of the Evangels top offensive catalysts on the outside, leading the team with eight assists while scoring three goals, including a pair of game-winning goals against Wayland Baptist and Oklahoma Panhandle State. Forisch logged the third-most minutes on the season with 1853 to earn All-SAC Second Team honors.
In his final season with the Evangels, Sorato notched Second Team honors as one of MACU's unquestioned offensive leaders. The 5-8 forward from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil finished the 2019 campaign with 15 goals, tying his teammate Albuquerque and Raphael Bonnelle for the second-most in a single season while his 36 points were the third-most in program history. In the Evangels' record-setting 24-0 victory against Bacone College on Oct. 8, Sorato tallied a program-record five goals and 11 points in just 37 minutes of action. The senior leader was invaluable for MACU in the NCCAA National Tournament, scoring four goals and a two game-winning goals, including a pair in MACU's 5-0 championship win over Grace. Sorato adds another honor after accumulating All-SAC First Team honors.
Rounding out the honorees is Parker, a 6-0 keeper from Piedmont, Oklahoma. The sophomore put together a historic season in-net, setting three single season MACU records in wins (20), shutouts (13) and goals allowed average (0.9). Parker finished the season with 67 saves for a 0.753 save percentage, the fourth-best clip in program history. After conceding two goals in the first match of pool play at the NCCAA National Championships, Parker spearheaded a defense that did not give up a single goal in the final three matches to come away with the championship win. Parker takes home the additional honor after being selected to the All-SAC First Team.
Mid-America Christian wrapped up a highly successful 2019 season with a 20-3-1 overall record as the best ever finish in SAC play with a 7-1-1 conference mark. On top of winning its first ever NCCAA National Championship, the Evangels won their first regional championship since 2013 with a dominant 6-3 victory over Southwestern Christian on Nov. 22 at Evangel Field.
