OKLAHOMA CITY – Completing one of the most successful seasons in program history, the Mid-America Christian women's soccer team was well represented in the NCCAA All-Central Region with six players being selected while MACU Head Coach Evan Dresel was named the NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year.
Five players received First Team honors, including: Marga Franco, Brooklyn Fink, Kyleigh Gibson, Liz Lozano and Jennifer Starwalt while Bayleigh Fink was selected to the Second Team.
In his 10th season as the Head Coach and his 13th season at MACU, Dresel led the Evangels to a 14-6-1 record, the second-most wins in a single season in program history while making an appearance at the NCCAA National Championships for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
Mid-America Christian defeated Southwestern Christian 4-0 in the NCCAA Central Region Championship game on Nov. 19 at Evangel Field to win its fourth regional championship and receive an automatic bid to nationals. The Evangels had a strong showing at NCCAA National Tournament, defeating Erskine College (S.C.) 4-0 in the first match of pool play on Dec. 3 before falling 2-0 to eventual finalist Ottawa (Ariz.) in their final match on Dec. 4.
In her second season at MACU, Lozano earned First Team honors after leading the team with 14 goals and six assists for 34 points. The Aguascalientes, Mexico native was the top producer on the offensive end, taking a team-high 61 shots while putting 36 on-frame.
Lozano had four multi-goal matches over the course of the season, including a five-point effort with two goals and an assist in a 7-0 win over Bethel College (Kan.) as well as recording a three-assist match at Arizona Christian on Sept. 2. It is Lozano's second honor of the season after being selected to the All-Sooner Athletic Conference Second Team.
In her return from injury, Gibson's first year of action was one for the ages, as the redshirt freshman finished atop the scoresheet with Lozano with 14 goals and five assists for 33 points. The local Moore, Okla. native recorded five game-winning goals over the course of the season, tying the second-most in a single season in MACU history while leading the team in shots on-goal with 37 of her 57 attempts landing on-target.
The outside wing recorded a five-point match in a dramatic win over Central Christian on Oct. 5, scoring the game-winning goal with just minutes remaining to propel MACU to a 4-3 victory. Gibson tallied a pair of goals, including the game-winner in the Evangels' win over Erskine at the NCCAA National Championships. Along with Lozano, Gibson was also an All-SAC Second Team honoree.
On the defensive side of the field, Brooklyn Fink helped lead a resurgent Evangels defense that conceded just 1.38 goals per game on just 10 shots with 5.42 shots on-goal per match. The freshman from Moore logged a team-high 1707 minutes while competing in all 21 matches during the 2019 season. Fink adds yet another honor after being tabbed as the Co-SAC Defensive Player of the Year while being named to the All-SAC First Team.
In her third season as the starting goalkeeper, Starwalt put together one her best seasons yet. The junior keeper from Moore started all 21 matches while giving up just 1.45 goals per game to go with 83 saves on a .741 save percentage. Starwalt tied MACU great Melissa Dobie's single season shutout record with 11 clean sheets on the season in MACU's 4-0 victory over Erskine at the NCCAA National Championships. Starwalt was one of the top goalkeepers in the Sooner Athletic Conference during the 2019 season, garnering All-SAC First Team accolades.
A commanding presence in the backfield, Franco was a First Team honoree after scoring two goals and three assists in 1377 minutes of work, the sixth-most on the team. The defender from Palma de Mallorca, Spain came up with a clutch 70th minute goal against Wayland Baptist on Oct. 1 to force a 1-1 draw. Franco was also an All-SAC Second Team honoree for her contributions in the Evangels backfield.
Joining her sister on the NCCAA All-Central Region list, Bayleigh Fink was a Second Team honoree after notching six goals and an assist in 1545 minutes of work, the fourth-most on the squad. The freshman midfielder from Moore was a strong contributor on both offense and defense for the Evangels. Fink's highlight of the season came with 47 seconds left in double overtime at Oklahoma City on Oct. 22, scoring the golden goal from the left side to propel MACU to a dramatic 3-2 victory.
