OKLAHOMA CITY – In his first season at the helm of the Mid-America Christian University men's soccer program, head coach Mitchell Sowerby will look to replicate the success of last season as the Evangels won their first ever Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament title.
The Evangels won the SAC Championship after defeating the University of Science and Arts 5-4 in penalty kicks after closing out regulation in a 1-1 draw.
MACU closed out the 2018 campaign with its second consecutive season of 13 wins, advancing to the NAIA Quarterfinals following a 2-1 win over Kansas Wesleyan in the opening round before falling 2-0 to Central Methodist (Mo.).
The Evangels wrapped up their season with a 13-6-1 record, marking the best winning percentage in a single season in the history of the program.
Sowerby will be taking the reins after a successful three-year stint at the NCAA Division II program Rogers State, leading the team to a 26-21-8 record, which included a 10-6-3 mark and a second place finish in the Heartland Conference north division during the 2017 campaign.
Mid-America Christian has high expectations heading into the 2019 season after being picked to finish second in the SAC with 67 votes and three first-place votes. The Evangels are also getting some national recognition as they sit just outside the top 25 in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll after receiving 74 votes.
After leading a balanced Evangels attack last season, senior forward Rai Ramus will look to pick up where he left off. The London, England product scored eight goals and recorded a team-high seven assists, earning SAC Newcomer of the Year accolades during the 2018 campaign.
MACU is also returning some strong talent on the defensive side, including one of the top goalkeepers in the conference in Liam Ward. The junior from Guilford, England finished last year with an 8-5 record in net, giving up just a 1.38 goals allowed average while tallying 31 saves to garner All-SAC Second Team accolades.
Supporting Ward in the defensive backfield will be All-SAC Second Team defender Simon Wieschemann. The German defenseman logged a team-high 1682 minutes for the Evangels last season, 250 more minutes than any other member of the squad.
Despite bringing in 11 new players to join the team in 2019, the Evangels will have a wellspring of veteran leadership to rely on with 12 seniors leading the way.
MACU enters regular season play after a strong start to the year in exhibition action, picking up a 5-1 win at Northeastern State, the nationally 22nd-ranked team in NCAA Division II back on Aug. 23.
Mid-America Christian will open the regular season on the road tonight in Mesa, Ariz. against Benedictine University at Mesa. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. (CST) start and will be followed by the MACU women taking on the Redhawks at 9:30 p.m. (CST).
