OKLAHOMA CITY – Coming off a heartbreaking loss at home to Louisiana State University Shreveport on Wednesday, the 20th-ranked Mid-America Christian men's soccer team will host Bethel College (Kan.) and Randall University (Okla.) this weekend. The Evangels (3-1) will take on the Threshers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday before kicking off against Randall College at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
The Evangels made an inspiring comeback against Pilots from Louisiana State University on Wednesday, battling back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to tie the game with 19 seconds left. On that incredible play, MACU defenseman Simon Wieschemann delivered a long pass from the right side to Dejue Johnson, whose heel kick pass found a streaking Stephen Nganga, splitting defenders and putting the game-tying goal just past the Pilots goalkeeper to send the match into overtime.
Unfortunately for the Evangels, they were called for a yellow card inside the Pilots goal box, setting up Chris Eduardo for the game-winning penalty kick in the 103rd minute.
SCOUTING THE THRESHERS
Bethel College enters the weekend series with a 1-3 record as the Threshers won their first match of the season 4-0 against Mount Marty on Tuesday.
The Threshers attack will be led by senior Chris Torres and freshman Muhamed Jammeh. Torres and Jammeh have each scored a pair of goals for BC this year while Albert Bratthammer will likely start after recording 23 saves on a .719 save percentage in four matches.
HISTORY WITH THE THRESHERS
MACU is 5-0 all-time against Bethel, with the Evangels last win coming on Aug. 25, 2018 in a 3-0 shutout. The Evangels outshot the Threshers 16-3 in the matchup as Rai Ramus scored a pair of goals while Simon Van Rheeden chipped in a score as well.
SCOUTING THE SAINTS
Randall makes its way into this weekend's matchup with a 4-2 record and are coming off a dominant 15-0 victory over Arlington Baptist on Tuesday.
Jared Day will lead the RU attack with a team-high five goals, scoring four of those in the win over Arlington Baptist. Pedro Giordani will be the likely starter in goal, recording 21 saves on a .724 save percentage on the season.
HISTORY WITH THE SAINTS
It's been a while since the Evangels and Saints crossed paths as the last time the neighboring universities met was during the 2007 campaign. Even though RU holds the 4-2 edge in the all-time series, the Evangels will hope to replicate the success of their last matchup as MACU won a high scoring 7-1 affair at Evangel Field.
RISING IN THE RANKS
In the first official NAIA Top 25 rankings released on Wednesday, Mid-America Christian climbed into the top 25 with the No. 20 spot after starting off the year receiving votes in the pre-season poll. The Evangels have been a steady presence in the NAIA Top 25 lately as MACU ended the 2018 season ranked 17th in the poll.
GANGING UP ON NGANGA
The Evangels' opponents will be likely trying to find a way to slow down the play of Nganga as of late. The senior midfielder currently owns the team-lead with three goals scored this season with all three coming in the last two matches. The University of the Southwest (N.M.) transfer has taken advantage of his limited opportunities, scoring on all three of his shots on-goal this season.
