OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian women's soccer team played its finest match of the season, scoring a season-high seven goals to defeat Bethel College (Kan.) 7-0 on Friday afternoon at Evangel Field.
The dominant Evangels defense limited Bethel (3-2) to just four shot and only one shot on-goal while firing away a season-best 20 shots with 15 being on-target in their first home win of the 2019 season.
Junior midfielder Liz Lozano and freshman midfielder Bayleigh Fink led Mid-America Christian (3-2) with two goals apiece, freshman forward Kyleigh Gibson extended her team scoring lead with a goal and both Nadia Santillian and Kirsty Ashworth each scored their first goals of the 2019 season.
Lozano starting the scoring spree for MACU in the 14th minute when the skilled midfielder beat the Threshers with a strong individual effort on the dribble in the right side of the goal box and fired a shot to the top left corner of the goal to make it a 1-nil game.
The Aguascalientes, Mexico product didn't take long to get her second goal of the match as her 24th minute score came about when a MACU free kick bounced around between several Bethel defenders, but failed to clear it before Lozano was able to put a foot on the ball and fire it into the back of the Threshers goal to extend the edge to two.
Bayleigh Fink's first career collegiate goal will be a memorable one for the freshman standout as her sister Brooklyn Fink launched a throw-in to the middle of the field that bounced twice over the Threshers defenders and finding her sister open, stretching the Evangels lead to 3-0 in the 26th minute.
MACU added one more for good measure in the first half when Kirsty Ashworth made a phenomenal effort from well outside the goal box and fired a shot from the left side that found the top corner, making it a 4-nil Evangels advantage heading into the halftime break.
In the 51st minute, Fink added her second goal of the match when her first shot was saved by the Bethel keeper, but she was able to track down the loose ball and fire it back into the net to make it a five-goal lead.
After missing on some early chances, MACU's top striker Kyleigh Gibson was finally able to cash in at the 17:13 mark of the second half when she beat the defenders from the middle to the right side and place a shot to the top left corner.
Nadia Santillian was able to put the icing on the cake in the 78th minute when Sylvie Willie streaked down the right side and found the freshman midfielder open on a cross to the middle, launching a shot that zoomed into the top portion of the net for the final goal of the match.
The seven-goal outburst was the most goals scored by the Evangels in a game since they played Bacone College back on Oct. 10, 2017 as MACU pulled away with a 12-0 victory in that match.
Mid-America Christian will return to the field tomorrow as the Evangels host cross-town foe Randall University for the first time ever at 1 p.m.