OKLAHOMA CITY – Despite playing shorthanded for nearly 45 minutes, senior defender Dejue Johnson was able to help lead the Mid-America Christian men's soccer team to a 1-0 overtime victory at Southwestern Assemblies of God on Friday to garner the Sooner Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week award.
A 5-11 defender from Linstead, Jamaica, the 2019 SAC Defensive Player of the Year played all 94 minutes of the overtime win and led a defensive backline that allowed only four shots and one shot on-goal, even though MACU as a team had to only play with 10 men for the final 40 minutes of regulation and the first four minute of overtime after Mandela Singh-Sharpe was issued a red card in the 50th minute.
Johnson made one of the biggest plays of the match in forcing an off-target shot in the 74th minute. After some miscommunication in the defensive backline caused Juan Cediel to get pulled out of goal, SAGU's Jadhel Hill had an open look at 17-yard shot from the right side of the box. Johnson was able to rotate over to put his body in-front of the shot, pressuring the SAGU forward into firing his shot just left of the goal.
The Evangels were able to thwart the Lions from taking another shot the rest of the way before Rodrigo Albuquerque was able to net the game-winner in the 94th minute of overtime.
The four shots allowed was the second-fewest MACU had allowed an opponent to take all season while it was the third time this season the Evangels allowed just one shot on-goal.
MACU wrapped up the fall portion of the season with a 6-1 record while dropping SAGU to a 1-2-1 record heading into the spring.
Mid-America Christian will return to play on Friday, Feb. 12 for the program's first ever game under the lights at Evangel Field. The Evangels will host Houston-Victoria for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff in its return to play.
