OKLAHOMA CITY – After closing out 2020 with a 3-0 shutout win at Southwestern Assemblies of God last week, the Mid-America Christian women's soccer team swept the Sooner Athletic Conference weekly awards on Monday with redshirt sophomore forward Kyleigh Gibson garnering the SAC Offensive Player of the Week while senior goalkeeper Jennifer Starwalt being selected as the SAC Defensive Player of the Week.
A 5-5 forward out of Moore, Oklahoma, Gibson earned her second SAC offensive honor of the season and the third of her career after pushing across the game-winning goal in the 33rd minute when she was able to collect a loose ball that deflected off a defender off a Johanna Behrens corner kick and rifled a shot from eight yards out into the top left corner of the net.
It was Gibson's 21st goal and the seventh game-winning goal of her career, moving her into a tie for sixth with Cici Mitchell for the most game-winning goals in program history.
Senior goalkeeper Jennifer Starwalt also saved her best performance of the 2020 season for last, as the Moore, Oklahoma native finished with a season-high five saves, including making a sensational diving save off a free kick with just over five minutes left to seal the shutout win and hand Southwestern Assemblies of God (3-1) its first loss of the season.
Starwalt made her 60th start as a goalkeeper at Mid-America Christian to surpass Kaitlyn Whitten for the most career goalkeeper starts in program history. Starwalt also earned her 33rd career win to sit just one back of Melissa Dobie for the team record while her 21 career shutouts are just three back of the two-time NCCAA All-American.
It was the first time Starwalt was selected for the SAC defensive honor and the fourth time in her four-year Evangels career.
Mid-America Christian will return to action on Friday, Feb. 12 as the Evangels will host Houston-Victoria in the program's first ever home night game. Kickoff will be slated for 5 p.m. at Evangel Field.
