OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian women's soccer team is preparing to close out the 2020 portion of its home schedule in a non-conference matchup against Oklahoma Panhandle State. However, due to field conditions at Evangel Field, the game will be played at Wes Harmon Field at the Wanda Rhodes Soccer Complex on the campus of Southern Nazarene University. The match is slated for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.

Note: No spectators will be permitted to enter the complex.
 

LAST TIME OUT
Mid-America Christian (4-1) will be looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season as the Evangels dropped a challenging home match against one of the top teams in the NAIA in Science & Arts (4-1) by a score of 3-2 at Evangel Field on Oct. 23.

Sophomore defender Brooklyn Fink scored a first half equalizer to lock the game up at 1-1 and Kyleigh Gibson scored a late second half goal to cut the deficit to 3-2, but the Evangels couldn't muster an opportunity to tie in the final minute.
 

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
Oklahoma Panhandle State will enter the contest with a 1-4 record. After picking a 3-0 win over Manhattan Christian (Kan.), the Aggies have lost four straight, including a pair of matches by just one goal. In their last match, OPSU lost hard-fought 2-1 battle at Southwestern Assemblies of God on Oct. 23.

The Aggies have struggled in the attack, scoring only seven goals through their first five matches. Brooklyn Yawson leads the OPSU in the attack with a team-high three goals. Panhandle has recorded just two assists as a team with Regan Ake and Ariana Ramirez tallying a dime each.

In-goal, Mya Szymanski has played every match in-goal, allowing a 2.4 goals against average and has made 19 saves on a .613 save percentage.
 

HISTORY WITH THE AGGIES
The two teams faced each other last season on Oct. 26, 2019 during Oklahoma Panhandle State's inaugural campaign. Due to flooding affecting Evangel Field, the game was played at Community Christian School in Norman, Oklahoma, where the Evangels dominated in a 15-0 victory.

The 15 goals scored by MACU set a program NAIA era (2008-present) record, while Sylvie Willie's five goals tied Kaci Power's single match scoring record and Ariadna Ramirez matched the third-best record with four goals scored. As a team, the Evangels also notched the single match points record (39) while tallying the second-most assists (9) and put the fourth-most shots on-goal (27).


BOUNCING BACK
Mid-America Christian will be looking to get back on the winning track after falling to a very talented Science & Arts team two weeks ago. Despite missing one of the top scorers in the NAIA in Liz Lozano, the Evangels competed well with the Drovers, as it was the first time the Evangels kept it to a one-score game against the national powerhouse since the 2016 season and they did so a player down in the final 10 minutes due to a red card being issued. MACU has performed well coming off a loss, as the team went 3-1-1 when coming off a loss during the 2019 campaign.
 
OFFENSIVE RESURGENCE
Despite being held to a season-low two goals against the Drovers, the Evangels are still the top scoring team in the NAIA, averaging eight goals and six assists per game. MACU also ranks second in the nation in shots per game (29.4) and shots on-goal (16.6), despite being held to only six shots, three of which on goal against USAO. A matchup against the Aggies might be just what the doctor ordered for MACU as OPSU is allowing 2.4 goals per game, including an even 3.0 goals per game in the last four matches. Mid-America Christian is the highest powered offense the Aggies have seen all season.
 
STAT LEADERS

• Goals: Liz Lozano (11), Kyleigh Gibson (6), Joanne Nakirya (6)
• Assists: Liz Lozano (4), Kyleigh Gibson (4), Paola Camacho (4), Marga Franco (4)
• Points: Liz Lozano (26), Kyleigh Gibson (16), Joanne Nakirya (14)
• Shots: Joanne Nakirya (29), Liz Lozano (19), Veronica Lopez Cordero (15)
• Shots On-Goal: Joanne Nakirya (16), Liz Lozano (15), Veronica Lopez Cordero (8)
• Goalie Wins: Jennifer Starwalt (4)
• Saves: Jennifer Starwalt (11)
• Shutouts: Jennifer Starwalt (3)