BETHANY, Okla. – Despite not getting the opportunity to play its final home game of 2020 at Evangel Field on Friday, the Mid-America Christian men's soccer team was still able to bounce back from its first loss of the season.

Facing Oklahoma Panhandle State at the Wes Harmon Field on the campus of Southern Nazarene, the Evangels were able to take advantage of some early opportunities before securing a 3-0 win.
 

SCORING SUMMARY

• 1^st Half
  • MACU – 12:43 – Goal: Rodrigo Albuquerque (7) – MACU 1, OPSU 0
  • MACU – 21:59 – Goal: Endri Copa (2), Assists: Rodrigo Albuquerque, Bruno Sperandio – MACU 2, OPSU 0
• 2^nd Half
  • MACU – 60:52 – Goal: Rodrigo Albuquerque (8), Assist: Pero Mikulic – MACU 3, OPSU 0

 

MATCH SUMMARY

• Mid-America Christian (5-1) was able to take advantage of the first great scoring opportunity of the match. With 32:17 remaining, Pero Mikulic launched a shot from the right side of the box, but OPSU goalkeeper Christhofer Monje made a phenomenal diving save. However, Rodrigo Albuquerque was in the right place at the right time as the ball caromed to him on the left side and punched in the open two-yard shot inside the left post to give MACU the 1-nil lead.
• Ten minutes later, the Evangels added to it as Bruno Sperandio found Albuquerque breaking down the left sideline as he pushed a pass ahead to Endri Copa on the left side of the box. Copa was able to beat the keeper to the ball, putting in the open 15-yarder inside the right post to bring the score to 2-0.
• MACU had a chance to extend the lead to three just before the break, but Albuquerque's attempt with just over 10 minutes to go ricochet of the right post, sending the Evangels into the half with the two-goal edge.
• Albuquerque found the back of the net on his first opportunity in the second half when Mikulic won a ball back from the defender and dished to the Recife, Brazil product streaking down the left side. On the breakaway, Albuquerque slipped the shot past the keeper to the right post to make it a 3-0 game in the 61^st minute.
• The Evangels had the chance to add to it 10 minutes later when Mikulic broke away down the right side, but his shot pinged off the right post, keeping it to a three-goal lead.

 

MATCH NOTABLES

• Mid-America Christian outshot OPSU by a 17-7 margin, placing nine shots on-goal while limiting the Aggies to only two on-target shots.
• The Evangels pitched their fourth shutout in sixth matches this season, as goalkeeper Juan Cediel made a pair of crucial saves in the match.
• Rodrigo Albuquerque tallied his third five-plus point performance of the season with a pair of goals and an assist, increasing his team-lead to eight goals and five assists so far this year.
• Mid-America Christian has performed well when coming off a loss, going 11-3-1 in such matches since the 2017 season. The Evangels also improved to 7-0 in neutral site matches the past two seasons.

 

NEXT UP

• Mid-America Christian will close out the 2020 portion of its schedule on the road as the Evangels will head to Waxahachie, Texas on Friday, Nov. 13 for a 2 p.m. matchup against Southwestern Assemblies of God.