OKLAHOMA CITY – After a lengthy break since its season-opening win at Bacone, the Mid-America Christian women's soccer team is ready to challenge Texas A&M-Texarkana in its home opener on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Evangel Field.
LAST TIME OUT
Mid-America Christian (1-0) opened the split 2020-21 campaign with a dominant 12-0 victory at Bacone (Okla.) on Saturday, Sept. 5. The 12 goals the Evangels scored in the contest tied the third-most the program has ever scored during the NAIA era, equalizing the 12-1 score MACU put up against the Warriors back on Oct. 10, 2017.
Senior midfielder Liz Lozano picked up right where she left off a season ago. After leading the team in goals and points during the 2019 campaign, the Aguascalientes, Mexico product became just the sixth player in the NAIA era to score four or more goals in a game while her added assist gave her nine points, which ranks as the third-highest single match point total in program history.
While Lozano provided the experience in the attack, MACU also had a newcomer that made an immediate impact in Joanne Nakirya. The 5-3 junior forward that transferred in from NCAA Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State made history in her first match with MACU, as she also scored four goals to become the seventh different MACU player to score at least four goals in a contest. Impressively, the Kampala, Uganda product scored all four of her goals during a 17-minute stretch in the second half.
Even though she needed to make just three saves in the contest, senior goalkeeper Jennifer Starwalt pitched in her 19th career shutout and 29th win, currently sitting only five wins and five shutouts behind former NCCAA All-American Melissa Dobie for the program's all-time records.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
One of the top teams from the Red River Athletic Conference a season ago, Texas A&M-Texarkana will be entering its first match of 2020. Last year, the Eagles finished the campaign with a 12-6-1 record and placed third in the RRAC standings with a 6-3 league mark.
TAMUT returns its top goal scorer in sophomore forward Dulce Memije, who pushed across 12 goals and dished out three assists for 27 points while being selected to the All-RRAC Honorable Mention list.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Evangels will face a steep challenge by going up against the 2019 All-RRAC First Team goalkeeper in senior Tinotenda Charuma. During the 2019 season, Charuma went 10-6-1 and pitched six shutouts, allowing only .08 goals per game and saved a blistering .870 of the shots opponents placed on-target.
HISTORY WITH THE EAGLES
The two teams will be playing each other for the first time in their respective histories.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
While finishing with a winning record in seven of the last 10 seasons, Mid-America Christian will look to continue to perform at a high level at home. Last season, MACU posted one of its best ever winning percentages at Evangel Field, going 8-2 (.800), a mark that sits only behind the 2010 season (10-1, .909) and the 2011 campaign (6-1, .857) for the best records ever posted in the facility. During the last decade, the Evangels went 65-25 (.765) at Evangel Field and have finished .500 or better in each season during that time frame.
FRESH FACES
Two players that could play an important role in Saturday's contest are a pair of freshmen in Samantha Rodriguez and Josie Wiley. The pair of midfielders came off the bench for MACU in their win over Bacone and each recorded their first career goals and assists in the contest. Wiley, a Carl Albert High School graduate scored her goal in the 36th minute against the Warriors to extend MACU's lead to 3-0 at the time. She picked up her first assist on the final goal of the contest, as Rodriguez, a Westmoore High School grad turned in her first goal with the Evangels on the play.
MACU STAT LEADERS
· Goals: Liz Lozano, Joanne Nakirya (4)
· Assists: Veronica Lopez Cordero, Liz Lozano, Ana Luiza Abras Rodrigues, Samantha Rodriguez, Josie Wiley (1)
· Points: Liz Lozano (9)
· Saves: Jennifer Starwalt (3)
