OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 3 Mid-America Christian men's soccer team will be looking to head into the second half of Sooner Athletic Conference play on a high note as the Evangels host Texas Wesleyan for a 7:30 p.m. match at the Mike & Helen Dill Soccer Field on Saturday.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 12-0 (4-0 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. (RV) Science & Arts – 2-1 – Oct. 9, 2021 – Oklahoma City, Okla. (Mike & Helen Dill Soccer Field)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Rodrigo Albuquerque – SR – F
    • 9 Goals, 6 Assists, 24 Points, 50 Shots, 29 SOG, 3 GWG
  • Ricardo Ferreira – FR – F
    • 5 Goals, 4 Assists, 14 Points, 23 Shots, 14 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Cesar Ramirez – SR – M
    • 2 Goals, 8 Assists, 12 Points, 33 Shots, 13 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Jeremi Abonnel – FR – GK
    • 12-0 Record, 1.08 GAA, 27 Saves, .675 SV%, 1 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • Despite needing to overcome some obstacles last week, Mid-America Christian came away with two crucial Sooner Athletic Conference wins against No. 25 Southwestern Christian 1-0 on Oct. 5 and a 2-1 victory against (RV) Science & Arts last Saturday.
  • With Adrian Heinle heading in the game-winning goal against the Drovers, Mid-America Christian has had eight different players score game-winners during the 2021 campaign. Last season, the Evangels had just five players net a game-winner, led by Rodrigo Albuquerque who pushed across 10 a season ago.
  • By scoring the game-winner against the Eagles and putting together two outstanding defensive efforts, Fabian Forisch was awarded the Sooner Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor. The Evangels defensively have claimed four of the first eight SAC Defensive Player of the Week awards as Dejue Johnson has earned the honor twice this season alongside Emanuele Grumo.
  • Mid-America Christian is on the cusp of recording its fifth straight 13-win season. Last season, the Evangels finished the year with a record of 15-4-3 following a 20-3-1 season and the program's first NCCAA National Championship in 2019. MACU went 13-6-1 in 2018, winning the program's first ever SAC Tournament and advancing to its first ever NAIA Tournament following the program finishing with a 13-7-1 mark following the 2017 campaign.

SCOUTING REPORT
Texas Wesleyan

• Record: 6-3-2 (1-1-1 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. John Brown – 2-1 – Oct. 9, 2021 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Series vs. MACU: MACU leads 6-3-1
• Last Match vs. MACU: MACU won 4-0 – Feb. 27, 2021 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Stat Leaders:
  • Mateja Jovanovic – FR – F
    • 6 Goals, 3 Assists, 15 Points, 22 Shots, 13 SOG
  • Mathis Guffroy – FR – M
    • 5 Goals, 2 Assists, 12 Points, 32 Shots, 11 SOG
  • Augustas Aldonis – FR – M
    • 4 Goals, 4 Assists, 12 Points, 12 Shots, 5 SOG
  • Hugh Elliot – FR – GK
    • 3-2-1 Record, 1.67 GAA, 20 Saves, .645 SV%
• Team Notes:
  • Texas Wesleyan is coming off a thrilling overtime win against John Brown at home on Oct. 9. In that match, Mateja Jovanovic scored the game-tying goal in the 66^th minute, ultimately forcing the two teams to go to overtime. During the second overtime period, the Golden Eagles were called for a foul in the box, setting up Mario Herrera to boot in the game-winning golden goal with 3:36 remaining to secure the Rams' first win in conference play.
  • The Rams have been getting stellar play out of several freshmen in their lineup with the three top scorers on the team leading the TWU offense. Overall, the Rams have been balanced in their attack with eight different players scoring three or more goals on the season.
  • Texas Wesleyan has been a prolific scoring team overall this season, ranking 12^th in the NAIA in goals per game at 3.73, which is the third-highest rate amongst teams in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
  • Mid-America Christian has fared well against the Rams in the all-time series, winning six of the previous 10 meetings, which includes the last five matches since the 2017 campaign. When the two teams met this spring in Fort Worth on Feb. 27, the Evangels cruised to a 4-0 victory. Their previous meeting at the Mike & Helen Dill Soccer Field was much more suspenseful as Rodrigo Albuquerque fired in the golden goal in the 102^nd minute to come away with a 3-2 victory in the SAC Quarterfinal on Nov. 8, 2019.