OKLAHOMA CITY – Evan Dresel, a longtime staple of the Mid-America Christian soccer programs has officially resigned from his position as the head women's soccer coach.
After successfully coaching the MACU women's soccer team to two of its winningest seasons in program history, Dresel has accepted the head women's soccer coaching position at Oklahoma Christian University for the 2021 campaign.
"Working alongside Evan has been an honor and a joy," said MACU Athletic Director Marcus Moeller. "I'll always appreciate his intense loyalty and tireless commitment to MACU. I'm thankful Evan committed so much energy and personal investment over the years into growing our soccer programs. At every turn he has fought fairly for the welfare of our student-athletes and the growth of the programs. I will always respect this about him. I look forward to rooting for Oklahoma Christian and I commend their administration on a terrific hire."
Dresel has been a part of the MACU family since 2008, first serving as an assistant coach for the men's and women's soccer programs before being elevated to the co-head coach role for both programs alongside Zach Bice in 2010. In 2019, Dresel moved into the head coaching role of the women's soccer team after Bice accepted the Athletic Director position at Westmoore High School.
"Leaving MACU is such a bittersweet feeling," said Dresel. "MACU will always hold a special place in my heart. To all of my former players, current players and MACU as a whole, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for changing my life and making me a better person and coach. I want to thank Coach Willie Holley and Coach Zach Bice for taking such a huge chance on me when I was just starting out and being perfect role models for me to learn from. I also want to thank current Athletic Director Marcus Moeller, for not only being a great friend, but an exemplary leader of MACU Athletics since taking the position. I will forever be MACU Proud!"
In his 11 seasons with the women's program, the Evangels have amassed a 127-84-5 (.600) overall record, including a 56-43-4 (.563) mark in Sooner Athletic Conference play. In that time, MACU was won four NCCAA Central Region Championships (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019).
The Evangels are coming off their winningest season since joining the NAIA in 2008, finishing the split 2020-21 campaign with a 15-3 (.833) overall record and placed second in the SAC with an 8-1 (.889) league mark. As a result, Dresel garnered both the Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year as well as the NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year honors.
Mid-America Christian won its fourth NCCAA Central Region Championship under Dresel in 2019, defeating Southwestern Christian 4-0 at Evangel Field on Nov. 19 before closing out a highly successful campaign at nationals with a 14-6-1 (.690) overall record while also going 6-2-1 (.722) against SAC competition.
Dresel was also a key figure in the rise of the MACU men's soccer program in the last decade. Dresel helped lead MACU to its first ever Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament championship in 2018 when the Evangels defeated Science & Arts 5-4 in a postgame shootout after playing to a 1-1 draw at McLaughlin Field in Chickasha, Okla. on Nov. 9.
MACU received an automatic berth to its first ever NAIA National Championships, where it defeated Kansas Wesleyan 2-1 in the Opening Round on Nov. 17 to advance to the final site before falling 2-0 to eventual NAIA National Champion Central Methodist (Mo.) on Nov. 27, 2019.
In the nine seasons that Dresel served as the co-head coach alongside Bice, the MACU men's soccer program amassed a 70-86-15 (.453) overall record, including going 26-52-7 (.347) in SAC play. Dresel guided the Evangels to a pair of NCCAA Central Region Championships during his tenure, which included getting a 2-1 win over Southwestern Christian on Nov. 23, 2013 while topping the Eagles again 4-3 in a postgame shootout on Nov. 17, 2017.
A national search for a new head women's soccer coach will begin immediately.
