OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 6 Mid-America Christian men's soccer team will be heading up to Wichita, Kan. on Saturday to compete in one of its most high-profile matches in program history. The Evangels will take on No. 10 Bellevue (Neb.) for a 7 p.m. kickoff on the stadium field of the Stryker Sports Complex.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 6-0
• Last Match: Won vs. Friends – 5-1 – Sept. 14, 2021 – Oklahoma City, Okla. (Mike & Helen Dill Soccer Field)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Rodrigo Albuquerque – SR – F
    • 6 Goals, 3 Assists, 15 Points, 28 Shots, 17 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Ricardo Ferreira – FR – F
    • 5 Goals, 3 Assists, 13 Points, 11 Shots, 9 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Luan Cesar – SR – M
    • 3 Goals, 6 Points, 14 Shots, 8 SOG
  • Cesar Ramirez – SR – M
    • 5 Assists, 5 Points, 17 Shots, 5 SOG
  • Jeremi Abonnel – FR – GK
    • 6-0 Record, 1.16 GAA, 11 Saves, .611 SV%
• Team Notes:
  • By starting off the season with a 6-0 record, Mid-America Christian is off to its best start in program history. The Evangels achieved the feat after defeating Sterling (Kan.) 5-1 at the Mike & Helen Dill Soccer Field on Tuesday night. The 2021 squad surpassed the previous mark held by the 2017 team that jumped out to a 5-0 record before falling to Houston-Victoria on Sept. 15, 2017.
  • Competing in his 77^th match against the Warriors, senior defender Simon Wieschemann officially broke MACU's career matches played record. Prior to the match, Wieschemann sat in a tie with Caleb Roldan, who played for the Evangels from 2016-19 and capped off his Evangels career with a 5-0 victory over Grace (Ind.) in the 2019 NCCAA Division I National Championship game.
  • MACU features one of the most prolific offensive teams in the country, despite playing the most grueling non-conference schedule the program has ever faced. By averaging 3.83 goals per game, the Evangels rank 14^th in goals per game, while also ranking in the top 10 in: corner kicks (61, 2^nd), assists (26, 3^rd), shots (122, 8^th), total goals scored (23, 9^th) and shots on-goal (64, 10^th).
  • Even though he got off to a slow start to a season, recording just two assists through the first three matches, senior striker Rodrigo Albuquerque has continued his torrid offensive pace through the last three games. Combined in those matchups between No. 16 Georgia Gwinnett, No. 22 Lyon (Ark.) and Sterling (Kan.), the Recife, Brazil product has netted six goals to go with an assist to move his points total to 15 so far on the season. Albuquerque ranks in the top 20 in several offensive categories, including: shots (28, 6^th), game-winning goals (2, 13^th), points (15, 14^th) and goals (6, 18^th).

SCOUTING REPORT
No. 10 Bellevue (Neb.)

• Record: 6-1-1
• Last Match: Won vs. Concordia (Neb.) – 2-1 – Sept. 15, 2021 – Bellevue, Neb.
• Series History: MACU leads 1-0
• Last Match vs. MACU:  MACU won 2-1 – Oct. 3, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Okla. (Mike & Helen Dill Soccer Field)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Toby Millward – SR - M
    • 5 Goals, 4 Assists, 14 Points, 25 Shots, 9 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Oumar Sissoko – JR - F
    • 5 Goals, 2 Assists, 12 Points, 21 Shots, 12 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Antonio Capra – FR - F
    • 4 Goals, 2 Assists, 10 Points, 16 Shots, 7 SOG, 2 GWG
  • A.J. Jarvis – SR - GK
    • 6-1-1 Record, 1.27 GAA, 12 Saves, .545 SV%
• Team Notes:
  • Bellevue will enter tomorrow's match with a 6-1-1 overall record. The Bears bounced back from their first loss of the season, a 4-1 defeat to Morningside (Iowa) on Sept. 8 with a 2-1 overtime win over No. 24 McPherson (Kan.) on Sept. 11 and a 2-1 victory over Concordia (Neb.) on Sept. 15.
  • The Bears are one of the best offensive teams that the Evangels will face this season, ranking top 10 in: shots (183, 1^st), corner kicks (63, 1^st), assists (27, 2^nd), shots on-goal (75, 3^rd), goals (30, 3^rd), shots per game (22.9, 7^th).
  • BU features a balanced attack with four players scoring four or more goals, led by senior midfielder Tony Millward with five goals to go with four assists for 14 points. The Bears have also been getting some strong offensive contributions from Oumar Sissoko, who has also netted five goals to go with a pair of assists for 12 points.
  • Mid-America Christian and Bellevue will be meeting for just the second time in each of their respective histories. The last time they faced each other came last season on Oct. 3 at the Mike & Helen Dill Soccer Field. The Evangels battled back from a 1-0 halftime deficit, getting goals from Pero Mikulic in the 70^th minute before Rodrigo Albuquerque pushed across the game-winner in the 90^th minute in a dramatic 2-1 victory.