OKLAHOMA CITY – The newly christened No. 1 MACU men's soccer team will look to defend its top-ranking on the road on Saturday as the Evangels travel to Fort Worth, Texas to challenge Texas Wesleyan. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Martin Field.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 10-1 (3-0 SAC)
• Last Match: Won at SW Assemblies of God (Texas) – 5-0 – Oct. 4, 2022 – Waxahachie, Texas
• Top Performers:
  • Rodrigo Albuquerque – GR – F
    • 9 Goals, 3 Assists, 21 Points, 37 Shots, 18 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Ricardo Ferreira – SO – F
    • 6 Goals, 2 Assists, 14 Points, 23 Shots, 13 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Jack Price – SR – M
    • 2 Goals, 4 Assists, 8 Points, 16 Shots, 8 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Cesar Ramirez – SR – M
    • 3 Goals, 2 Assists, 8 Points, 26 Shots, 14 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Jeremi Abonnel – SO – GK
    • 10-1 W-L, 0.10 GAA, 23 Saves, .958 SV%, 9 SHO, 1 CBO
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is coming off a dominant 5-0 shutout at Southwestern Assemblies of God. The Evangels in the match outshot the Lions 23-1 with a 14-0 margin in shots on-goal.
  • Graduate student forward Rodrigo Albuquerque, the program's all-time leading goal scorer recorded his first career hat trick with the Evangels, netting three goals on four shots, including the game-winning goal in the 21^st minute.
  • Ricardo Ferreira also added to his second-best team scoring production with a goal and an assist for three points, boosting his goal total to six and his point total to 14 on the season.
  • For the first time this season, the Evangels recorded their first combined shutout of the season as Jeremi Abonnel and Sven van den Oever each pitched a clean 45-minute half.
  • Earlier this week, Mid-America Christian was moved up to No. 1 in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll. It is the first time the program has ever been the top-ranked team in the NAIA and the Evangels are just the second SAC program to ever be named the NAIA's top team.

SCOUTING REPORT
Texas Wesleyan

• Record: 7-3 (1-2 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. Science & Arts (Okla.) – 4-1 – Fort Worth, Texas
• Series vs. MACU (2007-): MACU leads 7-3-1
• Last Match vs. MACU: MACU won 3-2 – Oct. 16, 2021 – Dill Soccer Field
• Players to Watch:
  • Mario Herrera – SR – M
    • 4 Goals, 3 Assists, 11 Points, 13 Shots, 7 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Oscar Odriozola – FR – F
    • 5 Goals, 10 Points, 29 Shots, 15 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Levin Brunner – FR – M
    • 3 Goals, 1 Assist, 7 Points, 16 Shots, 11 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Jim Van Dijk – FR – GK
    • 6-1 W-L, 1.01 GAA, 25 Saves, .806 SV%, 1 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • After being shutout in back-to-back matches last week to start Sooner Athletic Conference play, Texas Wesleyan's offense came alive in a 4-1 home victory over Science & Arts on Tuesday.
  • The Rams feature a strong defense that is allowing the fourth-lowest goals allowed average in the SAC at 1.11, but rank only seventh in the league in goal-scoring average at 2.10.
  • The Rams feature a balanced offensive attack with five different players scoring seven or more points, led by Mario Herrera with four goals and three assists for 11 points.
  • MACU has will be seeking to stretch its series win streak to seven over the Rams. Mid-America Christian has won every matchup between the two squads since the 2017 season. In last season's meeting on Oct. 16, 2021 at the Dill Soccer Field, the Evangels netted three goals within a 10-minute stretch as Cesar Ramirez booted in the game-winner at the 57:25 mark for a 3-2 victory.