OKLAHOMA CITY – The Sooner Athletic Conference unveiled its 2022 All-Conference Team on Friday as the Evangels coming off a third-place finish in the SAC standings placed six standouts on the esteemed list.
Sophomore midfielder Francesca Martella was named the league's Newcomer of the Year and earned Second Team accolades while freshman defender Cammy Hargrove was the lone Evangel to garner First Team accolades. Joining Martella on the Second Team squad was sophomore forward Annika Gerdau, freshman forward Kealy Juarez, sophomore midfielder Jasmine Morales and senior defender Daniela Paez.
Martella garnered the Newcomer honors after leading the team with three goals and four assists for 10 total points. The Bergamo, Italy product also netted a pair of game-winners with each coming in clutch. Her first winner of the season found the back of the net from distance in the 26th minute to propel MACU to a 2-1 road victory at Southwestern Assemblies of God on Oct. 4 while her second of the season was another long-range bomb in the 80th minute of a 1-0 victory over Southwestern Christian in MACU's home finale on Oct. 25.
Serving as the team's starting center-back, Hargrove was a key piece of an Evangels defense that allowed just 1.61 goals per game and was even better in conference play, allowing the third-fewest goals in the league at 1.00 per contest. The Oklahoma City product also led the team in minutes per match at 88.4 and also netted a pair of goals to go with an assist in her first campaign with MACU.
Another newcomer that made a huge splash, Gerdau finished alongside Martella in the team's statistical categories, also netting a trio of goals and dishing out four assists for 10 points. The Stelle, Germany product netted a pair of crucial game-winners, including 41st minute score that propelled MACU to a 2-1 victory at Texas Wesleyan on Oct. 8 while scoring the winner and dished out an assist in a 2-0 win at Oklahoma Panhandle State in the regular season finale.
Another freshman that made her mark over the last half of the season, Juarez netted a trio of goals in SAC play. The Amarillo, Texas native scored her first goal of the season and dished out an assist in a 5-0 win over Central Christian on Oct. 1. Juarez scored the opening goal in a 2-1 win at Texas Wesleyan on Oct. 8 as well as the go-ahead score in the first half in a 3-1 loss at home to No. 24 John Brown (Ark.) on Oct. 18 before suffering a season-ending injury late in the season against Oklahoma City on Oct. 22.
In her second season with the Evangels, Morales once again made some strong offensive contributions to the team by netting a pair of goals and two assists. The local Oklahoma City standout recorded a three-point performance with a goal and an assist in the win over Central Christian while scoring her second goal of the season in a 2-0 win at Oklahoma Panhandle State.
Rounding out the honorees, Paez provided some stout defense and strong ball movement for the Evangels on the left wing. The Bogota, Columbia native finished the season with a pair of assists, the first coming in a 3-1 win against the University of the Southwest on Sept. 5 and the other dime coming in the victory at Texas Wesleyan. Paez was a staple in the MACU lineup, playing a team-leading 1544 minutes.
Mid-America Christian wrapped up the season with a 6-10 record after suffering a 1-0 SAC Quarterfinal loss to Wayland Baptist. However, the Evangels put together a strong showing in conference play by going 5-2-2 in league play to finish tied for third in the SAC standings.
