OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 2 Mid-America Christian men's soccer team will be looking to keep the ball rolling in Sooner Athletic Conference play after coming off a win over Wayland Baptist on Tuesday as the Evangels will take on Central Christian for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at the Dill Soccer Field on Saturday.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 8-1 (1-0 SAC)
• Last Match: Won vs. Wayland Baptist (Texas) – 3-0 – Sept. 27, 2022 – Dill Soccer Field
• Top Performers:
  • Rodrigo Albuquerque – GR – F
    • 5 Goals, 3 Assists, 13 Points, 30 Shots, 13 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Ricardo Ferreira – SO – F
    • 4 Goals, 1 Assist, 9 Points, 17 Shots, 9 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Jack Price – SR – F
    • 2 Goals, 4 Assists, 8 Points, 11 Shots, 5 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Jeremi Abonnel – SO – GK
    • 8-1 W-L, 0.11 GAA, 23 Saves, .958 SV%, 8 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian pitched its fifth consecutive shutout in the win over Wayland Baptist while netting three second half goals after being shutout in the first half for the second consecutive match.
  • With the game-winner in the 52^nd minute, Cesar Ramirez became the fifth player in the NAIA Era (2007-present) to net at least five game-winning goals, matching Allan Sorato and Simon Van Rheeden for the third-most in the same time frame.
  • With an 89^th minute score, freshman midfielder Diego Real became the 10^th different MACU player to net a goal in the 2022 season.
  • Sophomore goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel has put up a banner year in the net, ranking in the top 10 of NAIA goalkeepers in several statistical categories, including: shutouts (8, 2^nd), wins (8, 3^rd) and save percentage (.958, 7^th).

SCOUTING REPORT
Central Christian (Kan.)

• Record: 5-1-3 (0-0-1 SAC)
• Last Match: Tied vs. Southwestern Christian (Okla.) – 0-0 – Sept. 28, 2022 – McPherson, Kan.
• Series vs. MACU (2006-): MACU leads 8-1-1
• Last Match vs. MACU: MACU won 3-0 – Nov. 5, 2021 – Dill Soccer Field (SAC Quarterfinal)
• Players to Watch:
  • Johnny Rodriguez – SO – F
    • 6 Goals, 4 Assists, 16 Points, 23 Shots, 16 SOG
  • Drew Schrader – JR – F
    • 5 Goals, 5 Assists, 15 Points, 30 Shots, 17 SOG
  • Mattia Cola – FR – F
    • 5 Goals, 4 Assists, 14 Points, 20 Shots, 8 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Sebastien Herrera – SR – GK
    • 5-1-3 W-L, 0.59 GAA, 18 Saves, .783 SV%, 4 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • Central Christian enters Saturday's match with a 5-1-3 overall record with the team's lone loss coming in a 1-0 decision to Randall (Okla.) on Sept. 21. In the Tigers' Sooner Athletic Conference opener, CCCK and Southwestern Christian battled to a scoreless draw. In the match, Central outshot Southwestern 13-9 but both teams struggled to place shots on-target with the Eagles holding a 3-2 edge.
  • The Tigers have a balanced front with four players scoring 14 or more points, led by sophomore forward Johnny Rodriguez with six goals while Drew Schrader and Mattia Cola have each netted five.
  • The matchup features the two teams that have conceded the fewest goals per game in the SAC this season. Mid-America Christian (0.11) and Central Christian (0.59) are the only teams in the SAC that are averaging fewer than a goal allowed per game.
  • Since the two teams faced each other in 2006, Mid-America Christian has dominated the series. After the Tigers won the first meeting, the Evangels have won eight of the last nine with the lone tie resulting in MACU winning the SAC Tournament title in 2020-21 in a postgame shootout.
  • In last season's matchups, the Evangels held on for a 3-2 win in McPherson on Oct. 2 before topping the Tigers again in the Sooner Athletic Conference Quarterfinals by a 3-0 result. In the win, Rodrigo Albuquerque, Jack Price and Ricardo Ferreira all netted goals for MACU.