OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU women's soccer team will bring in a wellspring of talent for the upcoming 2023 season as the Evangels welcome a strong mix of 10 collegiate and high school standouts.
Overall, MACU is adding six collegiate transfers and five high school talents that will not only be competing for the varsity program, but the women's soccer program will also be starting up a reserve team that will play its own schedule of games this fall.
"This year's recruiting class brings in more options in the attack," MACU head coach Anthony Yousey remarked about the incoming class. "Alison Mora and Gladis Avalos will bring us more pace in our midfield play."
A junior midfielder from Garland, Texas, Mora was a major impact player for Dallas College-Richland as one of the team's offensive leaders during the 2021 season. In that campaign, Mora led the team with 10 assists while netting the fourth-most goals with seven to finish with the second-most points on the team at 24. Mora was also extremely effective at finding her target as she posted 35 shots on-goal on 44 attempts.
One of two transfers from Redlands Community College, Avalos is a sophomore forward and midfielder who is coming off a sensational freshman campaign with Bulldogs. In 2022, the Oklahoma City native scored six goals and dished out three assists to finish with a team-high 15 points off 56 shot attempts.
Joining her Redlands teammate, junior Stephany Soto will provide some quality experience in the MACU midfield. The nearby Moore, Okla. product competed in 28 games and made 25 starts over two seasons with the Bulldogs. Soto tallied a pair of assists from the backline for RCC in 2022.
Bringing more depth to the MACU attack, sophomore forward Faith Ross is a transfer from NCAA Division II East Central (Okla.) who competed in two games and logged 11 minutes in her freshman season with the Tigers. The local Bethany, Okla. native was a stellar standout at Bethany High School, earning All-District honors with the Bronchos.
Rounding out the class of college transfers, sophomore defender Lissette Taylor comes to MACU to compete with her sister Alissa Taylor. A transfer from Oklahoma Wesleyan, Lissette Taylor is returning to the collegiate game after playing her freshman season with the Eagles in 2019. A key contributor for an OKWU squad that went 19-4 with an undefeated 12-0 mark in KCAC play, Lissette Taylor saw action in 15 matches.
Of the high school standouts, another Choctaw, Okla. native in Karah Wallace will join her former CHS teammate in Shatswell on the squad. The defender earned First Team All-Conference honors in 2023 and was a 2022 All-District honoree with the Yellowjackets while earning valedictorian honors at Choctaw High as well.
Making her way to the squad from Ardmore High School, Madison Chavez comes to MACU after not just serving as Tigers' Team Captain, but was also AHS' leading scorer as well as the school's valedictorian.
The Evangels are also adding two more local high school talents in Mustang High School's Lainee Davis and Yukon High School's Olivia Schoen while also inking a Brazilian freshman player in Allana Porto.
Mid-America Christian will start off 2023 with a home scrimmage against Eastern Oklahoma State at the Dill Soccer Field on Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. before officially kicking off the regular season with a home match against Missouri Baptist at 5 p.m. on Aug. 24.
