OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 6 MACU men's soccer team will face its biggest challenge of the season to-date on Wednesday night as the Evangels host No. 6 Grace (Ind.) at the Dill Soccer Field for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 2-0
• Last Match: Won at (RV) Ottawa (Kan.) – 1-0 – Aug. 26, 2023 – Ottawa, Kan.
• Top Performers:
  • Henry Tolbert – SO – F
    • 1 Goals, 1 Assist, 3 Points, 2 Shots, 1 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Kolby Godbolt – JR – F
    • 1 Goals, 2 Points, 1 Shot, 1 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Jimmy Cabrera – FR – F
    • 1 Assist, 1 Point
  • Claudio Fuentealba – JR – GK
    • 2-0 W-L, 0.00 GAA, 3 SV, 1.000 SV%, 2 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian picked up a pair of strong defensive wins last week. After opening the year with a 1-0 victory over (RV) LSU-Shreveport at the Dill Soccer Field on Aug. 24, the Evangels picked up another 1-0 win against another team receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll in Ottawa on the road on Aug. 26.
  • One of the top defensive teams in the nation last year, the Evangels defense has picked up where it left off in 2023 by allowing just 11 shots (5.5 SPG) with only three shots (1.5 SOG/G) landing on-frame.
  • A big reason for MACU's defensive resurgence has been stellar play from the center-back position in Randall transfer Sebastian Rebolledo as well as the return of starter Emanuele Grumo, who missed the entire 2022 campaign due to recovering from a gruesome leg injury in the middle of the 2021 season. With the return of Grumo, the move has allowed Kareem Williams to move to the outside wing position, where he has been making an impact in MACU's offensive attack.
  • Despite losing two of the team's top three scorers from last season and the third-leading scorer (Jack Price) has missed the first two games due to injury, the Evangels have been getting multiple newcomers to step up on the offensive end thus far to start 2023. In his first two MACU matches, Iowa Lakes CC transfer Henry Tolbert has scored a game-winner and tallied an assist on the winning goal against Ottawa while Iowa Central standout Kolby Godbolt has netted MACU's other game-winner to start the season.

SCOUTING REPORT
No. 16 Grace (Ind.)

• Record: 2-0
• Last Game: Won vs. Governors State (Ill.) – 4-0 – Aug. 26, 2023 – Winona Lake, Ind.
• Series vs MACU (2015-): MACU leads 2-0
• Last Match vs MACU: MACU won 5-0 – Dec. 7, 2019 – Kissimmee, Fla. (NCCAA D-I Championship)
• Series Streak: MACU won 2
• Players to Watch:
  • Martim Sequiera – GR – F
    • 3 Goals, 1 Assist, 7 Points, 14 Shots, 6 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Nelu Calcai – SO – F
    • 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 3 Points, 1 Shot, 1 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Juan Garcia – SO – M
    • 1 Goal, 2 Points, 5 Shots, 2 SOG
  • Matteo Conci – SR – GK
    • 2-0 W-L, 0.00 GAA, 5 Saves, 1.000 SV%, 2 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • A qualifier for the NAIA National Championships last season, Grace has picked up a pair of big home wins to start the season, defeating No. 13 Oklahoma Wesleyan 2-0 on Aug. 24 before topping Governors State 4-0 on Aug. 26.
  • So far this season, the Lancers have been a solid defensive team in the final third. Of the 13 shots GC has allowed, just five shots have landed on-target while none have been able to find the back of the net.
  • Offensively, graduate student forward Martim Sequiera has made the biggest impact on the team, recording a hat trick in the Lancers' 4-0 win over Governors State on Saturday while notching an assist on one of Grace's two goals in their Top 25 victory over No. 13 Oklahoma Wesleyan last Thursday.
  • Wednesday night's meeting will mark just the third time the two powerhouse programs have ever gone head-to-head. The last time the two teams met, it came in the 2019 NCCAA Division I National Championship in Kissimmee, Florida on Dec. 7. In the 5-0 victory, Mid-America Christian jumped out to a commanding advantage as Allan Sorato netted back-to-back goals for MACU in the 13^th and 23^rd minutes before Rodrigo Albuquerque, Pero Mikulic and Stephen Nganga each tallied scores. Tomorrow's matchup will mark the first time the two teams have competed against each other at the Dill Soccer Field.