OKLAHOMA CITY – Coming off its first NAIA Top 25 win of the season, the No. 6 MACU men's soccer team is ready for two more challenging matchups over the Labor Day Weekend as the Evangels travel to Olathe, Kansas for a 2:30 p.m. matchup against Missouri Valley on Saturday before taking on host No. 15 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) at 1 p.m. on Labor Day Monday. Both games will be played at Pioneer Field on the campus of MNU.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 3-0
• Last Match: Won vs. No. 16 Grace (Ind.) – 3-2 – Aug. 30, 2023 – Dill Soccer Field
• Players to Watch:
  • Kolby Godbolt – JR – F
    • 2 Goals, 4 Points, 4 Shots, 2 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Henry Tolbert – SO – F
    • 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 4 Points, 4 Shots, 2 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Charlie Betts – JR – F
    • 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 3 Points, 6 Shots, 2 SOG
  • Claudio Fuentealba – JR – GK
    • 3-0 W-L, 0.67 GAA, 6 Saves, .750 SV%, 2 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian picked up its third-straight one-goal win of the season on Wednesday night at the Dill Soccer Field as the Evangels held off a late rally by No. 16 Grace to secure the 3-2 victory.
  • In the win, the Evangels were able to secure firm control with a three-goal lead as Kolby Godbolt netted his team-leading second goal in the 18^th minute. Charlie Betts recorded his first MACU goal on a PK in the 66^th minute before Jack Price put away the eventual game-winner in the 78^th minute.
  • After facing some offensive struggles in the first two matches of the season, it appeared the Evangels attack found some rhythm against another strong defensive team in the Lancers. MACU scored just one goal in 16 shots against both LSU-Shreveport and Ottawa in its first two wins, but were much more effect in its limited opportunities against Grace, netting three goals on 12 shot attempts.
  • The Evangels will be looking to clean up a few things on the defensive end going into their matches against the Vikings and Pioneers this weekend after allowing a pair of late goals in the final 11 minutes against Grace.

SCOUTING REPORT
No. 7 Missouri Valley

• Record: 0-1
• Last Match: Lost vs. No. 14 Columbia (Mo.) – 1-0 – Aug. 29, 2023
• Series vs MACU (2022-): MACU leads 1-0
• Last Match vs MACU: MACU won 1-0 – Sept. 5, 2022 – Olathe, Kan.
• Series Streak: MACU won 1
• Players to Watch:
  • Sam Green – JR – F
    • 2022 NAIA 1^st Team All-American, 17 Goals, 9 Assists, 80 Shots, 44 SOG, 8 GWG in 2022
  • Kazuki Hashimoto – SR – M
    • 2022 NAIA All-American Honorable Mention, 2 Goals, 2 Assists in 2022
  • Malik Hasanovikj – JR – M
    • 2022 All-Heart 2^nd Team, 6 Goals, 5 Assists, 3 GWG in 2022
• Team Notes:
  • Missouri Valley is facing three straight ranked opponents to start off the season as the Vikings dropped their season-opener 1-0 to No. 14 Columbia (Mo.) on Aug. 29 and will take on No. 16 Grace (Ind.) at home on Monday.
  • MVC returns one of the top strikers in the nation in junior forward Sam Green, who was an NAIA First Team All-American as well as the Heart of America Offensive Player of the Year during the 2022 season after scoring 17 goals and dishing out nine assists.
  • The Vikings also bring back another one of their top offensive performers in All-Heart Second Team honoree Malik Hasanovikj, who netted six goals and five assists a season ago.
  • In their first ever meeting at Pioneer Field last season, Mid-America Christian and Missouri Valley were involved in a defensive dogfight as MACU came out with the 1-0 result on Sept. 5, 2022. Georg Westerlund cleaned up Diego Real's long-range shot in just the third minute. The Evangels defense held the high-powered MVC squad to just six shots, two of which were on-goal.

No. 15 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)

• Record: 1-0-1
• Last Match: Tied at Colorado Christian – 0-0 – Aug. 26, 2023 – Lakewood, Colo.
• Series vs MACU (2015-): MNU leads 2-0
• Last Match vs MACU: MNU won 1-0 – Sept. 3, 2022 – Olathe, Kan.
• Series Streak: MNU won 2
• Players to Watch:
  • Rick Hovinga – JR – F
    • 2022 NAIA All-American Honorable Mention, All-Heart 1^st Team, 15 Goals, 1 Assist, 4 GWG in 2022
  • Jony Munoz – SR – F
    • 2022 NAIA All-American Honorable Mention, All-Heart 1^st Team, 7 Goals, 6 Assists, 4 GWG in 2022
  • Enzo Carvalho – SR – GK
    • 2022 All-Heart 1^st Team, 14-4-3 W-L, 0.98 GAA, 76 Saves, .792 SV%, 8 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • MidAmerica Nazarene opened its 2023 season with a road trip to Colorado to face a pair of NCAA Division II foes. After picking up a 1-0 win at Colorado Mines on Aug. 24, the Pioneers battled Colorado Christian to a scoreless draw on Aug. 26.
  • The Pioneers return its top offensive talent from last season in Rick Hovinga and Jony Munoz, who were both named to the All-Heart First Team after Hovinga pushed across 15 goals while Munoz was the team's top distributor with six assists to go with seven scores of his own.
  • MNU also brings back its All-Heart 1^st Team goalkeeper in senior Enzo Carvalho. During the 2022 campaign, Carvalho played every minute while allowing less than a goal per game while saving .792 percent of the shots he faced.
  • In last year's meeting on Sept. 3, Mid-America Christian dropped a heartbreaker to MidAmerica Nazarene when the Pioneers scored the game-winning goal with just 45 seconds left to come away with the 1-0 win. Despite suffering the loss, MACU managed to out-shoot the Pioneers 9-5 with an even 3-3 shots on-goal.