OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 1 MACU men's soccer team will officially get Sooner Athletic Conference play underway on the road on Tuesday as the Evangels head to McPherson, Kansas for a 3 p.m. kickoff against Central Christian in a matchup of the only two unbeaten teams in the league.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 6-0-2
• Last Match: Tied at No. 14 Columbia (Mo.) – 0-0 – Sept. 20, 2023 – Columbia, Mo.
• Top Performers:
  • Kolby Godbolt – JR – F
    • 3 Goals, 6 Points, 14 Shots, 5 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Jack Price – SR – F
    • 3 Goals, 6 Points, 14 Shots, 7 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Yasha Schaerer – FR – M
    • 2 Goals, 1 Assist, 5 Points, 13 Shots, 6 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Claudio Fuentealba – JR – GK
    • 6-0-1 W-L, 0.57 GAA, 17 Saves, .810 SV%, 4 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • For the first time since facing Central Christian in the SAC Championship game on Apr. 9, 2021, Mid-America Christian came away with a scoreless draw at No. 14 Columbia on Sept. 20. The matchup against the Cougars was a challenge for both teams offensively as MACU was held to its second-fewest shots (9) and fewest shots on-goal (4), but on the flip side, the Evangels held CC to just eight shots and two shots on-goal.
  • After pitching the clean sheet, Claudio Fuentealba garnered his first SAC Defensive Player of the Week honor. The junior keeper made a pair of strong handed saves for his fourth shutout of the season. Currently, Fuentealba is second in the SAC in goals allowed average (0.57) as well as third in save percentage (.810).
  • The Evangels have been considered one of the best defensive teams in not just the SAC, but also the NAIA as MACU has won four of the first five SAC Player of the Week honors while Jair Estrada in Week Two was selected as the NAIA Defensive Player of the Week.
  • Even though MACU has faced some elite defenses so far this season, the Evangels are still trying to find their footing offensively as MACU is currently scoring 1.75 goals per game with Kolby Godbolt and Jack Price combining to score nearly half of MACU's 14 goals with three scores apiece.

SCOUTING REPORT
Central Christian (Kan.)

• Record: 5-0-2
• Last Match: Won vs. Manhattan Christian (Kan.) – 13-0 – Sept. 22, 2023 – McPherson, Kan.
• Series vs MACU (2006-): MACU leads 9-1-1
• Last Match vs MACU: MACU won 3-0 – Oct. 1, 2022 – Dill Soccer Field
• Series Streak: MACU won 3
• Players to Watch:
  • Drew Schrader – SR – F
    • 1 Goal, 13 Assists, 15 Points, 15 Shots, 9 SOG
  • Marco Cherchi – SO – F
    • 5 Goals, 4 Assists, 14 Points, 15 Shots, 12 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Johnny Rodriguez – JR – F
    • 6 Goals, 2 Assists, 14 Points, 16 Shots, 10 SOG
  • Rodolfo Ramirez – JR – GK
    • 4-0-2 W-L, 1.09 GAA, 18 Saves, .750 SV%, 1 SHO, 1 CBO
• Team Notes:
  • Under 12-year head coach Aaron Hoxie, Central Christian enters Tuesday afternoon's contest with an unblemished 5-0-2 overall record, earning his 100^th career win at the helm in a 13-0 blasting of Manhattan Christian on the Tigers' home pitch on Sept. 22.
  • The matchup will feature one of the SAC's top offenses against one of the league's best defenses as Central Christian is averaging a league-best 4.71 goals per game while the Evangels are limiting their competition to the third-lowest goals per game rate at 0.75 while playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
  • The Tigers are led offensively by Johnny Rodriguez, who has netted the third-most goals in the SAC with six while CCCK features the league's top passer in Drew Schrader, who has tallied by far and away the most assists with 13, leading the entire NAIA in that category.
  • Ever since the Tigers won the first ever meeting against the Evangels in a 4-0 result at the Dill Soccer Field on Aug. 25, 2006, Mid-America Christian has dominated the series with a 9-0-1 mark with the lone draw coming in the SAC Championship match in 2021 where MACU won the title with a 3-0 result in the postgame shootout. In last season's meeting at MACU on Oct. 1, the Evangels came away with the 3-0 victory after getting goals from Ricardo Ferreira, Rodrigo Ferreira and Rodrigo Albuquerque.