OKLAHOMA CITY – Returning to the pitch for the first time in 10 days, the MACU women's soccer team will be looking to return to its winning ways in its Sooner Athletic Conference opener as the Evangels head to McPherson, Kansas to take on Central Christian for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 7-1
• Last Match: Lost vs. (RV) Bellevue (Neb.) – 2-0 – Sept. 16, 2023 – Dill Soccer Field
• Top Performers:
  • Gladis Avalos – SO – F
    • 5 Goals, 1 Assist, 11 Points, 15 Shots, 10 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Madison Chavez – FR – F
    • 4 Goals, 3 Assists, 11 Points, 26 Shots, 16 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Jasmine Morales – JR – F
    • 4 Goals, 1 Assist, 9 Points, 18 Shots, 12 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Rachel Torres – SR – GK
    • 7-1 W-L, 0.71 GAA, 18 Saves, .783 SV%, 3 SHO, 2 CBO
• Team Notes:
  • Despite suffering a 2-0 loss to Bellevue for its first defeat of the season on Sept. 16, Mid-America Christian caught some tough breaks in the match, having a potential three goals thwarted in remarkable fashion, including one where the Bruins got a team save on a defender sliding in to clear a shot out the side, another shot hitting the post and another glancing off the bottom of the crossbar before being shoved out by the BU keeper for the save. Overall, MACU held an 18-6 shot advantage over BU in the match with an 8-4 margin in shots on-goal.
  • MACU enters Tuesday evening's match with the Tigers as the top scoring team in the SAC, averaging 3.5 goals on a league-best 21.5 shots per game. The theme to MACU's attack has been its balanced scoring as 14 different players have netted its 28 goals with a bulk of the scoring coming from the trio of Gladis Avalos, Madison Chavez and Jasmine Morales combining to score 17 times.
  • Not only have the Evangels been outstanding offensively, but they also enter conference play as the league's top defense, limiting the opposition to just 0.63 goals on 7.9 shots per contest.
  • Senior keeper Rachel Torres has played a significant role in MACU's defensive prowess as she comes into the match with the Tigers with a league-low 0.71 goals allowed average, conceding just five goals in eight matches. Of her 18 saves for a .783 save percentage, Torres has also recorded a pair of stops on penalty kicks.

SCOUTING REPORT
Central Christian (Kan.)

• Record: 0-6-1
• Last Match: Lost vs. Kansas Wesleyan – 4-0 – Sept. 9, 2023 – McPherson, Kan.
• Series vs MACU (2006-): MACU leads 9-4
• Last Match vs MACU: MACU won 5-0 – Oct. 1, 2023 – Dill Soccer Field
• Series Streak: MACU won 7
• Players to Watch:
  • Aliyah Mora – SR – F
    • 2 Goals, 4 Points, 20 Shots, 7 SOG
  • Avery Lemons – SO – M
    • 1 Goal, 2 Points, 10 Shots, 4 SOG
  • Stephanie Zazueta – FR – M
    • 2 Assists, 2 Points, 4 Shots, 3 SOG
  • Katelyn Beckman – SO – GK
    • 0-6-1 W-L, 3.71 GAA, 46 Saves, .639 SV%
• Team Notes:
  • Under first year head coach Joshua Macharia, Central Christian has struggled mightily thus far in non-conference play as the Tigers enter Tuesday's battle with an 0-6-1 overall record and have had a long layoff with their last match coming in a 4-0 defeat to Kansas Wesleyan on Sept. 9.
  • The Tigers have been troubled both offensively and defensively this season, being outscored by their opposition 26-3 and been outscored by at least three goals in each of their last five matches.
  • Senior forward Aliyah Mora has carried a bulk load of the Central Christian offense, scoring two of CCCK's three goals on 20 shots with just seven landing on-target. Defensively, goalkeeper Katelyn Beckman has faced the most shots of any goalkeeper in the conference, tallying 46 saves on 82 shots for a .639 save percentage while allowing 3.71 goals per game.
  • While Mid-America Christian holds a 9-4 lead in the all-time series, a bulk of the Evangels victories have come lately as MACU has won seven straight matches since the 2019 season. In last year's meeting on Oct. 1, the Evangels netted a season-high five goals in a 5-0 victory as Jasmine Morales, Kadin Stinson, Kealy Juarez, Kanasa Spybuck and Cammy Hargrove all found the back of the net for MACU.