WAXAHACHIE, Texas – The MACU Women's Soccer team saw a stiff challenge in its penultimate game of the regular season on Nelson's Senior Night at the Lions Athletic Complex on Saturday night. However, the Evangels were able come through in the clutch as Gladis Avalos headed in the game-winning goal with less than three minutes left to secure the huge 3-2 road victory.
 
SCORING SUMMARY

• 1^st Half – MACU – 18:28 – Goal: Brae Baker (12), Assist: Asley Baker – MACU 1, NU 0
• 1^st Half – NU – 38:14 – Goal: Stephanie Hernandez (6), Assist: Daisy Altamirano – MACU 1, NU 1
• 2^nd Half – MACU – 47:04 – Goal: Asley Baker (3) – MACU 2, NU 1
• 2^nd Half – NU – 72:56 – Goal: Stephanie Arreola (4) – MACU 2, NU 2
• 2^nd Half – MACU – 87:08 – Goal: Gladis Avalos (4), Assist: Caitlin Hirst – MACU 3, NU 2

MATCH SUMMARY

• First Half
  • Nelson (9-8, 4-4 SAC) had the first dangerous chance of the match in the fifth minute when one of the league's leading goal scorers Anna Bewley was able to get an open look from 12-yards out on the run from the right side, but MACU goalkeeper Rachel Torres made a strong diving save to her right to trap the shot and keep the match level.
  • Mid-America Christian (12-2-2, 7-1 SAC) found the first score of the contest in the 19^th minute when Asley Baker sent a deep ball onto the run of her sister Brae Baker down the middle. With a one-on-one with the keeper, Baker was able to slide her 15-yarder inside left post before Samantha Longoria could stop her at the point of attack, making it a 1-0 MACU advantage.
  • While both teams had chances to follow, the Lady Lions found the equalizer in the 39^th minute when Daisy Altamirano's right side corner found the head of Stephanie Hernandez in the middle of the box as she precisely put it through before the Evangels defense could react to draw the match even.
  • Just moments later following the kickoff, it looked as though MACU was going to retake the lead when Brae Baker dribbled down the right side before pinpointing a pass for her sister Asley crashing toward the left side of the box, punching in what appeared to be the go-ahead goal. However, the goal was negated as Asley was whistled for offside.
  • The Evangels had once more great chance to go into the halftime break with the lead, but Brae Baker's shot from distance from the right side toward the top left corner pinged off the crossbar in the 43^rd minute, keeping it to 1-1 heading into the half.
• Second Half
  • It didn't take long for Mid-America Christian to take advantage of its first second half chance as Asley Baker managed to sift a through-ball to her sister Brae on an open run down the left side. Getting by her defender, Brae made a strong strike that Longoria made a great diving save to her left on. However, Asley was unmarked on her sister's shot as she followed it up with an easy, open seven-yard punch-in inside the right post to set the score to 2-1.
  • In the 73^rd minute, Nelson once again found the equalizer. After Torres was able to knock down a cross that trickled outside of the box, Stephanie Arreola collected the loose ball and made a quick dribble to her left before rifling an 18-yard strike into the top right corner, drawing it even at 2-2.
  • With time winding down in the match, Mid-America Christian came through with another clutch goal for the winner. With three minutes remaining, Caitlin Hirst tried to cross a ball from the right side into the box that was initially blocked. However, Hirst was able to track the loose ball back down in the right corner before lofting a cross toward the right post. Sprinting in on the play, Gladis Avalos managed to get her head on the ball and pop the six-yarder over the leaping keeper and into the back of the net to wrap-up the 3-2 final.

MATCH NOTES

• Mid-America Christian managed to hold a bulk load of the possession, outshooting Nelson by a 15-10 margin with a 9-6 edge in shots on-goal.
• The game-winner for Gladis Avalos went down as her fourth goal of the season and the 11^th of her two-year MACU career while also marking her fourth game-winner. The assist accredited to Caitlin Hirst on the play was her third of the season.
• Both of the Baker sisters once again came through for the Evangels offensively as Asley Baker finished with her third goal of the season as well as fourth assist while Brae Baker finished with her team-leading 12^th goal of the season.
• A strong contender for one of the league's honors, sophomore forward Brae Baker extended her goal total to 12 and her overall point total to 30, which rank as the third-most goals and the fourth-most points in the conference.
• Rachel Torres improved to 12-2-2 in-goal for MACU after recording four saves while the two goals allowed put her at a .667 save percentage.
• With the victory, Mid-America Christian improved to 19-2 all-time against Nelson since the two programs started facing each other in 2007.
• By getting the critical result, MACU continues to stay in lock step with John Brown and Science & Arts in first place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with all three teams contending for the league title. With the Drovers sneaking out a 2-1 win over OCU on Saturday, MACU has locked up no worse than the No. 3 seed in the SAC Tournament next week.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will have a big opportunity in-front of it in its regular season finale on Tuesday as the Evangels will head out to Goodwell, Oklahoma to take on Oklahoma Panhandle State inside Anchor D Stadium with the match slated for a 5 p.m. kickoff.