OKLAHOMA CITY – Newcomer Stephanie Arrivillaga made the most of her first appearance in a MACU women's soccer uniform Thursday, scoring a pair of goals in the Evangels' 2-1 win over LSU Shreveport to open the 2024 season.  
 
Goalkeeper Rachel Torres stopped a shot in the closing seconds to preserve the win for MACU (1-0), which picked up where it left off in 2023 when the Evangels won 15 games under fourth-year coach Anthony Yousey. 
 
SCORING SUMMARY 

• 1^st Half – MACU – 13:55 – Goal: Stephanie Arrivillaga (1) – MACU 1, LSUS 0 

• 2^nd Half – MACU – 79.27 – Goal: Stephanie Arrivillaga (2) – MACU 2, LSUS 0 

• 2^nd Half – MACU – 83.27 – Goal: Mada Uriarte (1) – MACU 2, LSUS 1 

 
MATCH SUMMARY 

• First Half 

• MACU's offense pushed the pace from the start, outshooting the Pilots 4-2 with three shots on goal. Arrivillaga, a true freshman from Guatamela, delivered the team's first goal of the season on corner kick in the 13^th minute. 

• In the 23^rd minute, Brae Baker, a transfer from Oklahoma Baptist, missed a one-on-one opportunity against Pilots goalkeeper Melanie Garcia. Baker, a sophomore, attempted to dribble past Garcia from 10 feet away but lost control of the ball, recovered and directed a shot that Garcia stopped. 
• Mid-America Christian had one last chance in the minute when Francesca Martella launched deep free kick toward goal that was easily snared by Garcia, keeping it to a 1-nil game going into the half.

• Second Half 

• The Evangels continued to apply the pressure in the second half, outshooting the Pilots 11-6, but couldn't find the net until Arrivillaga connected on a penalty kick to give MACU a 2-0 advantage.  

• LSUS showed signs of life late in the game when an accidental giveaway by Torres in goal set up Mada Uriarte for a five-yard punch-in in the 83^rd minute to made it 2-1. 

• The Pilots made it interesting in the final seconds when a LSUS corner kick was deflected off a MACU defender and then controlled by Alba Martinez Alvare outside of the 18-yard box. Martinez directed a shot toward the right side that was knocked down by Torres, who fell on ball as time expired.  

MATCH NOTES 

• MACU owned a 15-8 shot advantage over LSUS, including seven shots on goal. 
• Arrivillaga netted a brace with the Evangels with her two goal performance off of two shots, both of which were on-goal. It marked the second-straight contest the Evangels had a player on the brace after Annika Gerdau netted a pair of goals in MACU's 5-1 win over Redeemer in the NCCAA National Championship in Kissimmee, Florida on Nov. 29, 2023.
• Goalkeeper Rachel Torres recorded her 15^th career win after conceding just one score while tallying a pair of saves.

• It was the second straight season-opening win for the Evangels, who beat Missouri Baptist 3-2 at the Dill Soccer on August 24, 2023. 

 
UP NEXT 

• The Evangels travel to Winfield, Kansas to play Southwestern for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Saturday at Richard L. Jantz Stadium. The teams haven't faced each other since Sept. 2, 2017 — a 2-1 MACU win. The Evangels have dominated the Moundbuilders, winning 11 of 12 games played between the teams.