OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 11 MACU men's soccer team won a downright thriller in its home-opener at the Dill Soccer Field on Friday night as Pietro Musso found the back of the net as time expired to give the Evangels a 1-0 victory over Benedictine on Friday night.

SCORING SUMMARY

• 2^nd Half – MACU – 89:59 – Goal: Pietro Musso (1), Assist: Tony Ngombi – MACU 1, BC 0

MATCH SUMMARY

• First Half
  • Senior goalkeeper Claudio Fuentealba was called to duty early in the contest, making a leaping save on Adem Aroua's rocket shot toward the crossbar to keep the game scoreless.
  • With 15 minutes left in the half, Lucas Catosso fired off the first shot on goal for the Evangels, enticing a diving save from Ravens goalkeeper Noah Reuscher.
  • With under a minute to play, it was, once again, Fuentealba to the rescue as he speared an attempted cross from the Ravens to enter halftime at 0-0.
• Second Half
  • Sophomore Federico Palacios gave the Evangels their second shot on-goal in the match with an overhead kick that was punched out to the right side of the goal.
  • In the 59^th minute, Benedictine was called for a handball 10-yards away from the attacking 18-yard box. Sophomore forward Federico Palacios stepped to the mark and tried his luck on-goal, but Reuscher was able to easily snare the line drive strike to the middle to keep it a scoreless game.
  • At the 70-minute mark, a yellow card to the Ravens set the Evangels up with a free kick in the attacking half. Evangels junior forward Josh Macklin sent the ball into the box, but the attack was cleared away, keeping the game scoreless.
  • After some confusion in the box, the ball found junior forward Mario Garcia who drilled the crossbar with 14 minutes to play in the match. On the ensuing corner kick, the Evangels forward Pietro Musso headed the ball off the grass and just wide of the open goal.
  • It looked as though the game was going to end in a scoreless draw in the waning seconds, but with 10 seconds left, Tony Ngombi won the ball in the midfield and tapped a pass forward to Musso, who rifled a 25-yarder toward goal that glanced off a defender and inside the right post as time expired.

MATCH NOTES

• Mid-America Christian was up-to-the task of shutting down a red-hot Benedictine offense that came into the match averaging 3.5 goals per game, shutting out the Ravens for the first time this season while outshooting BC 9-7 with a 5-3 edge in shots on-goal.
• A heavy press from both sides made possession of the ball a premium commodity in the first half of the first ever meeting between the Evangels and the Ravens.
• The goal for Pietro Musso in his second season with the program marked his fourth career score with the Evangels while the assist for Tony Ngombi was his first as an Evangel.
• Claudio Fuentealba earned his first shutout in his senior campaign, stopping all three shots that came his way in the contest.

COACH AARON HOXIE'S ANALYSIS

• "There was no secret coming into the game with what type of game was going to be played tonight. These Benedictine boys absolutely gave us their very best game and we have to get used to that. They battered us for the first 25 minutes and we struggled to get a foothold in the game. Once we added more runners, we were able to get on second balls and progress up the field."
• "In the second half, we changed our shape a bit and how we wanted to play. I wanted a track meet because I knew we were fitter and deeper than they were. Once we established ourselves, it was only a matter of time. We missed several chances that go in on a different day, but got the one that mattered."
• "Overall, rock solid performance defensively once we got through the first 15 minutes. We need to keep working on our attacking play and making sure we get better. It's coming though."
• "Full credit to Benedictine and their staff, they deserved to take something from the game. They are going to be a very difficult out once they get into conference play."

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will be back in-action at the Dill Soccer Field for a big Labor Day match as the Evangels will take on Williams Baptist for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on Monday.