OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 12 MACU Men's Soccer program will be seeking to get Sooner Athletic Conference started off on the right foot as the Evangels play host to Wayland Baptist for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff at the Dill Soccer Field on Saturday.

The Evangels are also hosting their annual Alumni Day as MACU will be holding a welcome ceremony for the returning alumni before the start of the contest.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 5-1-2
• Last Match: Won vs. William Woods (Mo.) – 2-1 – Sept. 21, 2024 – Dill Soccer Field
• Top Performers:
  • Enzo Nogue – SR – F/M
    • 5 Goals, 3 Assists, 13 Points, 11 Shots, 8 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Federico Palacios – SO – F
    • 2 Goals, 2 Assists, 6 Points, 12 Shots, 8 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Sebastian Rebolledo – SR – D
    • 8 GP, 6 GS, 552 Minutes, 1.13 GAA
  • Claudio Fuentealba – SR – GK
    • 4-1-1 W-L, 1.17 GAA, 16 Saves, .696 SV%, 1 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is a week removed from one of its hardest fought victories of the season against William Woods on Saturday as the Evangels rallied back from a goal down as Federico Palacios punched in the equalizer with 10:15 remaining before Emanuele Grumo netted his first career game-winner with 2:02 left to wrap-up the 2-1 final.
  • The result continued a remarkable run of MACU's games being decided by a goal or less as all six of MACU's results (5-1) have been decided by a goal or less with four of the contests ending in a 2-1 score.
  • Between the 2-1 results against William Woods and Friends for the week, sophomore forward Federico Palacios was selected as the SAC Offensive Player of the Week after netting the game-winner against the Falcons and the equalizer against the Owls. Emanuele Grumo was also selected as the SAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in his MACU career after scoring the winning goal against WWU and logging all 90 minutes of action. Grumo last won the SAC Player of the Week honor during his freshman season for the week of Sept. 6-12, 2021.
  • After getting a break of action in the Friends match, senior goalkeeper Claudio Fuentealba also came up huge for MACU in the win over William Woods as he made two massive saves in the final four minutes to help the Evangels hang on for the victory. Fuentealba now sits on the cusp of history as he currently sits at 19 career goalie wins, just one shy of becoming just the fourth Evangels keeper since joining the NAIA in 2007 to be a 20-game winner.

SCOUTING REPORT
Wayland Baptist (Texas)

• Record: 5-3
• Last Match: Won vs. Dallas Christian (Texas) – 6-1 – Sept. 11, 2024 – Plainview, Texas
• Series vs MACU (2009-): MACU leads 11-8
• Last Match vs MACU: MACU won 2-1 – Oct. 17, 2023 – Plainview, Texas
• Series Streak: MACU won 8
• Players to Watch:
  • Jamol Williams – SR – F
    • 6 Goals, 3 Assists, 15 Points, 17 Shots, 12 SOG, 2 GWG
  • Francis Motsi – JR – F
    • 4 Goals, 1 Assist, 9 Points, 21 Shots, 10 SOG, 1 GWG
  • Alex Neri – JR – GK
    • 3-2 W-L, 0.90 GAA, 21 Saves, .808 SV%, 2 SHO
• Team Notes:
  • Since suffering a 3-0 loss against Houston-Victoria, Wayland Baptist has won its last three matches against Dallas Christian, Arlington Baptist and Sul Ross State by a combined 12-1 goal differential, the latest coming in a 2-0 result against the Lobos on Tuesday.
  • On the offensive side, the Pioneers are averaging 2.25 goals per game while the defense is allowing a 1.00 goals per contest for a 1.25 goal differential.
  • A bulk load of the WBU offense runs primarily through senior forward Jamol Williams and junior forward Francis Motsi, who have combined to score 10 of WBU's 18 goals this season. On the defensive side, the Pioneers have been splitting time between junior goalkeeper Alex Neri and senior keeper Louis Pryce. The two stoppers are averaging a .789 save percentage while allowing just a goal per contest.
  • While Mid-America Christian holds an 11-8 edge in the all-time series, the Evangels have dominated it as of late, winning eight-straight over the Pioneers. In their last meeting in Plainview on Oct. 17, 2023, MACU won a downright thriller as Charlie Betts fired in a long distance game-winning goal inside the left post with only two seconds left to seal the 2-1 victory.