OKLAHOMA CITY – Texas Wesleyan clamped down on the MACU Men's Soccer attack in the first half, but the Evangels found their stride in the second half as the Evangels pulled out the 2-0 victory on its Senior Night at the Dill Soccer Field on Tuesday.
 
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 2, Texas Wesleyan 0
  • Mid-America Christian (6-7-4, 4-2-2 SAC)
  • Texas Wesleyan (9-8, 3-5 SAC)

SCORING SUMMARY

• 2^nd Half – MACU – 63:47 – Goal: Papa Toure (1) – MACU 1, TXWES 0
• 2^nd Half – MACU – 84:46 – Goal: Joao Victor (1), Assists: Ryan Jeanfreau, Carlos Lobo – MACU 2, TXWES 0

MATCH SUMMARY

• First Half
  • Neither side had a lot of chances through the first 30 minutes, but Texas Wesleyan had a dangerous chance when a left side cross found Rudy Gonzalez from only a handful of yards out from goal, but his deflection shot went just wide right of the post to keep it a scoreless game.
  • In the 33^rd minute, Mid-America Christian got its first on-goal opportunity when Carlos Lobo slid a cross to Federico Palacios on the run down the left side, but it was a tight angle shot that was easily saved by TXWES goalkeeper Axel Tonietto.
  • MACU's best chance at a go-ahead goal came with 2:08 remaining when Jimmy Cabrera's right side set piece cross found the head of Hayden Hoxie, but a Rams defender managed to get a piece of the header that was heading toward the open net to force a corner.
  • The Evangels had one last opportunity to go into the half on a deep strike from Ryan Jeanfreau that sailed just high, making it 0-0 going into the break.
• Second Half
  • Through the first 15 minutes of the second half, the Evangels attack absolutely blitzed the Rams. Five minutes in, Palacios was the first as a tap-back from the six to Palacios just outside the 18. With a strong left-footed strike toward the crossbar, Tonietto managed to get a hand on it and force it over the bar to set up a corner.
  • Tonietto made a few more strong saves over a 57^th and 59^th minutes as Lucas Catosso had a direct header that was snared before Papa Toure and Henry Tolbert each had a strong shot in the box one-handed saved by Tonietto.
  • Tolbert had another try on-goal in the 61^st minute. Getting by both his defenders in the box, Tolbert had a one-on-one with the keeper that looked to be a prime chance, but a defender sliding in for the tackle on the shot helped direct the attempt straight to the keeper to keep it scoreless.
  • After being far more aggressive in the attack, the Evangels were finally rewarded for their efforts when Matias Garcia got by the defense down the left base line before getting wiped out by a defender in the box, setting MACU up with a penalty kick. With Toure stepping to the spot, the senior forward calmly blasted a shot into the bottom left corner to make it a 1-0 Evangels lead in the 64^th minute.
  • Josh Macklin had a phenomenal chance to add to it with a second in the 73^rd minute with a long-distance rocket shot from the right side that pinged off the top left crossbar.
  • In the 85^th minute, Mid-America Christian got some much-needed insurance when Carlos Lobo found Jeanfreau breaking down the right side before crossing it perfectly into the middle of the box for Joao Victor, piercing a powerful 14-yarder into the left side to make it a 2-0 game.
  • Texas Wesleyan tested MACU goalkeeper Alvaro Morera three times in the last five minutes, but the senior keeper came up with three strong saves to keep the Evangels shutout intact.

MATCH NOTES

• Mid-America Christian dominated the possession, outshooting Texas Wesleyan 16-6 with an 8-4 edge in shots on-goal.
• It was a special Senior Night for forward Papa Toure, as his penalty kick goal was the first of his MACU career and the winning shot for the night.
• The goal netted by Joao Victor in the final minutes was also his first of the season.
• Seniors Ryan Jeanfreau and Carlos Lobo each recorded assist in their Senior Night match.
• Getting the start in-goal on Senior Night, Alvaro Morera pitched his second career shutout, making four saves for his most in a clean sheet this year.
• By getting the victory, MACU improved to 10-3-1 all-time against Texas Wesleyan with the result being the ninth-straight win against the Rams.
• The win also allowed the Evangels to seize the No. 3 spot in the upcoming SAC Tournament next week, guaranteeing MACU at least one home game.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will now rest and recover for the upcoming SAC Quarterfinal, which will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at the Dill Soccer Field. Time and opponent have yet to be determined.