OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 17 MACU Men's Soccer team overcome some adversity in its home-opener against McPherson on Saturday night, but hung on to a 2-1 victory against McPherson (Kan.) this Saturday night despite facing strong adversity.
 
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 2, McPherson 1
  • Mid-America Christian (1-0-1)
  • McPherson (0-2-0)

SCORING SUMMARY

• 1^st Half – MACU – 24:15 – Goal: Federico Palacios (1); Assist: Haruya Higuchi – MACU 1, MCPH 0
• 1^st Half – McPherson – 42:00 – Goal: Alex Escobedo (1); Assist: Tijs Stumphius – MACU 1, MCPH 1
• 2^nd Half – MACU – 58:02 – Goal: Ryan Jeanfreau (1); Assist: Carlos Lobo – MACU 2, MCPH 1

MATCH SUMMARY

• First Half
  • It was a quick start offensively to the first half as both teams registered four shots a piece 15 minutes in. MACU goalkeeper Alvaro Morera was called upon within the first minute of the game as he denied the early advantage for McPherson. Haruya Higuchi hit the crossbar off a headed effort just five minutes later as both teams were showing explosive offensive power early on.
  • In the 18^th minute, the Evangels were down to 10-men as Diego Sano was issued a red card.
  • However, it didn't slow down the MACU offense as it found the back of the net just seven minutes later. Federico Palacios fired in the first goal of the new season off a quick counterattack by the Evangel front three. They caught the Bulldog defense stuck in transition as Haruya Higuchi set up the perfect opportunity to give MACU the advantage.
  • A good spell of possession for the Bulldogs eventually led to an equalizer in the 42^nd minute as Alex Escobedo was the quickest to react to the ball in the box and snuck it in just past Morera as the Evangels conceded a score for the first time this season.
• Second Half
  • Despite playing with just 10 on the field, MACU dominated the possession in the opening 15 minutes, getting three shots off before Ryan Jeanfreau fired one into the roof of the net in the 59^th minute, beating the keeper to the front post to give the Evangels the goal advantage.
  • The Evangel goal awakened the Bulldogs attack as they fired off the next few shots, Morera made an incredible diving save in the 67^th minute to keep the Evangel advantage.
  • In the 78^th minute, MACU had to overcome even more adversity as Jair Estrada was issued a red card, forcing the Evangels to play with nine men the rest of the match.
  • The Evangels fended off three shots and two corner kicks in the final 12 minutes to hold on to the 2-1 victory.

MATCH NOTES

• Despite MACU playing with 10-men most of the game, and later only nine, both teams equally finished with 17 shots apiece while McPherson held a slight 7-6 on-goal shot advantage.
• Ryan Jeanfreau led the Evangels in the offense attack, scoring his first game-winning goal as an  Evangel while firing four shots, putting two on frame. Haruya Higuchi added an assist and three shots, putting one on-goal.
• Even though Alvaro Morera couldn't come away with the clean sheet, he protected the Evangel net with six saves, four of which coming in the second half.
• Mid-America Christian stretches the all-time series lead to 6-2, winning in back-to-back games against McPherson at the Dill Soccer Field. The last contest came on Aug. 26, 2022, where MACU won 5-0. 

COACH HOXIE'S ANALYSIS 

• "Hard to describe the overall sentiment of a match like that, but the words I would use are industrious, laboring, and perseverance.  The boys represented themselves well and produced a moment that will not be forgotten."
• "Scoring twice a man down showed class, skill, and a desire to complete the objective.  Our play during those phases produced opportunities and we still generated 17 shots."
• "We'll need to sort out some stuff, obviously, we'll get better..."

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will hit the road to play Benedictine (Kan.) on Thursday, August 28 for a 6 pm kickoff at O'Malley Field.