OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 19 MACU Men's Soccer team put together its best wire-to-wire result of the season as the Evangels scored just 66 seconds into the match and didn't look back by coming away with a 2-0 win over (RV) Columbia (Mo.) at the Dill Soccer Field on Monday night to snap its four-game losing streak.
 
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 2, Columbia 0
  • Mid-America Christian (2-4-2)
  • Columbia (2-3-2)

SCORING SUMMARY

• 1^st Half – MACU – 1:06 – Goal: Hayden Hoxie (2), Assist: Federico Palacios – MACU 1, CC 0
• 1^st Half – MACU – 30:09 – Goal: Ryan Jeanfreau (4), Assist: Haruya Higuchi – MACU 2, CC 0

MATCH SUMMARY

• First Half
  • Mid-America Christian was opportunistic in the early going as Josh Macklin managed to force a ball off a Columbia defender in the opening minute, forcing a MACU corner from the right side. Early in the second minute, Federico Palacios lofted a perfectly placed ball into the middle of the box that Hayden Hoxie headed inside the left post to give MACU the 1-0 advantage.
  • The Evangels had two more great chances in the sixth minute when a foul called just outside the right side of the CC penalty box set up a Palacios free kick. He had an initial shot that was saved before another loft in the box set up Hoxie for another header, but CC goalkeeper Osman Naz made a stellar save to force it out for a MACU corner.
  • Ryan Jeanfreau had a pair of chances in the eighth and ninth minutes to add to it, but his first shot was saved before his second try just sailed high.
  • In the 31^st minute, MACU took advantage of a breakaway when Jeanfreau headed a pass from the right sideline to Haruya Higuchi, who flicked it back to Jeanfreau while falling for a wide-open breakaway down the middle of the field. Jeanfreau's shot slipped in from the right side to the left post past the keeper to extend the lead to 2-0.
  • Columbia's best chance in the first half came just moments later after kickoff as a defensive giveaway at the top of the box gave Joshua Peterson an uncontested shot at goal, but MACU goalkeeper Dante Caffaro made a strong save to keep the Cougars off the board.
• Second Half
  • To start the second half, Jeanfreau had a great chance at scoring his second goal of the match in the first minute as a foul committed from 25-yards out. Jeanfreau's free kick try was a curler toward the left side, but Naz made a diving save to force it out the left baseline.
  • MACU had a pair of chances off corners in the minutes following, but Hoxie's header was blocked over the crossbar before Higuchi sailed a shot high.
  • Columbia had an excellent chance to score its first goal when a deep send from the left side to the right found Bodie Rollins for a wide-open chance with a one-on-one with Caffaro. While Caffaro crashed at the point of attack, Rollins managed to get by but sent is try just wide left of goal.
  • In the 59^th minute, CC's top scorer Josh Sutton got a great look as he managed to beat his defender on the left side, but Caffaro made a stellar diving save to keep it a two-goal lead.
  • The Evangels managed to park the bus for the final 30 minutes of the second half as Columbia was only able to manage two off-target shots that came in the 80^th and 81^st minutes.

MATCH NOTES

• Mid-America Christian controlled the possession for most of the game, outshooting Columbia 15-8 with a 6-2 margin in shots on-goal.
• Freshman defender Hayden Hoxie netted his first career game-winner and his second goal of the season just over a minute into the contest while Federico Palacios tallied his third assist on the year, all of which coming in the last four matches.
• MACU's second score netted by Ryan Jeanfreau expanded his team-lead to four while the assist for Haruya Higuchi marked his second on the season. Higuchi was a welcome sight back in the MACU attack after he missed the last five matches due to a high ankle sprain.
• Jeanfreau paced the MACU attack with a team-high four shots, three of which being on-goal.
• Making his second career start in-goal, freshman Dante Caffaro tallied a clean sheet as he only needed to notch two saves while doing an excellent job in intercepting the Cougars crosses. The result marked both his first collegiate win and shutout.
• With the victory, MACU snapped its longest losing streak since the 2016 season. The win also allowed the Evangels to improve to 2-0-1 all-time against Columbia after getting a 2-0 victory at the Dill Soccer Field on Sept. 12, 2022 and battled to a 0-0 draw at Columbia on Sept. 20, 2023.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will wrap-up non-conference play against a familiar face on Saturday as the Evangels host crosstown foe NCAA D-II Oklahoma Christian coached by former MACU head coach Neil Hilton. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at the Dill Soccer Field.