OKLAHOMA CITY – MACU Women's Soccer were back in-action Monday afternoon at the Dill Soccer Field and fell 2-0 to No. 23 Columbia (Mo.) in its first match against a ranked opponent this season.

SCORE

• No. 23 Columbia 2, (RV) Mid-America Christian 0
  • Mid-America Christian (5-2)
  • Columbia (1-4-1)

SCORING SUMMARY

• 1^st Half – CC – 20:26– Goal: Renata Mendez (1) – CC 1, MACU 0   
• 1^st Half – CC – 42:18 – Goal: Madeleine Shylanski (1) Assist: Georgia Pardalos – CC 2, MACU 0

MATCH SUMMARY

• First Half
  • MACU opened the match with possession that eventually led to Rosina Mastro taken down inside the to win an Evangel penalty kick. Gladis Avalos, who was perfect from the spot on the season, saw her penalty kick saved by Columbia goalkeeper Natalie Allison in the fifth minute denying the early advantage for the Evangels.
  • The Cougars struck first in the 21^st minute as Renata Mendez scored a direct free kick from 22 yards out for her first goal of the season. Ariana Solorio was able to get a hand to the free kick but was unable to keep it out. Solorio made a second appearance in-goal for the Evangels as normal goalkeeper Alba Vigo missed her second consecutive game due to injury.
  • Columbia looked to take a two-goal lead in the 31^st minute through Georgia Pardalos who found space in behind the Evangel defense, 1-on-1 with the keeper, but her shot drifted high for the Cougars' ninth shot in the opening 30 minutes.
  • Avalos had another opportunity to get MACU on the board in the 35^th minute with her shot from outside the box that struck the crossbar.
  • The Cougars doubled their lead in the 43^rd minute just before the halftime break with Madeleine Shylanski, who got to the Pardalos pass before an Evangel defender and dribbled around the goalkeeper to put it into the open net.
• Second Half
  • The second half started with back-and-forth offensive pressure as Solorio was forced into a save in the 55^th minute. The Evangels had multiple shots but nothing to test the goalkeeper.
  • Hannah Shylanski almost made it three for the Cougars, as her shot from outside the box struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced right on the goal line, but Solorio was there to clean up the rebound.
  • MACU came close to getting back into the game in the 77^th minute as Anjelic Gonzalez was found on a great run and fired a shot at the near post forcing a great foot save out of the Columbia goalkeeper.
  • Rosina Mastro had her shot saved in the 83^rd minute as this proved to be the final big chance to score for MACU as Columbia held possession to see out the remainder of the clock.  

MATCH NOTES

• Columbia held the shot advantage 22-15, with a 7-5 shots on-goal margin. The Evangels managed to seize the edge on corner kicks, 8-4.
• For the first time this season, the Evangels were outshot by their opponent. Columbia finished with a season-high in shots beating its previous high of 16 in a 1-0 loss to Science & Arts on Sept. 13.
• The Evangels failed to score for the first time this season as their last scoreless game came in the season finale last year against Xavier (La.) in the NAIA National Tournament First Round.
• In her second consecutive start in goal for MACU, Ariana Solorio notched five saves in her first loss of the season.
• Columbia goalkeeper Natalie Allison finished with five saves while also achieving her first shutout and win of the season.
• Columbia extended the all-time record against MACU to 2-0-1 with the previous match on Sept. 18 in Columbia, Mo. finished in a 1-1 draw.

UP NEXT

• The Evangels will take a two-week break before they head across town to face Oklahoma City in its Sooner Athletic Conference opener on Sept. 27 at Brian Harvey Field.