OKLAHOMA CITY – The Sooner Athletic Conference announced its preseason poll on Wednesday morning, voted on by the league's head coaches as the MACU Women's Soccer team were selected for a fourth-place conference finish before getting its season underway on Thursday afternoon as the Evangels host Paul Quinn at the Dill Soccer Field for a 4 p.m. kickoff.
The Evangels received 59 votes in the preseason poll, 15 more than Southwestern Christian (44). Last year's SAC champion John Brown sits joint top with Science & Arts on 76 votes and five first-place votes each. While Oklahoma City (65) garnered six more votes than Mid-America Christian to round out the top three.
SEASON PREVIEW
- Players to Watch:
- Top Returners:
- Brae Baker – SR – F
- All-SAC Second Team, NCCAA First Team All-American
- 2025 Stats: 16 Goals, 4 Assists, 36 Points, 96 Shots, 50 SOG (52.1 SOG%), 3 GWG, 20 GP, 1,465 Min
- Liv Houlston – SO – M
- All -SAC Second Team, NCCAA Second-Team All-American
- 2025 Stats: 6 Goals, 8 Assists, 20 Points, 25 Shots, 14 SOG (56 SOG%) 1 GWG, 20 GP, 20 GS, 1,470 Min
- Abby Sonne – SR – D
- 2025 Stats: 18 GP, 16 GS, 1,383 Min, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 4 Points
- Ariana Solorio – SR - GK
- 2025 Stats: 8-4-3 Record, 2 CS, 66 Saves, 113 SF, 77.6 SV%, 19 GA, 15 GP, 1,389 Min
- Top Newcomers:
- Izzy Hayward – FR – M – Previous School: Priory City Lincoln Academy
- Mikayla Van Blaricom – SO – D – Previous School: Oklahoma Wesleyan
- 2023 Stats: 3 Goals, 1 Assist, 17 GS, 22 GP, 1,389 Min
- Izzy Dooley – SO – D – Previous School: Rogers State (Okla.)
- Last Season at a Glance:
- 2025 Record: 12-5-3 (5-1-3 SAC)
- Mid-America Christian finished up its 2025 campaign with a third-place finish in Sooner Athletic Conference play. The Evangels dominated in the SAC Quarterfinal in a 4-2 win over Southwestern Christian before narrowly falling short in the Semifinal contest against top-seeded John Brown in a 2-1 game.
- MACU qualified for its second-straight NAIA-Tournament appearance with an at-large berth and captured the program's first NAIA Tournament win with a 6-0 victory over Talladega in the NAIA Opening Round.
- What to Expect This Season
- Under sixth-year head coach Anthony Yousey, the Evangels bring in a young group to pair with the experience of their Senior class in effort to return to the NAIA National Tournament for the third consecutive year.
- On the returning side, MACU brought back two All-SAC players and NCCAA All-Americans in senior forward Brae Baker and sophomore midfielder Liv Houlston. Baker led the team with 16 goals, while Houlston dished out a team-high eight assists.
- Mid-America Christian also returned senior goalkeeper Ariana Solorio who garnered an 8-4-3 record with a pair of shutouts and 66 saves on the year. Abby Sonne returns for her senior year to boss the backline and step in as the next defensive leader in the footsteps of the reigning SAC Defensive Player of the Year, Cammy Hargrove who graduated a season ago.
- On the incoming side, MACU strengthened its defense with a pair of fullbacks in Mikayla Van Blaricom and Izzy Dooley. Van Blaricom joined for her sophomore campaign after competing for Oklahoma Wesleyan during the 2023 season where she made 17 starts and 22 appearances. Dooley is added to fill the left back position in her sophomore season after spending a year at the NCAA Division II level with Rogers State (Okla.).
- Izzy Hayward will bring youth and athleticism to the Evangel midfield as she played at a high level in her hometown of Lincoln, England before coming to MACU for her freshman year.
- Key Matches:
- Mid-America Christian opens the season on Aug. 20 with Paul Quinn (Texas), followed by Alumni Day on Aug. 22 against Concordia (Neb.) at Dill Soccer Field.
- The Evangels first road trip takes place on Sept. 10 with a trip to nationally ranked Columbia (Mo.) and (RV) Hastings (Neb) two days later on Sept. 12.
- Once MACU starts Sooner Athletic Conference play, the Evangels have consecutive grueling contests first at No. 20 Science & Arts on Oct. 6, followed by hosting No. 7 John Brown on Oct. 10.
- MACU Women's Soccer hosts Wayland Baptist for its Senior Night on Oct. 27.
