OKLAHOMA CITY – For the third-straight game, the MACU Men's Soccer team delivered a 1-0 victory over Bellevue while this one came in even more dramatic fashion as
Vito Callaci punched in the game-winner with 2:43 remaining at the Dill Soccer Field on Saturday Night.
SCORE
- Mid-America Christian 1, Bellevue 0
- Mid-America Christian (5-0-0)
- Bellevue (1-3-0)
SCORING SUMMARY
MATCH SUMMARY
- First Half
- Both teams struggled to find dangerous chances in the first half as Bellevue's first shot on-goal came in the second minute off the foot of Coehen Rusin that was easily saved by Julian Huertas. MACU's first chance came from long distance from Jimmy Cabrera, but BU's Kaden Simpson made the relatively easy chest down save to keep it 0-0 in the eighth minute.
- The best chance for either side came from distance from the right side from Luis Valverde that Huertas made a sensational reaction to by forcing it out the right side for a corner kick.
- Neither side mustered another shot on-frame the rest of the way as the two teams went into the break tied up 0-0.
- Second Half
- Bellevue had a strong spell of possession through the first 12 minutes of the second half, taking five shots in that stretch with three being blocked and one going wide left after Jeronimo Zelaya Diaz had his initial header saved at the point of attack before sending his rebounded shot wide.
- With just over 30 minutes to go, Haruya Higuchi tried to catch the goalkeeper off his line by ripping a long distance shot from the right side that Simpson made a strong snaring save diving to his left.
- A minute later, MACU had another great chance when Filliph Kamfjord received a cross from the left side to the right side of the box, dribbling toward the middle before rifling a shot toward the left post. However, Simpson once again made a great diving save to his right before the Bellevue defense cleared it.
- The best chance of the night for the Bruins came in the 63rd minute when Yoskar Galvan-Mercado received a centering corner, catching the MACU defense off-guard. He rifled a long shot through the box that pinged off the right post before Samuel Puth's rebounded shot sailed over the crossbar.
- With time winding down under three minutes to go, Kamfjord ran down a deep cross from Klaus Gartner toward the right end line. With his defender guarding the line, the junior forward snuck a ball past him and got around for the centering pass for Vito Callaci, who punched it inside the right post with his left leg to give MACU the 1-0 advantage.
- Bellevue tried to take a couple of late desperation shots in the final minute, but neither were on-target as the Evangels preserved the 1-0 victory.
MATCH NOTES
- For the first time this season, Mid-America Christian was out-shot in a match as Bellevue held a 20-6 advantage. However, the Bruins struggled to put shots on-frame against MACU's stout back line as the Evangels held the 4-3 edge in shots on-goal.
- The goal for Vito Callaci marked his second goal of the season, becoming the second Evangel to score more than one on the year while it was his first career game-winner at MACU.
- Filliph Kamfjord capped off a sensational week with his first assist with the Evangels after scoring MACU's lone goal in its 1-0 win over the University of the Southwest on Wednesday.
- Mid-America Christian's defense continued to be stout, notching its third consecutive 1-0 victory while the backline held the Bruins to only three shots on-goal.
- Julian Huertas improved to 6-0 in his freshman campaign in-goal, tallying his fifth shutout after recording three saves.
- With the win, MACU improved to 6-0-1 all-time against Bellevue and avenged a tough result in their last meeting after the Bruins eliminated the Evangels from the NAIA Tournament in 2023 with a 7-6 advancement in the postgame shootout after battling to a 3-3 draw.
UP NEXT
- Mid-America Christian will be back on the road on Thursday, Sept. 10 as the Evangels will head up to Iowa to start a four-game road swing. MACU will open the stretch at Northwestern for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff in Orange City.
