Oklahoma City, Okla.- The visiting Firestorm stepped up to a battle-tested Mid-America Christian, but ultimately came up short in a 2-1 contest. Following an early concession to the Evangels, forward Santiago Ballesteros tied the game with a first half strike. A quick score in the second half proved to be enough for MACU to prevail.

Score:  Arizona Christian 1, Mid-America Christian 2
Records:  Arizona Christian 4-2-0 (0-0-0) | Mid-America Christian 5-0-1 (0-0-0)
Location: Dill Soccer Field - Oklahoma City, OK

STAT TRACKER

Santiago Ballesteros - 1 goal, 2 shots on goal
Nolan Finch - 1 assist
Micah Rickard - 1 assist
Jake Underwood - 2 shots
Carlos Gallardo - 9 saves

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

ACU understood well before the match that Mid-America Christian is ranked #2 in the country for a reason. A lack of energy was certainly not the culprit, but the Firestorm were caught in disarray long enough for the Evangels to penetrate their armor early. Just a few ticks over two minutes into play, MACU had the first say, as Enzo Nogue received and delivered a ball from Francois Geris-Rey. 

A majority of the opening half favored the Evangels, as they outshot the Firestorm 15-3. Goalkeeper Carlos Gallardo was under fire on seven occasions, but remained unfazed and recorded six saves to keep ACU within distance to close the gap. While the Firestorm did not manage to get a shot off till the 42nd minute, Shiloh Perez's effort soon produced results on the scoreboard. 

Following one failed attempt, Santiago Ballesteros, in his first game of the 2023 season, broke through the MACU backline and scored the tying goal. It came off on a double assist from Nolan Finch and Micah Rickard, both receiving credit for their first assists this season. 

Similar to the beginning of the first period, the Evangels pressed early and Koby Godbolt paid off their offensive push with an unassisted goal and his third on the year. MACU held a 2-1 lead with just under 40 minutes remaining. Gallardo earned his seventh and eighth save only two minutes after the go-ahead goal. 

Playing behind midfield once again, the Firestorm's three shots in the second half all came in the final seven minutes. Though a total shot disparity (34-6) existed, MACU had 10 blocked shots and ACU stayed in the fight, their fate being decided by the clock.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH TED KRZYWIECKI

"While I am disappointed with the result tonight I am happy with the resiliency of our group," Coach Krzywiecki said. "We were a bit slow to start and let one up early. We were able to get back into the game and unfortunately let one up early in the second half… MACU is a good team and credit to them and their coaches, but I felt we were in the game from start to finish. Looking forward to Saturday."

NEXT MATCH

The Firestorm get right back on the pitch Saturday against Oklahoma City University. Following their only other loss, ACU was able to bounce back straight away with a win. A chance to follow suit comes with the first whistle at 10:00 AM MST. Follow the action with live stats at https://www.ocusports.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary and watch the game at https://sacsportsnetwork.com/ocustars/?B=606709.     


Roll Storm!