Pioneers Shut Out MACU in Season Opener

The MNU Men's Soccer team got their season underway with a 2-0 win over Mid-America Christian University on Saturday. The Evangels are from Oklahoma City and this is the first time that the two teams have faced off in the history of each program.
 
It looked like an early season game with both teams struggling to create any rhythm in the match. The Pioneers were creating more opportunities but could not get the decisive finish in the first half. The game remained scoreless going into the break. 
 
The second half started much the same way with MNU creating more chances but Tyler McIntosh made several good saves to keep the Evangels in it. That all changed in the 67th minute when Lucas Machado took the ball into the box. He found Tanner Hunjak in front of the goal and he managed to get the ball into the back of the net from close range. The sophomore from Overland Park, Kansas notched his first goal in a Pioneer uniform. The game opened up a bit after this and just 9 minutes later, Alvaro Beltran played a nice through ball for Luis Cadena and he beat the MACU goalkeeper to make the score 2-0. 
 
For the game, MNU outshot MACU 23-7, with SOG being 12-3. McIntosh for MACU was credited with 10 saves. Juan Pablo Riesco made 3 saves in earning his first shutout in a Pioneer uniform. Next up for the Pioneers is a road trip to face off against #20 ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan. The last time the two teams faced off was in 2013 with OKWU earning a 1-0 victory at home. 
 
The Pioneers' next home game will be August 29 against Northwestern College (IA) at 3:30.