Men's Soccer | 10/26/2019 9:22:00 PM
NORMAN, Okla. – The Oklahoma Panhandle State University men's soccer team may have lost a tough, 2-0, decision on the road to the NAIA No. 25-ranked Mid-America Christian University squad on Saturday, but the team still had reason to celebrate. By virtue of the other weekend results around the league, the Aggies (8-5-2, 3-4-1 SAC) have now officially clinched a berth in the Sooner Athletic Conference's eight-team post-season tournament.
That's quite a feat in OPSU's inaugural season of sponsoring men's soccer as an intercollegiate sport!
"From the first day of preseason we set the first team objective of getting ourselves into the conference tournament," OPSU Head Coach
Brandon Misuraca explained. "We knew we would have the quality to get there, but also knew we would need to be prepared for a long, hard conference campaign, given the strength of this conference from top to bottom."
Panhandle State currently sits in the No. 6 position in the SAC standings, with just a match versus SAC cellar-dweller Southwestern Assemblies of God left in the regular season (on Saturday, November 2 at Anchor D Stadium). Depending on the outcome of USAO's two remaining games, and the Aggies' finale, the team could still move up a notch.
The Aggies kept nationally-ranked MACU quiet until the 26th minute, when the hosts netted a goal from five yards out to lead 1-0. The Evangels (12-2-1, 5-1-1- SAC) would take that lead into the halftime locker room.
MACU would add an insurance goal in the 55th minute for the 2-0 final score. MACU goalie Austen Parker had two saves in pitching the shutout at the Aggies. OPSU net-minder
Cristhofer Monje had four saves and was charged with both goals.
Nicholas Nieto had two of the Aggies' six shot attempts, with one on-goal.
Andres Munoz had the only other OPSU shot on frame in the match. Panhandle had six shots, in all.
But securing the SAC post-season slot stood large for the Aggies.
"Personally, I am very happy for the group," Misuraca reflected. "Not only for meeting the first team objective, but for the culture and tradition they are continuing to build on a daily basis."
