HOUSTON – The UST Men's Soccer Team did everything right vs Mid-America Christian University except score. MACU got a second half goal while playing down a man in the 58th minute, and that was enough to give the Evangels a 1-0 win over the Celts.
With just less than 20 minutes left in the first half, the Evangels had a player sent off, leaving MACU to play down a man for the remainder of the match. The decision put the Evangels in a position to test their mettle against a quality side on the road, and MACU battled fiercely to get the match to halftime in a scoreless deadlock.
The Celts ratcheted up the pressure on the Evangels' defense. Two quick shots from Edwin Saldivar (SO/Houston, Texas) went begging – one high and one wide of the target. With less than 20 minutes to play, Saldivar got loose again and forced McNicholas to make a save, and with under 12 minutes to go, McNicholas made a fourth stop – this time on Luis Bencomo (SO/Barquisinento, Venezuela) – to preserve the lead, and the rebound was sent wide.
Each team had 11 shots in the game while MACU held a 9-2 advantage in corner kicks.