Deal SAC Offensive Player of Week

Following his three-goal match in the first round of the conference tournament, Wayland Baptist freshman Guillermo Deal has been named Sooner Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week.

Deal, a freshman forward from Uruguay, scored all three of his goals in the first 27½ minutes of Wayland's 5-1 victory over Mid-America Christian on Saturday at Hilliard Field. Deal notched three of the Pioneers' first four goals and assisted on the last.

Deal became only the fourth Pioneer in team history to score three goals in a match, joining David Neuberth (vs. Howard Payne in 2014), Erik Luzanilla vs. Lubbock Christian in 2013, and Vitalis Atemafac vs. Oklahoma Baptist in 2013). His 12 goals on the season also breaks the program record of nine held by three players: Arturo Valle-Sardaneta last season, Neuberth in 2013, and Somersall in 2012.

The top-seeded Pioneers, who won the conference regular-season title for the first time ever, will host fifth-seeded Southwestern Christian University at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals of the SAC Tournament. Wayland (13-3-2) is ranked the equivalent of 28^th in the NAIA while the Eagles (10-5-3) are the equivalent of 37^th.

Southwestern Christian got out of the first round after tying fourth-seeded Oklahoma City on the road, 0-0 in double overtime, but advancing on penalty kicks, 4-3.

WBU fell to Southwestern Christian, 1-0, on Oct. 25 in Bethany, Okla., but the Eagles were forced to forfeit that match and another win due to an ineligible player. Those forfeits dropped SCU from the No. 3 seed to the No. 5 seed.

Tuesday's winner advances to the SAC Tournament championship match to face either 18^th-ranked, second-seeded John Brown (13-2-2) or third-seeded Science and Arts of Oklahoma (11-7-1), who also play at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Siloam Springs, Ark.

The championship match will be played at a time to be determined Saturday at the host site of the highest remaining seed, which would be Wayland if the Pioneers win Tuesday. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to NAIA Nationals. The opening round will be played Nov. 19 at campus sites before 16 teams move on to the final site for a single-elimination tournament Nov. 28-Dec. 3 in Delray Beach, Fla.